>>1863604I used to use 1.5-3lb grapnel style anchors on sandy and muddy bottoms but I lost like three to them either getting stuck or in one case the metal attachment point failing. What I’m currently using and seems to do the best is an 8lb round one designed for small boats. Typically I tie it on with twice the max depth of rope and depending on how I want to fish I’ll use a second knot on the line to shorten it when I’m out; so when it’s raining and I want to lock down under a bridge I have minimum play. They say not to tie to the sides but I’ve not had any serious issues outside of really heavy surf and I’m not sure how tying off the bow or stern is reasonable given that it’s tricky to reach so far safely. There are systems that allow you to side mount it on a rope system that can be adjusted but that seems like a lot of expense and effort for minimum reward.
Other big thing I can’t recommend enough is a cooler bag to mount up front for beverages and to keep caught fish on ice. Stringers are just a cruel way to kill caught fish as the movement will fuck them up and attract predators. That said I recently invested in a floating rubber net that allows me to keep baitfish or keepers I don’t want to ike jime just yet alive and unstressed.
Yak fishing can be a game of accessories but the big ticket stuff isn’t necessary for success, just slowly invest in stuff that is practical. Something else I’ve found is switching from egg to pyramid weights on my drop shots helps keep them more stable and tight on the bottom in surf, but if you’re fishing Carolinas or jigs or top water stuff you’ll have to find what works best for you.
