Quick fix kayak fishing river anchor

Miles from home and headed for an early morning river tournament, I realized I’d left my chain anchor in the kayak shed. With the contest starting in an hour, I rushed into an all-night superstore and bought some thick zip ties, a 5-pound dumbbell and a roll of Gorilla tape. Voila. In about 20 minutes, I had a really ugly anchor that worked great. Uncut zip ties kept it from wedging into rocks.
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<em>All captions: Dave Mull</em>
Miles from home and headed for an early morning river tournament, I realized I’d left my chain anchor in the kayak shed. With the contest starting in an hour, I rushed into an all-night superstore and bought some thick zip ties, a 5-pound dumbbell and a roll of Gorilla tape. Voila. In about 20 minutes, I had a really ugly anchor that worked great. Uncut zip ties kept it from wedging into rocks.

All captions: Dave Mull

Cut two pieces of paracord and knot the ends, then form the loop to which you’ll tie your anchor line.
Cut two pieces of paracord and knot the ends, then form the loop to which you’ll tie your anchor line.
Tape the two pieces of cord where you’ll tie the line.
Tape the two pieces of cord where you’ll tie the line.
Tape the cord to one end of the weight, leaving an eyelet for the anchor line.
Tape the cord to one end of the weight, leaving an eyelet for the anchor line.
Several zip ties hold the paracord in place on the handle of the dumbbell. More tape on the other end adds stealth.
Several zip ties hold the paracord in place on the handle of the dumbbell. More tape on the other end adds stealth.
Make sure the zip ties stick out opposite of the line tie so the plastic strands drag on the bottom and help avert snags.
Make sure the zip ties stick out opposite of the line tie so the plastic strands drag on the bottom and help avert snags.