How to Make an Anchor for Your Canoe or Small Boat

There are few things as relaxing as a nice float trip down a river in a canoe, or a lazy afternoon of fishing from a canoe. The problem comes when you need to stop. You hit a place in the river where the fish are biting and you quickly find yourself sailing right on by the fish. The solution? An Anchor of course!

While anchors can be purchased from sporting goods stores and other locations, what fun is that? There is no need to spend money when in a short period of time and with virtually no cost you can make your own in your garage. Just think, the money you save can be used to purchase more fishing gear.

There are numerous items that can be used to make anchors for canoes and other small boats. First you will need to choose what you are going to use for weight. My personal preference is a bleach or milk bottle filled with either sand or small rocks. Other choices could be a barbell weight, a couple bricks (the type with holes), or a custom made block of concrete with a hole in it. Don't use anything of value as the anchor could well end up tangled into a downed tree under the water or any number of objects that you won't be able to retrieve it from. The advantages of using bleach or milk jugs is that they are inexpensive, have a nice handle to attach a rope, are shaped so that they are easier to pull up through the water than other choices. Plus the plastic jugs they won't scratch the plastic or aluminum sides or bottoms of your canoe or small boat.

Once you have decided what to use as weight, simply attach a rope to the object and you are ready to go. If you are using a milk bottle, make certain you are using one with a screw on cap. Experiment with the amount of weight that you want in jug and once you are satisfied glue the lid onto the top of the jug. This will keep the jug from coming open and losing weight during use. For best results throw the anchor off the upstream side of the boat. The anchor will lie on the bottom and the canoe or boat will be held by the streams current. You will have to tie the anchor to the boat, obviously, to hold the boat in place.