Quick Tip: Utilizing the “Human Anchor” on Your Fishing Boat

The “Human Anchor” works wonders

What’s the best anchor to use when fishing from a boat in the river? Turns out it might actually be yourself. Quite honestly I’ve never given my raft/drift-boat anchor much thought. As long as it stops me where I want to fish then that’s good enough for me.

After spending some time at Bristol Bay Lodge in Alaska a few weeks ago I’ve been enlightened to a very effective way of fishing, ahem: using a technique that the guides there called the “Human Anchor.” It’s a bit of a cross between dragging an actual anchor and rowing very hard back upstream to keep you on a fishing spot.

The process is simple, hop out of your fishing craft, point the stern downstream and simply grab a sturdy piece of said boat and walk her down and/or across the river to wherever you want to fish. It was deadly effective there, and I assume it would be almost anywhere. You just need to make sure the current is not too swift or the river too deep. (This could make things very dangerous for the human anchor.) It lets you fish runs indefinitely without back rowing or creep very slowly along a cut-bank while tossing dry flies at EVERY rising fish instead of just one or two.

Like I mentioned it was very effective, but again: if you try it make sure you can stand in the water you’re about to hop out into and the current isn’t so heavy that it will sweep you under the boat.