Kayak Anchor Trolley? 2025

Bass_Fishing_Socal reply :

Went fishing yesterday on my kayak, got my first fish and a big backlash on my reel ?

Not bad for a greener like me lol. The only problem I found is to stay with the wind and positioning my kayak. I'm thinking of installing anchor trolley in order to use stake out pole or small anchor since I always fish in shallow area around tree and brushes.

The two kits I'm looking for are from yakgear and yak attack. Yakgear system use well-nut for pulley while Yak attack use all self tapping screws. What do you guys think which is better or if any other recommendations would also welcome.

I'm thinking of investing in rivet gun since that the way most recommended for kayak. I do not trust self tapping screw at all, bungee holder on my kayak tank well came loose by itself twice from different spot just from tension on bungee alone. Gotta contact perception for that.

clayton86 reply :

I have the yakattack anchor trolley HD though o didn't use any of the HD components like the backing plates. I really like it, I did drill my holes out one size smaller then it called for. I've had mine installed since march and it's been in use in 30mph winds, strong current I had no business anchoring in and just normal conditions. It's still tight and has held up just fine.

stk44 reply :

^^ I will agree to this. I don't have the HD version but the yak attack anchor trolley is the best money I've ever spent on a kayak accessory. On lakes with wind or a river system, this has paid for itself. I run a grapple style anchor off of about 30 feet of 550 chord and that does the trick for me.

A stakeout pole would be awesome, I'm just not sure if that would be a pain to keep in the kayak or not. Let me know if you have any questions. I could even take pictures of my anchor trolley if you need them.

GrumpyOlPhartte reply :

Good advice here! Just a thought though. I ended up with trolleys on both sides of my yak. It's often breezy/windy here and depending on the lake I'm fishing, I found I'd end up facing the wrong way and with my casting skills (any cast in the same zip code as my target is a good cast), I need all the help I can get! This is probably old news, but I didn't notice any mention of two trolleys.

By the way, nice fish, but I can outdo that backlash in a heartbeat! Had a couple I used a chainsaw to clear!

Choporoz reply :

I got the Yak Gear kit from Austin. I'm that guy who has trouble figuring out which end of a hammer to use, but I installed it in no time. The riveter was less than $10 and has come in handy a few times since. Get yourself some Goop, also...that, too, will come in handy numerous times down the road.

I admit that I do use my stakeout pole through scupper holes more often than I anchor. I've had the anchor/trolley for two years and have never gotten totally comfortable with keeping it deployably-ready. I just haven't found a way to have it very handy without it being in the way or the line being tangled or unwieldy. I use it, but never feel like it is a fantastic option.

And...a PSA...careful anchoring in current. The only time I have flipped was when I thought I was positioned well in slackish eddy, but once the anchor grabbed, I'd drifted a few feet into swift water.

J Francho reply :

I have the Yak Gear trolley as well. The Yakattack product is far superior. Luther is a genius when it comes to executing well designed accessories, and recommend ANY of the Yakattack products without reservation.

Bass_Fishing_Socal reply :

Thanks guys more recommend still welcome, btw I have some questions here.

@clayton86what pulley came with your kit? I've read that yak attack substitute the cheaper one into their kit instead of harken pulley.

@ChoporozMy major use would also be stake out pole as well, but I plan to carry along 5# dumbbell with me just in case. I also have foldable anchor kit but might skip that since majority of my lake is calm just a little bit of wind and wave from those water skiers. I don't really need to stay put just hold me down long enough that I can work the whole area without repositioning.

I also have read ppl use stake out pole in their scupper hole which I think it is a good idea but also read that it can damage the scupper hole and also sometime the pole itself got blended and cant get out of the hole. That why I think to spend 30-40 bucks on trolley is way more safer than using scupper hole. BTW which stake out pole are you using? I'm thinking about getting bamboo or diy from fiberglass tree stake.

@J Franchodo you think that self tapping screw that come with yak attack is strong enough? I see that yak attack or yakgear kit the pulleys will be install directly to kayak so it might be hard to use rivet instead.

@stk44thanks for offer, I'll take you on that and might have to contact you if I run into problem. I have watched videos of how to install both system a few time, but this will be my first attempt working with plastic instead of wood?.

@GrumpyOlPharttewhich side you use the most? I plan to install mine on the left but my paddle holder is on the left and that where I plan to use that as my stake out pole holder instead.

Darren. reply :

Luther is a sharp dude, for sure. I don't recall what brand I bought,

Yak Attack didn't exist in 2007 or 08 when I bought my yak. I was

doing a lot of DIY prior to his stuff, but he was hard at work designing

and forming the company.

All that said, there are some pretty cool DIY trolleys out there, and

some sweet looking pulleys and cleats you can buy at places like

West Marine if you wanted to bling it out.

In the end, buying a kit like the LeverLoc trolley is the way to go.

As for anchoring, since you mentioned shallow water, I'd opt for an

anchor pin. YakAttak makes some, I use the Stick-It Anchor Pin.

J Francho reply :

On 6/6/2017 at 10:51 PM, JustJames said:

@J Franchodo you think that self tapping screw that come with yak attack is strong enough? I see that yak attack or yakgear kit the pulleys will be install directly to kayak so it might be hard to use rivet instead.

I have gear track on both sides of my kayak, so I used that. Previously, I used the rivets to install the trolley on my older boat.

stk44 reply :

On 6/6/2017 at 10:51 PM, JustJames said:

@stk44thanks for offer, I'll take you on that and might have to contact you if I run into problem. I have watched videos of how to install both system a few time, but this will be my first attempt working with plastic instead of wood?.

Not a problem, it was really easy. Also, most of the guys that are on this thread were the same ones that helped me, so you are in good hands.

Choporoz reply :

I use a 6' ParkNPole. There are, no doubt, cheaper ways to get it done. But, the ParkNPole is a fine piece of gear and I never had any buyers' remorse.

It stow just fine along the side of my Wildy...strapped under the elastic 'strap-thing' by the handle. It is hard for me to imagine it hurting the scupper holes. I abuse my hull a LOT worse than staking.

Hawkeye21 reply :

On 6/6/2017 at 7:31 PM, stk44 said:

^^ I will agree to this. I don't have the HD version but the yak attack anchor trolley is the best money I've ever spent on a kayak accessory. On lakes with wind or a river system, this has paid for itself. I run a grapple style anchor off of about 30 feet of 550 chord and that does the trick for me.

A stakeout pole would be awesome, I'm just not sure if that would be a pain to keep in the kayak or not. Let me know if you have any questions. I could even take pictures of my anchor trolley if you need them.

I have the yak attack anchor trolley as well and it works great. I went on Amazon and bought an 8 foot fiberglass garden stake pole for less than $20 to use as my stake out pole and it's awesome. My Catch 120 kayak has bungee cords on the left and right for holding my paddle and I use them to hold my stake out pole while not in use. When using it run the pole through the anchor trolley and it work very well.

GrumpyOlPhartte reply :

JustJames: I would suggest that prior to installing anything; you take your anchor, go out on your favorite lake/river, and chuck it over both sides. Oh yeah, this works best if your anchor is attached to your craft with a line! Then just sit there and see which way you end up facing. Trying both sides will let you determine which works best. Don't worry about exact position; the trolley will let you "fine tune" later. I would be very reluctant to suggest which side. I did that and found in My favoritelake I almost always wanted it positioned on the port side to get me in position to fish the right bank; but, of course, if I wanted to fish the opposite bank, I was facing away from the bank. The same principle applies in stream/river fishing. I know this is a fudge answer, but you really do have to play around with it before doing a final installation. Given all the factors that come into play, I realized I was better off with two trolleys. I had to remove my paddle holder and mount one athwartships to get it out of the way. I also recommend you use a dab of silicon and stick all your cleats on then see if they interfere with your paddling BEFORE you drill holes. I've tossed in a couple of pics to give you an idea.

GrumpyOlPhartte reply :

J Franco: I used slightly longer pop rivets and placed a wide stainless steel washer behind my yak plastic. Do you think it was necessary? I wasn't sure, but it did give me a warm fuzzy feeling to reinforce the plastic.

J Francho reply :

Probably not a problem. Wilderness uses the longer ones to attach the gear track to the sides of the boat. It's a high stress connection point, so there's probably some logic to it.

buzzed bait reply :

i have a trolley on both sides of my kayak and rarely ever use them to be honest. i have a stakeout pole too and it just gets in my way more than it seems to help. that said, i had a cheaper one on my old kayak, but got a unit for the current kayak. i would only buy the set with the harken pulleys, they are head and shoulders above the other pulley styles.

FreddoB reply :

I've got the "YakGear Deluxe Anchor Trolley with Pulleys" on one side (that might change). Being new to kayak fishing, I quickly learned that I needed an anchor because the wind, well even a breeze, pushed me out of the area I'm fishing. It's great being able to position the kayak using the trolley. My anchor came in the "YakGear 3.3lb Grapnel Anchor Kit". I setup a pool noodle with a bungee through it and carabiners on both ends. That attached to a rope winder/holder and has holes for other carabiners. Once I was accustom to using it, it's been awesome. If I snag and want to go back to where I was anchored, I simple release the anchor system from the trolley, same my bait, and paddle back to the pool noddle...easy!

Bass_Fishing_Socal reply :

@FreddoBI think yakgear still come with harken pulley, correct? Only different I see from both yak attack and yak gear is lever loc and line clamp why Yakgear come with zig-zag cleat and pad eye. Decision ???

i like your setup and that what I plan to do too. I plan to use leftover pipe insulation to float the rope and try to find the way for quick release from anchor cleat/padeye by my seat.

Montanaro reply :

I built my own trolley for like 20 bucks.

Hardly use it but it helps sometimes.

Im looking at a micro pole now as its much more convenient

Turtle135 reply :

in case you have never seen these, here are a couple of links that you might find useful:

http://palmettokayakfishing.blogspot.com/2012/02/diy-no-drill-kayak-anchor-trolley.html

http://palmettokayakfishing.blogspot.com/2011/11/quick-release-diy-kayak-anchor-system.html

FreddoB reply :

Hi - The "quick release" is a VERY GOOD idea if you will ever be in a situation where you need to get off the anchor FAST! At the moment for me, I fish lakes only and no worries here. If that changes, I'll have that setup and waiting to go!

@JustJames: I like that lever loc and wold consider that the next time I added a trolley. The zig-zag cleat isn't bad but easier is better. If the lever loc is nice and positive, won't slip or wear out, it might be a better choice,

Have fun - be sfe out there!

Best - FreddoB

BassnChris reply :

Old thread revival - I have noticed that yakattack is using a pulley they call 'Stealth' and is a Harken style pulley but I don't know that it is an actual Harken Pulley.

J Francho reply :

It is not, he makes his stuff in house.

Hook2Jaw reply :

Yakattack Leverloc Anchor Trolley HD. 8' stake out pole and get a paddle bungee to hold it when not in use. If you ever head for deeper water, get a 2.5 pound grapple anchor and 50' of paracord.

flyfisher reply :

Another vote for the Yak attack version. The leverloc alone makes it worth it.

Brad in Texas reply :

I can't recall which brand but it definitely has Harken pulleys. So, mine is mounted on the port side of my canoe, then I simply push my stake-out pole through the anchor trolley ring and lay it along the gunwale on the inside. It is out of the way from paddling, out of the way from fishing. When I decide to stake myself in place. I simply lift and tilt my pole up and stab it into the lake bottom. It always stays inside the ring for convenience and speed.

From there, I sometimes leave it right along my side, at other times I use the trolley to position it off the stern, the bow less often.

My stake-out pole has several length adjustments. At its longest, it is around 9 or 10 feet.

Photo attached shows the pole lying along side me where I can grab it and use it.

Brad

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Kayak Anchor Trolley? 2025

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