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Dave Scadden Chain Anchor Drift Method


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Has anyone ever tried the chain anchor drift method that Dave Scadden talks about on the Bow river. He claims that is will slow you down and assist in tracking straight even though it is not dragging on the river bottom.

 

I talked to a guy at a company in the stated called class 5 and he swears by this method also.

 

Just looking for local input.

 

M

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I was poking around online the other night and found this from the Class V website.I think the idea is it still drags bottom but rarely catches....not sure how 'friendly' that would be.

 

Class V

 

A cluster of chain on a carabiner that weighs 5 pounds. Great for drift fishing from standing platform. Slows you down but rarely catches.

 

post-2481-1224903675.jpg

 

 

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jeebus abd would chew a big line right down teh riverbed..... interesting idea but im not too sure about it....... sure ponton and driftboat anchors do the same but onl for a short stretch too stop and do whatever.. btu dredging teh whole riverbottom might not be so good in teh long run

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Max is correct. Chain anchors have been outlawed on some rivers in the world, as it's the equivalent of doing the 'san juan shuffle' and chumming fish below you, AND ruining the river bottom, destroying redds....

 

boat control is what oars is for

 

aka, bad idea

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jeebus abd would chew a big line right down teh riverbed..... interesting idea but im not too sure about it....... sure ponton and driftboat anchors do the same but onl for a short stretch too stop and do whatever.. btu dredging teh whole riverbottom might not be so good in teh long run

According to the video that I watched on the technique it needs to be 2 feet off the bottom to work correctly. That is the part that is not clear. If it is just hanging there how is it supposed to slow you down. The guy at class V stated that the chain flutters in the current which somehow creates drag and slows you down. It is also supposed to act like a keel and track straight.

 

M

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We did it a few years ago and it does work to slow you down but the whole stirring up the bottom and potentially wrecking redd beds made us not do it anymore. Prior to that we donated a couple of anchors. So we've tried it all - a little exercise on the oars is the only way to slow down IMO.

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According to the video that I watched on the technique it needs to be 2 feet off the bottom to work correctly. That is the part that is not clear. If it is just hanging there how is it supposed to slow you down. The guy at class V stated that the chain flutters in the current which somehow creates drag and slows you down. It is also supposed to act like a keel and track straight.

 

M

 

I could totally see something like that slowing a wind drift but a current drift?...w/o touching botom?

I'd be interested in seeing that link as well....I'm sure there's lots of people twisting their brain to come up with something.Aside from the shallow water I think a little electric motor would be awesome.....possibly the best case ontario ...lol

 

 

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There are at least a couple of guys who have been dragging chains in the bow for years. One swore at me when I questioned the legality of doing it - he's fished the river for over 20 years using the method. I saw another guy at the Carseland launch who had a length of chain in the bottom of his jet skiff. They drag about 5 ft of heavy logging chain and it works well to control their drift speed. One guy can fish from a drifter this way. They leave long thin lines of clean rocks behind them. This undoubtedly increases the concentration of bugs in the water column for a short distance downstream of the boat.

 

As for suspending the chain, that's questionable. I understand the theory would be the same as a wind anchor on still water. In a river, the surface water moves faster than the bottom water. Anything hung down into the bottom water would tend to slow the drift down. It seems to me the chain bundle would have to be close to the bottom all the time to make a difference. In shallow riffles it would drag.

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All I can say about this method is -- Don't even tempt this on the Upper Bow River near Canmore area. This area has so many logs in the water that if you snag up and the current is strong you will be putting your safety and the safety of others in jeopardy.

 

Captain Rob

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