Channel: Florida Sportsman

Category: Sports

Description: For anglers drifting, paddling, or poling in shallow water- here are two factors that will have a major impact on the outcome of your efforts. First, your ability to move quietly without spooking fish, and second, the ability to stop and control your vessel or paddle craft while you present a bait or fight a fish. The former is going to require a quiet platform to work out of and lots of practice. The latter is easier to accomplish with nothing more than the right tools. The use of a stake anchor for work boats and barges isn’t new technology but it certainly has grown in popularity for recreational boats in recent years. You may have noticed powered stake anchors seem to be standard equipment on flats and bay boats these days. They offer the perfect solution for the fishing situation described above as well as a way to hold a boat stationary anywhere you find water shallow enough for the stake to reach bottom. Whether for mounting compatibility causes, available space for equipment or economic reasons, the motorized stake just isn’t practical for everyone on the water. An alternative solution to achieve a similar effect is a manual version such as the Stayput Anchor system. With this method, an easy to install receiver mount is attached to either your transom or gunwale anywhere you can through bolt it- or to your existing engine mount bolts if drilling holes isn’t an option. The flexibility offered by this system also allows you to install mounts at multiple anchor points to precisely stop the boat and eliminate swinging in the tide. Many people who have a powered stake system have added a Stayput Anchor to their bow to achieve this very effect. The pole spike used as your “anchor” is a ¾” thick, solid resin injected fiberglass pole with a tapered end on one side and a threaded end at the other to build extension lengths. The pole is 6’ long and can be modified with either an extra 2’ or 4’ extension. Opposite the tapered end you can add a threaded “Super Handle” that can be used as a foot for the pole, a handle to help comfortably deploy the stake, a boat hook or even to lightly paddle or steer your paddle craft. The total investment for a motor mount with the 8’ pole and the Super Handle is just $378 from their website and can be easily installed in minutes by anyone. stayputanchor.com See the full review and pictures here: floridasportsman.com/editorial/stayput-anchor-review/455328