That's my driftboat anchor on the right. The one on the left belongs to some other deadbeat fishing guide who hasn't been around quite as long. His is pretty new and mine is certainly not. I've been dragging this particular anchor around Montana for at least a decade now and I've become fairly emotionally attached to it.
That's why I'm a bit distressed, because this anchor is currently residing on the bottom of the Missouri River, in a spot that will be difficult to retrieve it anytime soon and I may never see it again. I have a history of losing things like anchors in the river, but I also have a history of doing things like diving them up later, so there is hope for this chunk of lead.
I think anchors are one of the ways fishing guides distinguish themselves, and I like being a guide who's got anchor that's been around awhile. It's one way of saying, "this isn't my first rodeo", even if a day fishing with me is a total rodeo.
With a river on the rise I won't being seeing this anchor anytime soon, but come July you may see me in the river swimming hard to see if I can bring it up one more time.
I'll keep you posted.
