Anchor.. Bow or Stern mounted?

[SWANK-E]

I would like to ask about the rigging of the Anchor (weight)... should it be BOW MOUNTED like what i have read here on www.riversmallies.com (which is quite similar to australian bream fishing) or STERN MOUNTED like i have read on other kayak fishing (SOT) websites?

The argument for stern mounted from the other websites seems to be the fact that you will be doing most of your fishing pointing forward, and therefore if you are bow mounted, when you hook up the anchor rope is most likely going to get in the way.

The argument for bow mounted from what i understand is that your yak is pointing against the current and you cast upstream and being able to retrieve toward you (ie, along with the current which is the most natural way to present a lure/sp).

what are your thoughts?

thanks in advance

[Bluey]

From a Safety point of view the bow pointing into the current or wind makes more sense but I prefer the stern attached method when conditions allow it as I reckon it's much easier fishing. With 180 degrees of casting choice a fair bit of ground can still be worked whichever way you choose to point.

[canerod]

good thing about a yak is the fact that you can anchor any way you choose.
if you want to sit out from a snag and cast forward go for a rope round your cockpit and the anchor off the side so you can cast forward, if working along a weed bank go rear anchor about a metre or so off the bank and cast forward along the bank, and the advantage to a plastic bottle anchor is you dont have to pull it to move along the bank just put a bit more effort into your stroke and drag the bottle behind you as you move along the bank.
the other advantage to a stern anchor is that your back is to the wind so you don't have to cast into the wind.

[leamos]

My anchor is on the stern. I usually anchor up current of an oyster lease and fish back to them. This provents any tangles with the anchor and allows you to fish the most productive part of the lease