Current & River Decoy Anchoring

Hunting rivers and moving water adds complexity to your decoy setup. Current constantly pulls on your spread, and the wrong approach means decoys downstream by mid-morning. Here's how to anchor effectively.

Understanding Current

Current force depends on:

• Water speed: Slow drift vs. strong flow
• Depth: Deeper = more total force on decoy/line
• Decoy profile: Full-body vs. silhouette

Weight Selection for Current

Key difference from wind: Current is constant, not gusty. You need consistent holding power, not burst resistance.

Positioning Strategy

Upstream Heaviest

Your upstream decoys take the brunt of the current. Use your heaviest weights here (8+ oz) and consider double-weighting critical positions.

Stagger Positions

Don't line decoys up perfectly perpendicular to current — it looks unnatural. Stagger them so the spread has depth and dimension.

Use Eddies

Position decoys in natural eddies (behind rocks, logs, points) where current is reduced. These spots:

• Need less weight
• Look more realistic
• Are natural bird resting spots

Line Length in Current

Shorter lines in current:

• Reduce swing radius
• Keep decoys more stable
• Deploy faster

Rule: Use 1-1.25x water depth in current (vs. 1.5x in still water).

Deployment in Current

Start upstream: Work your way down

Drop weight upstream of target position: Current will carry decoy into place

Wait for anchor: Don't release decoy until weight is set

Check after 5 minutes: Verify nothing has drifted

River-Specific Tips

• Anchor your boat/blind first: You need a stable base
• Bring extra weights: Current is unpredictable
• Mark snag zones: Avoid losing rigs to underwater debris
• Use visible decoys upstream: Easier to track drift

When Current Wins

Sometimes current is just too strong:

• Decoys constantly dragging
• Spread collapsing downstream
• You're spending more time re-positioning than hunting

In these cases:

Move to an eddy or backwater

Hunt the bank instead of open water

Use fewer, heavier-weighted decoys

Switch to jerk cords or motion decoys on fixed lines

Our Recommendation

For moderate current, our 6 oz Texas Rig Weights handle most river hunting scenarios. For strong current, we recommend using 6 oz on downstream decoys and heavier weights upstream.