I've been seeing alot of these lately and was wondering if it would be ethical to use one. Some say that they are detrimental to beds. But at the same time they are great to drag. Saves alot of stick work too. What would be the right thang to do? The Duck

Dragging anchor is dangerous and as you said destructive, Just say no to anchor dragging.

Good post -
I used to be a chain dragger on the Yakima in high h20, and have stopped. You can look at it a few different ways, none of them good.
One - you may not necessarily be dragging in tailouts and flats, typical spawning bed areas, but what about the insect life? The nymphs, scuds, leeches, and such that live in the surface rock and gravel along the bottom depend on that structure to live in and hide from the big fish that will so gladly eat them if washed downriver. So you are feeding the fish, well how long do you think that will last before the ecosystem cant replentish the insect life and you have starving trout? Again, maybe starving trout is not a perfect analogy on some of our anadromous rivers, but what would you like the smolts to feed on? - Chain shrapnel?
Also - you take a good risk of stopping a bullet if you play the dragging game in Montana, and its flat out against the law in Wyoming to even set your anchor in the streambed. Think maybe those states have seen the results of dragging anchors? Maybe we should learn from them, and while we are learning from others mistakes, - they practice almost all catch and release as well......
And finally - if you have to drag your anchor because you cant row your boat in the current, tighten up your skirt and learn to row.

No Anchor is perfect in all ways. lead is very heavy for the amount of friction that it gives ( not much surface area) where chain puts alot of surface on the bottom so you can use less weight. if used properly and enough weight I like chain. In high water and heavy flows you have to put on the lead. I do not drag my chain. duck I have been fishing the Klick a few days a week maybe I have seen you. I talked and fished with some fellas last Saturday on my float from town to the bridge.
I was in a red willie with a berkley sticker on the bow

Side Slider, we were camped at the ice house. You might know Bob York he's there 3 to 4 days a week every week until it closes. Has a fiberglass boat. I was in my beat up old fish rite. (brown) How did you do? The duck

Duck,

Is he the guy with the older blue Toyota 4x4 and the fbgls boat with the leafy camo job on it? I've seen that guy around quite a bit fishing springers and saw him again on Sat fishing the Klick.

No, he doesn't have camo on his boat. He use to fish from Lydel bridge to Stinson flats every week end. Claims he'e found his nich and loves doing it. He was a member of thw N.W.Steelhead and salmon council of trout unlimmited. We wre co-presidents. Yakima Chapter. The Duck
P.S white truck and white db.