I've only used the redneck pole anchor - a piece of rebar. Don't know if you want that recommendation, but it worked and was cheap. Wear work gloves.

Good luck,

Laszlo

Well that depends.  If you are talking about an anchor like    Stick It, I use a plain piece of 1/2" pvc on a short line for the silty areas I fish in the kayak.  The advantage of the PVC is that I can just pull it straight up, drop it, and it will trail along behind.  Stick puns don't work so good in shell or packed sand areas.  Or you can buy a commercially available device.

http://www.stickitanchorpins.com/

If you are talking about the push pole brackets it gets complicated. Search push poles and push pole brakets, you'll get lots of choices. A guide on a flats boat would often stick the pointy end of the pole in the mud and then put the other end in the bracket on the poling platform to anchor the boat while tending to the boat chores. Dory with a poling platform, there's a picture.

If you're talking about a Power Pole anchor or a MinKota those are probalby more than you're looking for. https://www.youtube.com/user/JLMarineSystems

   What I have readily available locally is the telescopic Superstick that comes in two sizes, 6'-12' and 9'-17' (both the same price, about $200). They are used as push poles to propel flats fishing boats, as pole anchors and to fend off hazards such as rocks etc. I get the pole anchor part and the fending off hazards part but wonder about actually trying to stand up to propel a boat as light as the dory with a pole.

In another forum post a few years ago the question was asked whether the dory could be sculled with a scull oar off the transom. As I recall John Harris posted that the dory was too light and that poling might be more practical.  

My question is - Has anyone tried poling the dory and how much success did you have?

   Poling the dory is almost as easy a poling a canoe, and much more stable. You'll end up standing in the stern sheets and will probably want a bit of balast up front.

Cheers,

ev