The "weight" solution is the way to go. A long stick is hard to store and has all sorts of forces acting on it in the wrong direction. Tacking a payload onto t

The "weight" solution is the way to go. A long stick is hard to store and has all sorts of forces acting on it in the wrong direction. Tacking a payload onto the spare anchor isn't unheard of, and if you need more depth then a weight on a leaded line is fine. If you leave it out with a buoy, use more rope than you think you need to not lose it in a current. The pulley is just a nicety if you're not hauling in a bunch of steel; the water displacement makes it so anyone in good shape can haul in a couple thousand pounds of fish by hand. Also, salt water corrodes basically everything. Good stainless isn't too badly affected. Bronze is better. You'd want to make sure a cooling system like that didn't have a stray charge buildup.