I would not anchor anywhere near a hog line your first year out. I have seen some really scary stuff happen in a hog line, crossed and tangled anchor ropes, guys slamming into one and other, people getting hung up on the bottom and driving across four other anchor ropes to try and pull, all kinds of fun stuff.
If you fish the Columbia, just go find a nice piece of water 15-30ft deep with a decent flow, hang your stuff out and troll, or, if you feel the need to anchor, find a spot that no one else is fishing, drop anchor and practice. Just be sure you are 300 to 400 yards away from others sitting on anchor. These fish do swim in lanes, and the lanes go all the way from the ocean to the top of the system, not sure why everyone thinks they need to be right next to each other when the river is so BIG. PLEASE PUT ON YOUR PDF WHEN SETTING OR PULLING AN ANCHOR.