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| Today was my first experience using a wind sock for slowing down our drift. I have had it in my boat for probally five years and never used it. So my question is has anyone use these things successfully, and what is the best way to set one up and how much rope to you let out (what are the tricks to using one)? Thanks, Al[:0] |
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| I use mine alot. Any time it gets windy and I want to slow down my drift, I'll throw it out.
I have mine tied on a 3' piece of rope with a clip on the other end. I clip it on to one of my cleats,toss it out and I'm ready to go.
Tips from years of use..... If you are with someone else, make sure as soon as you hook a fish that you pull the sock right away. If you're alone you have to stay on the trolling motor and do some fancy steering to make sure that you keep the fish away from the sock because they swim right for it. And always land or net the fish on the side away from the sock.
Dragging a sock makes boat cotrol a little more difficult and it will take a little practice to get used to it.
It's a great tool for slowing down trolling speed. Don't just toss it out the back though. It works better if you attach it to the bow eye and let the sock do it's thing under the boat. That way it's out of the way and it keeps the bow lower in the water.
I'm sure there's more, but that's all I can think of right now......
Beav |
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| Beaver: Isn't there a danger of getting the sock wrapped up in the bow mount trolling motor? What a mess! I have a sock also but never use it because of the hassle, but sometimes I wonder about on those 25+ mph windy days. |
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| One trick I have heard of, although I haven't used a sock yet, is to attach a float or buoy of some sort. Then when you hook one you drop the sock. The float will keep the rope up on top for you to retrieve later.
May not work on some of the more high pressure waters where someone else is likely to grab it but should work well on the less fished lakes.
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| I've heard of the float trick too, but never used it though it seems like a good idea.
I've never had problems with the trolling motor because I use the cleats in the back of the boat and the sock couldn't reach the motor.
Beav |
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| Beaver and everyone thanks for the tips. Al P.S. I posted very late after a long day of fishing I meant drift sock, but you guys knew what I meant.
[:praise:] |
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| I have been using two 5 gallon plastic buckets with holes drilled in the bottom,for years as sea anchor's.Use short ropes off the front and back cleats,just long enough to allow the buckets to fill with water under the surface.Not only does it slow down the boat in the high winds,stops the boat rocking as well.
Capt. Larry |
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| Capt. Larry off the top of your head roughly approx how many holes of what diameter have you found to work well? I've used a bucket with no holes in the bottom and it spun a lot. (Trying to cut my experimentation time down here, since I don't get much time on the water!) Thanks. |
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| I'm interested to hear what Cap't Larry does, but here is how I use the bucket(s) as a drift sock of sorts. I drilled about 15 or so maybe pinky finger size holes in the bottom of the bucket. And also do not use the handle on the bucket. Drill a hole for the rope to attach to just below the rim on each side just above where the handles attach. Now you have to attach a short maybe 2 foot rope to each side where you just drilled the holes above the handles. Now tie the other end of both of those ropes together in a loop. Now attach a 3 or 4 foot piece of rope to the loop and put a clip or something on the other end of the rope. Now you just attach the clip to the side of the boat and toss the bucket(s) out. Having the ropes attached to each side of the bucket will keep it from spinning and it will track straight. |
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| I used my new drift sock last weekend for the first time. I found a Wave Tamer drift sock on clearance at Mills Fleet Farm this past winter for $48.00. They normally sell for around $80.00. Anyway, I had my 1850 FishHawk out in sustained winds of 30 mph, and I was very impressed with how it slowed my drift to a crawl, and kept the bow from bouncing in the waves. I would spend the $80.00 on one for sure. It kept me on my good spots for a much longer period of time and allowed me to work them correctly. Also, the Wave Tamer has a float on one side, and weights on the other, so it never spins or tangles, has a semi-rigid hoop so it deploys as soon as you drop it in the water, and if you hook a fish, you can just detach the Wave Tamer from your boat and it will float away from the fighting fish. You just land your fish, release it and go pick up your drift sock. Works pretty good.
I am in no way affiliated with Wave Tamer, I have used some of the other "sea anchors", and am just REALLY impressed with the product.
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| I wouldn't be without mine. It allows you to fish water otherwise unfishable.
Check out the web page on my tips & techniques section about drift socks. A couple of good pictures and tips on using one. |
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| Having fished several years on the Chesapeake Bay for Rockfish when I lived in Maryland, I too use 5 gal buckets as sea anchors to slow boat drift when necessary. They work very well as such and were also used for establishing chum lines. Best part, they're cheap to replace if lost or appropriated by others...[:praise:]
Mike |
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