Drift Sock

[JandSCattleCo]

Fishing yesterday and the wind picked up decently on Tim's. I put my drift sock out and still blew around just as fast. I tried putting it on the side of the boat and still blew around. I bought it two sizes larger than the one for my boat, as I've read before. Its on two brass rings, with 6ft of line, a ring to clip the sock to, then back 6ft to another brass ring. I connect these to the boat cleats to drag. I also read that the shorter the line and closer the drift sock to the boat, the slower it will drift.

Any thoughts?

[bfish]

2 drift socks work better than one.

[Reel Tune]

You're lines weren't twisted were they? Sometimes if my line wraps around my drift chute the chute doesn't open all the way.

[JandSCattleCo]

It was wide open. I have a 1650 xpress and I bought the xxl from cabelas. Its their high end one that has the pull line to dump it with etc. My boat called for a L, but i heard to get a size or so bigger. I'll try it again next time i'm out and play with it.

[bfish]

Adding a second one (M or L) will allow for easier adjustments, plus give you options when you only need one bag.

[JandSCattleCo]

How do you go about rigging yours up? I set my boat with bow pointed straight into the wind with the sock off the bow. Would I put one on one front cleat and the other sock off the other front cleat, thus making a "V?"

I only have one at this time. Am I wasting my time fooling with it unless I get another one?

[txnative]

I believe the further away from the boat the sock is, the slower you drift. The longer leash allows the sock to drop lower in the water and increases drag. This has been my experience in both my kayak and the boats I've owned.

If you don't have another sock, a 5-gal bucket with some holes drilled in the bottom will work in a pinch.

As for attaching a single sock, you can use a rope tied from front cleat to front cleat and attach the sock in the center. This will cause your boat to sit facing the wind, which minimizes the wind's affect on your boat.


Chris Bryant

[bfish]

yes on opposite cleats or even better is clip both to the boweye (if you can safely reach it while on the water) and have them trailing in a "V" pattern.