drift anchors-who uses them?

[Low_Budget_Hooker]

And what size?

Was reading the wind post in "General" and was wondering if I'm a rare breed. (no wise cracks please)  

I have a 12 ft jon and use up to 2 drift anchors.  I use the ones for a 14-16 ft boat.  smallest you can get and having 2 really lets you aim your boat and slow it right down when drifting on a windy day.

[cart7t]

I've thought about getting a couple for drifting points and dragging worms or c-rigs.  

[Way2slow]

I don't because it's rare for me to get into style of fishing where they could be used.  What few times I'm ever in that situation, I just aim the boat into the wind and use the tm to control my drift as the wind blows me backwards.  About the same as when I'm fishing hard current, I start upstream, aim the boat into the current and use the tm to control the speed backwards as the current pushes the down stream.   Most of the stripper fishermen I know that fish live minnows us them because as most stripper fishermen will tell you, seems the nastier the weather, the better they seem to bite and sometimes the winds ripping down the lake at 30 - 40 mph and those big center consoles and pontoons rip right on along without a couple of very large drift socks.   There are a handfull of us that don't use live bait so I've never needed them.

[Muddpuppy]

I carry one with me, but have only used it a couple of times bass fishing, it works great for crappie and catfish though.  Mine is made by Minn Kota and rated for a 18' and pretty much a basic rig.   I have added floats and weights to it so it will open faster also snaps to disconect it in a pinch and still be able to go back and find it later.  A lot of the water we fish is way to stumpy or covered in thick weeds for it to work properly especially now that it no longer rains in this area.  I hope to pick up an extra one when I ever find one priced right (cheap) for more drag.

[George Welcome]

Without drift socks I would be a very unhappy person. Two keeps your boat aligned so that the whole boat is exposed to fishable water on a drift. They can also be used to control a drift along a shoreline by putting them off the aft cleats. You can control direction along the shoreline with your trolling motor.

[NJfishinGuy]

im not sure if were are talkin aout the same thing but my dad said the used to just tie a bucket to a rope and throw it out to slow the drift in the wind down

[George Welcome]

A bucket would work but might also act as an anchor - we use to drag a length of chain.

[VekolBass]

No, I don't have one yet, but thanks for reminding LBH of something that I have to get. Fishing an aluminum on a windy day can really be a pain without something to control drift speed. Constantly fooling around with the TM is a distraction.

[Guest ouachitabassangler]

I have two about 24" diameter, home-made by a buddy using parachute material. For a 17' boat they really ought to be a little bigger, but those are all I can handle alone, so I opted for the smaller and that was best even though they don't work like they need to. They come in handy keeping the boat from blowing up into shallow water when fishing structure upwind of a long point or hump, at times when using a fixed anchor would be hazardous. I don't like the bow or side submarining from a too-good anchor hold. When that good it often means cutting the anchor loose to leave. When it's been blowing steady say out of the west for 3 days straight bass seem to drop back from rocky shallows and concentrate off shore in deeper contour breaks where they can still watch for incoming baitfish from upwind. When I need to get between that and shallow so I can cast upwind to retrieve downwind, if alone and without the socks all I'd be doing is running the trolling motor wide open. I put them out over the intended target, one on each end of the boat to keep it parallel to upwind and slow the creep downwind. I actually travel faster aiming the bow or transom into the wind, but the rocking of sideways wind gets old too. Once a pass is done I pull them up, circle back around and start another run. It's WORK, but sometimes well worth the effort.

Jim

[nboucher]

After watching LBH use his (while I fished in his bow ), I went out and bought one to use with my 11-foot kayak. I put a locking carabiner (from my brief life as a rock climber 20 years ago) on some of the rigging  on the yak, and a regular carabiner on the loop at the end of drift-anchor straps, allowing me to conect or disconnect it quickly. On a windy day, it can be tough to fish from a yakyou can get blown into the weeds pretty quicklybut the drift anchor (for a 14-foot boat, ordered from Cabela's) has made a big difference. It's not really much of a hassle to pull out of the water. It keeps the yak more or less at trolling speed.

[flechero]

I carry one... don't remember the size but it was rated "bigger than I need" since I don't use it unless it's real windy, an oversized one seems perfect.

Remember this?

http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1144117735/0#0

[Low_Budget_Hooker]

Odd,...I can't believe I missed that one!

[Keithscatch]

Never have used them so I have some questions.

1) In lakes that have stumps all over the place how on God's green earth do you people use those? George, I am curious as heck as to how you parrallel the bank with these out at the Stick Marsh?????

2) What side of the boat do you hang these off of? I would guess the upwind side or the same side as the wind is blowing from. So if I was heading into the wind on the east bank and the wind is out of the east I wouldn't use it right or would I? I would think I would only use it if I was going WITH the wind right? For instance same example, wind is out of the east. I am fishing the east bank going south so I have a cross wind that wants to push me away from the bank I am fishing. Do I hang this drift sock off the side closest to the bank? How does this not get in the way of fishing the bank? Kinda puzzled here. So what would I do if wind out of the east again but I decide to fish the west bank so wind is pushing me into the bank. I am fishing either north or south so wind is cross ways pushing me into the bank. Does a drift sock help in these situations? Or is it only good on north and south winds fishing east and west banks or north and south banks with east and west winds?

Thanks guys.

[George Welcome]

Drift Sock: the efficiency of a drift sock is controlled by the length of the rode. The longer the rode, the slower the boat. On the Marsh due to stump areas we have to use a short rode, and even then we snag a stump or two. Snagging is the the socks worst enemy as the weight of the boat can rip the sock if the wind is strong.

Keith: we don't fish the edges of the Marsh/Farm (hint). I use the socks in other lakes to keep parallel to the shore, however you need a to fish the shoreline with a fair wind. An off or quartering wind putting you to the windward shore would not work.

[Low_Budget_Hooker]

A sock isn't as versatile as a t/m.

You can't fish any parcel of water perfectly in any direction wind. In a persistant wind, I would say the sock is limited to being useful on maybe 1/2-3/4 of the fishable water but it gives you an added advantage on that water that you would not have had otherwise. Hands free braking. Not a power fishermans tool.

I've never used one in a stumpy lake but have hung mine up 2 or 3 times and it wasn't a big deal but that's on a very lightweight vessel compared to most.

[FutureClassicChamp]

they are a must have on the great lakes