Drift socks?

Fisherman's Marine has drift socks on sale, and after getting blown around like a leaf on Laurence Lake, I swung by and bought their smallest size one for $15 bucks.

Anyone have experience using these things from a kayak?  I'm assuming they are rigged on an anchor trolley just like an anchor.  It has a set of brass grommets at the narrow end, and a strap harness at the "mouth."  I'm assuming the grommets are for running a line to pull the contraption in bottom-first, so you can flip it and not have to drag 150 pounds of water to the boat.

I was thinking of running a short section of rope to the harness (with a small float attached) to use in my anchor trolley, and then having 2nd loose section of rope running from the base of the harness to the grommets so that once I reach the harness, I can pull it in from the bottom. 

For folks who've used these things, this sound like a reasonable set-up?

Sounds good. I usually pull mine in till I reach one of the bridle lines, then pull on that until the sock spills the water.

If you use a float, make sure that you have a long enough line that the chute can drop well below the surface- you want the chute deployed so that it is below the rolling wind waves.

I brought one up to AK with me and tried a few ways.  Settle on a 2 foot piece of bungie with clips on the end to a section of line that went to the harness.  I ran this bungie down a bowline (like a trolley).  I ran the other line that collapses the chute through the clip on the bungie and up to the cockpit.  Worked well enough for me.

-Allen

  I'm assuming the grommets are for running a line to pull the contraption in bottom-first, so you can flip it and not have to drag 150 pounds of water to the boat.

Gotta shift your paradigm from big boats to little ones.   You can't drag the chute to the boat, you drag the boat to the chute! Then I reach over and grab the back of it and its empty. Works great with the Ikea bag chute that's bigger than most small boat commercial chutes. I suppose you could run a line from the bottom of the chute to the harness if you didn't want to get your hands wet.

most of the commercially made drift socks, /chutes have an eyelet at the bottom to hook up a loose line to to do exactly like you said, threeweight.. pull it to dump it..

but, as in FFTW's example, i just drag my boat hand over hand via the line over to the drift sock, then reach around to the back and grab it there and lift.. works the same, i'm just a bit lazy about adding another accessorie line that might cause a fishing line tangle when i need it least..

btw, this trip to san diego sucks already and not in a good way!!!

also, if the amount of coworkers looking over my shoulder as i type this are any indication, we may have some more new members coming on board. they're seriously impressed with the pictures everyone has posted here.  [ i'm in the hotel bar using the wireless. apres' work beer bust going on but i cant get my NWKA fix by not getting online]

btw, this trip to san diego sucks already and not in a good way!!!

San Diego!?!?!
Beg, borrow, or steal some time and go fish La Jolla! or at least the bay. Man, your in kayak fishing Mecca! You can actually rent a rigged boat. or a basic boat for a song and they will deliver it to the beach! check out bigwatersedge.com Go man go!

btw, this trip to san diego sucks already and not in a good way!!!

San Diego!?!?!
Beg, borrow, or steal some time and go fish La Jolla! or at least the bay. Man, your in kayak fishing Mecca! You can actually rent a rigged boat. or a basic boat for a song and they will deliver it to the beach! check out bigwatersedge.com Go man go!

I'm gonna have to second FFTW on this.  Get out there and fish WR!  That's an order! 

The natives are restless ... GO FISHING RICHARD!!!

-Allen

< sigh> sorry guys, it won't happen this time.. we've been doing some very long hours, i've barely time to sleep or take care of myself...

will be on the plane north in the morning. puts me at hte house late in the afternboon thursday.... half work day friday, have the weekend to myself, want to fish.. want to stay local...anything doing in the tacoma/puyallup/graham /fort lewis area?

must return to san diego next week, for probly about a week and half.. it's the only time within this year we'll have to be taught the installation of another version of what we already put in the units we hand over to our kids in green. starting next year, my employer starts handing over MEV's to the traditional "heavy" brigades.. the ones still stuck using tracked combat vehicles, they're mostly on the east coast.

have passed the information on bigwatersedge.com to my coworkers still there...hopefully they'll actually finally get a day off to do something besides just wash the grundies..