drift socks?

i've got a 24 or 26 inch drift chute i've used on numerous times.. always seem to leave that darn anchor at the house or in the truck bed locked up.

last fall Yarjammer and i were fishing Lake Sammammysh at the north end and wind started becoming an issue. i tossed the drift chute out to the front on the trolley and left the wind push me backwards..that seemed to be the only way i could stay over some of the places i wanted to fish for more than 30 seconds.

i know that there are drift chutes/ socks that are way bigger, like upwards of 5-6 feet or larger. does anyone know if there is a danger on a fish yak of using a drift sock/chute that might be too large??

Another idea I stumbled across while reading kayak fisherman mag was using a drift chute on the way in through the surf. This would for sure control your landing and keep your yak pointed in the right direction for sure if you are not feeling very confident about the surf conditions. It seemed pretty crazy that I have never thought of this before since I usually bring my chute out with me, I rarely use it though so that's probably why. The major reservation I have about this though is the chute getting hung up on a submerged reef or something like that. I can't think of a more inconvenient time and place! This could be avoided easily if you happen to be very familiar with the beach you're at or maybe by having a good sized float on the chute harness so it doesn't ride too deep. Has anyone tried this? This would be a good point to explore.

I don't think I'd use a full drift sock through the surf.  It would just increase the time you are in the danger zone.  My goal is to get through as quickly and safely as possible.

Some people do use drogues, which are kind of like smaller drift socks.

-Allen

Thanks FFTW, your the man!  

Naaaaww,
I'm just the man standing next to the man who's standing next to the man.
(The man caught Jaws from a kayak. )

1/4" Hard plastic tubing is from Home Despot.

Seems I saw link and a heated discussion on drogues in the surf. I'll post it when I find it. Seems I also remember a rescue in Hawaii that involved the successful use of a drogue.

I have not tried it, but a small drogue (small drift chute with a hole in it) sounds like it could work well to keep you from broaching. But it also seems kinda complicated as the line would have to be long enough to be outside the impact zone. I don't know maybe I'll give it a shot one of these days.

One thing that does NOT sound like a good idea is to use my drift chute for surf landing. That Ikea bag is pretty big (think short yard debris garbage bag) and stops you cold in any wind. I'm pretty sure it could rip off the fittings if the boat was pushed by a wave hard.

I'm pretty sure it could rip off the fittings if the boat was pushed by a wave hard.

Maybe a snubber would come in handy here?

I'm pretty sure it could rip off the fittings if the boat was pushed by a wave hard.

Maybe a snubber would come in handy here?

I dunno? Sounds good, but this time I have not been there nor done that,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,yet.

I'm pretty sure it could rip off the fittings if the boat was pushed by a wave hard.

Maybe a snubber would come in handy here?

I dunno? Sounds good, but this time I have not been there nor done that,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,yet.

Hurry up Spiderman and give it a try, we need an experienced-inexperienced person to lead us through this one.