drift socks?

So has anyone tried a drift sock or a sea anchor. When I ocean fish on a windy day it is hard to keep from drifting at light speed. They make a small drift sock for kayaks, it seem like it would work but I would like to know if anyone has tried it! Zac

I have the small kayak drift sock and it does work in some circumstances.  If the wind is fairly strong but the current light, it does a decent job. However if the wind is light to moderate but the current strong, it can actually make things worse.   The biggest thing it does is that it makes sure that your facing into or away from the wind.  Without the sock you tend to find yourself broadside to the wind which I don't like so much.

The few times I've used it, I sort of wished it was a little bigger.  So maybe a small boat drift sock might be a better choice. 

Brian

sevral of the big box stores such as bassproshops and cabelly's have online white papers/ tutorials regarding the use of things such as drift socks [ aka drift chutes and sea anchors] the one at the bass pro website led me to contemplate the purchase of a 24 to 30 inch drift sock instead of the smaller 18 inch which seems to be pretty much the recommended standard for yaks..[ who comes up with these "standards", anyways?? ] larger because of the exact reason brian brought up.. we drift too easily sometimes on our sit on tops... our bodies make great sail area, especially if you're a fatboy like i am.... add in currents that can change on you rapidly, or like on Drano, winds that pick up and shift quickly, making it almost impossible to get back agianst the wind, and, yeh, within reason, i'd take bigger every time..
 

Thanks for the info! I will do my research and try one out!

My reasoning here is that if the 18-24" isn't holding you, the conditions are less than ideal.  I rarely use a drift sock, and can recall only a few times I wish I had one when I didn't.  And 1/2 those times, they probably wouldn't have helped anyway.

That being said, I'm about to order a few for some of my trips this summer.  I'll let you know what I decide to order.

-Allen

hey, pole? this brings up another question: are kelp clips actually useful and is it easy to make your own?

I've never used a kelp clip, but I've seen various contraptions to do exactly that.  I usually just drape a few strands over my leg to hold me in place.  If I don't get any action after a few minutes, I let go, drift down a bit and repeat until I find some action.  Often times you'll hit a school of blacks or a pocket of kelp greenling (think bait here!!!).

-Allen

I swear by drift chutes and have been successful with it when Allen bailed on trying to fish in his yak. I was in my rowboat, which has even worse windage issues than the SOTs.

I wouldn't leave home without it!

Yup Pisco ... that one time butt fishing near Sekiu was definitely one of the times I wish I had a drift chute with me.  It would have made that day tolerable.  The next day I think it was too windy to fish effectively even with a chute.

-Allen

I have drift fins...

Boxofrain uses kelp clips.

Easy to make, shock cord and a good size clip or beener. hook it to your quick release, just in case of emergency situations. theres a pic of it in this thread:

http://www.northwestkayakanglers.com/index.php/topic,167.15.html

 A drift chute in the ocean or a lake with any wind is worth its weight in platinum. I've been out in the ocean with guys without a chute in a light wind and was amazed at how fast they'd get blown downwind and left me on the spot with the fish
 I've been using an Ikea shopping bag with a 1/4" hard plastic tube in the hem. It's been working really well as a drift chute and doing double duty as a stylish gear bag (as long as you boat is blue or yellow )
The only pic I can find is my old Cobra. I'll try to find a better picture.

I forgot to mention that mine is home-modified skirt that I got at the senior's center. While it was cheap, the cotton material does soak up a lot of water, making it heavy, and dumping a bunch of water in the boat. Not enough of a problem to motivate my lazy bum to do anything about it.

I love FFTW's idea of using the Ikea bag. Cheap and looks effective. Maybe a few 3/4 oz. egg weights in the seam on the opposite side of the tube to make the chute inflate quickly would be a good idea? FFTW?

Z

I love FFTW's idea of using the Ikea bag. Cheap and looks effective. Maybe a few 3/4 oz. egg weights in the seam on the opposite side of the tube to make the chute inflate quickly would be a good idea? FFTW?

Z

Thanks Z!
But nope. The plastic tube in the hem holds it open as soon as it hits the water.

Keeping It Simple!

've been using an Ikea shopping bag with a 1/4" hard plastic tube in the hem.

Nice!  Where did you get the 1/4" hard plastic?  Did this come off of something, or something I can pick up at a hardware store?

Thanks FFTW, your the man!