Drift sock ?

pequa1

pequa1

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Staff member
I have employed one on both my bay boat and my kayak and have found them quite useful at times. But I always get confused as to when to employ and why. while kayaking, I can not always paddle over to an alternate location to avoid the dreaded "wind against tide." For the most part, if the wind is under 5 knots, I don't use them. But if a wind of 10 kts and a current of 3 knots are going in the same direction, lets say both are going from south to north, will a drift sock slow my drift down at all, or will my northbound speed still be much greater than the speed of the current by using one ?
Consequently, if the proverbial "wind against tide (current)" is the situation with the southerly wind of 10 kts and the northerly current of 3 kts, might my kayak practically be motionless ?
When do you gentlemen utilize them? Like I said, I get confused, lol.
 
I use mine when the drift is too fast.

If I get wind against tide and I am not moving, I switch to snap jigging for fluke with the bucktails that purchased from Captain John Paduano. They are magical and catch not only fluke but a number of other species.
 
pequa1 said:
When wind and current are in the same direction it slows you ?
Click to expand...

YES, IF the wind is pushing the boat faster than the current is. If the wind component of the drift is 8 kts, and the current is 3, then it will fill and slow you down a bit.

If current is faster than the wind, then no slow, AAMOF, it will make the current push more effective and speed you up a bit...
 
Haven't used one, but always wanted to give it a try. An example I guess would be yesterday in the eastern sound, not much wind but the tides were ripping, I think a drift sock would have slowed the drift, but the baits still would have sailed away in the current.
John
 
live bait said:
Haven't used one, but always wanted to give it a try. An example I guess would be yesterday in the eastern sound, not much wind but the tides were ripping, I think a drift sock would have slowed the drift, but the baits still would have sailed away in the current.
John
Click to expand...

In that instance, a drift sock would INCREASE the speed of your drift, as it adds more area for current to capture and pull you along.
 
My theory is if wind against current yes it will reduce your drift substantially. But it almost negates the current as the other pointy end will be into the current. :) If you drift without a sock you drift broadside. Both the wind and tide will affect you to the max. Put a sock out and turn your pointy end to windward and your other pointy end to the current. easy ride.
 
I have used mine effectively on both boat and kayak (which has an anchor trolley) but I always get so damned mixed up when using it for the first time. Water on my legs still a little cool, especially when its cloudy so I haven't put one over the side of my kayak yet this year. Last year I forgot to slide the sock to the bow and ended up netting both a weakfish and most of the drift sock which I stupidly had started to haul in. Even worse, I used teasers last year. They are especially effective when used mid-tide when the current is strongest but the wind is opposite, at least when I yak.
 
This has opened my eyes, I never thought of using my drift sock as a means to combat a wind against tide situation. If deploying the sock might give me a little movement into the wind that would only be a good thing. To date I've only used it to slow a wind with tide drift. Something to think about this season....
 
Funny, as when I do use the boat (not very often) I only use the sock in Sloop Channel or the inlet for that reason. But with the boat instead of employing the sock to combat wind vs. current, I usually just move to a different area. Not so easy to do with a kayak!
 
OK I'm convinced guess I'll order one & give it a try, always looked at it as one more big wet thing to have in the boat.
John
 
they dry quick. being a piker, I made one for my kayak with a Tobay dune grass giveaway grocery bag, a dowel, some string, a flagpole clip, and 5 inches of pool noodle. Cut a small hole in the bottom of the bag. The dowel keeps the opening open. The one from my boat came from Cabelas or Bass Pro, when they had decent prices.
 
Used it today off the kayak. With a yak, organization is a key, even with the anchor trolley. Hopefully one of these days I get organized. Had an incoming tide (current) headed mostly from south to north. wind was up to 10 knots from the south so both in same direction. I guess (a little help here Roccus7 lol) since the current was probably 3 kts or less, the sock did slow me down somewhat since it stretched out to the south (as though I was at anchor.) while drifting boats did catch up to me, I seemed to be moving perhaps 1/2 kt slower than them. I was able to jig a bit and caught my last of 4 shorts before calling it a morning.
 
You could give it a try but I don't think it has enough diameter to make much of a difference. I use a 48" on my boat. We put it out there on Sat from most of the day. You most likely need a monster-sized one. They go up to 80" or so. Also, where to make fast to your boat is important, as many boats do not drift 90-degrees to the wind. Whichever end lags back, bow or stern - the drift sock needs to be fastened close to that end, so to "straighten out" the drifting angle of the boat. One big secret is to get it back behind the boat a fair distance - I have my "Cabela's Deluxe" on the factory nylon harness (with the orange float attached), plus a added 25' length of 1/2 braided nylon line. The 48" diameter sock is fine for my needs - on my much smaller boat, with far less windage.
 
I think cabelas has (or had ) a chart for the proper size but I would go with Lep's view. On the kayak I have an anchor trolley which allows me to attach the rig and then shift it to bow or stern. This also allows me to adjust the drift direction somewhat. On the boat, just an 18 footer, I put it on a cleat towards the stern, either port or starboard depending on the wind. Figuring out where the fish is going to take the fight is another story. Last year on the yak I netted both a weak and the drift sock lines. Was out of the "action" for fifteen minutes.
 
Used my DIY sock on the kayak this morning. Definitely slowed me down with a 10 kt NE wind and a 3 kt. current moving towards the south as well. 5 shorts.
 

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