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doubledown
distinguished member (111)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
02/14/2022 07:56AM  
I’ve never used a drift sock and most of them look to be $30 or under. Worth the money if targeting walleye or trout?

If so, is there a standout brand?
 
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edorival
  
02/14/2022 08:58AM  
I started using one last year to drift over a small bay where the wind would push the canoe, not necessarily the waves. We tied it to the stern to keep from drifting sideways which just seems like a bad idea. It definitely helped keep us over the walleye school we were targeting longer which meant more fish. Only real problem was that it took some effort to pull it in when we were moving back to the beginning of the drift.

I just picked up the smallest one they had at Fleet Farm. Totally worth the expense and extra weight:

https://www.fleetfarm.com/detail/lindy-fisherman-series-drift-sock/0000000002617?Ntt=drift%20sock
 
ericinely
distinguished member (297)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
02/14/2022 09:44AM  
ABSOLUTELY! Especially when they are deep (walleye 20+ feet and Lakers 40+ feet). I just started bringing them along on trips but they are a life saver and almost completely remove any need for an anchor (unless you're fishing early season and the fish you're jigging for are super shallow and you can't drift over them without spooking and need to be anchored stationary).

Best use: when it's super windy and trolling is challenging and the boat is drifting too quickly with the strong wind/current to maintain bottom contact with your jig (without sizing up significantly in size). The drift sock will slow the canoe down to 0.4-1.1 mph which I feel is an absolutely perfect speed for drift jigging, especially if you can get the boat to drift completely perpendicular to the wind, which allows for optimal jigging out of a tandem (no line tangle, spin around). Also, they don't weigh anything and pack down small so they are easy to justify.

I also like to use them when trolling for Lake Trout isn't productive (fish aren't aggressive enough to hit a bait traveling 1.5-2.5mph or they are feeding on the bottom and not coming up to hit suspended baits). What I do is let out my bait and trolling weight until the weight hits the bottom and reel up a few feet so the bait is running just a few feet off bottom. You can straight-troll using this method, or smack bottom and/or pump the rod every once in a while so the bait darts erratically. THIS METHOD IS INCREDIBLY PRODUCTIVE

I don't have any recommendations on brands, just be sure you get one for a smaller boat (10-16' as they are designed for heavy motorboats and you don't want one that is massive) and that it has a retractor "leash" attached to the small end of the cone/sock. In a canoe, it's so important to keep the boat balanced, and if you have to haul that thing in dragging all that water the boat will be unstable. The leash allows you to tug the thing in from the small end.

GET ONE! Searching for fish will be easier, using the wind in your favor to find feeding fish will be easier, jigging will be easier and I feel, you will catch more fish. This is also an incredibly productive technique for those of you who don't fish with electronics. Drift-jigging allows you to search the bottom with your bait and find feeding fish quickly, regardless of depth.
 
02/14/2022 11:30AM  
Yes, they are great. FYI, you use can use a bucket as well. I use something similar to whats in the link below....a 5 gallon collapsible bucket.

collapsible bucket

This would work great as well...

Sea to Summit 20 L Kitchen Sink
 
wanderingfromkansas
senior member (86)senior membersenior member
  
02/14/2022 02:25PM  
doubledown: "I’ve never used a drift sock and most of them look to be $30 or under. Worth the money if targeting walleye or trout?

If so, is there a standout brand?"


DIY
Menard's bag, $1
Small piece of pool noodle
2 oz. sinker
Some kind of cord/rope

Zip tie the pool noodle to one of the small loops
Tie the sinker to the opposite small loop
Use large handles with cord/rope tied to the vessel
 
PeaceFrog
distinguished member (339)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
02/14/2022 04:06PM  
I purchased one to use on my trip in June. I have never used one but am looking forward to a much slower drift on a windy day. Like Eric said, they are designed to to have a rope attached to the small end called a dump line. That line is used to empty the water from the sock so that it can be pulled in without much effort. I purchased a small one, Lindy brand. I will try to dig it out and post a picture.

Eric, how far out do you typically deploy the sock?

PF
 
doubledown
distinguished member (111)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
02/14/2022 05:04PM  
You guys are convincing and touched on all of the considerations that were pushing me towards a 'yes'. Appreciate you guys!

 
amhacker22
distinguished member(1205)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
02/15/2022 01:29PM  
I love mine for all the reasons stated above. The one thing to be aware of is that you will have to figure out how to manage the rope. Deploying it and getting it back in are actually pretty easy, but at some point you end up with some rope sitting on the bottom of your boat. This rope can grab on to other objects in your boat upon deployment. Objects like, I don't know, maybe a new rod and reel?

On an unrelated note, if you pull a gently used rod and reel out of 15 ft. of water on Horseshoe Lake, I may know who it belongs to.

Like all the stuff we travel with in our canoes, manage the load intelligently and with purpose. Drift socks are 100% worth the effort.
 
02/15/2022 04:09PM  
Simply put, rule number one for canoe fishing for us is never go without a drift sock….. and as someone as stated you should attach a rope to the other end (small end) and use that to retrieve the drift sock. Simple and completely worthwhile ! And if you have a Kevlar canoe that gets pushed around by the wind easily you will NEVER regret purchasing one. Tight lines!
 
doubledown
distinguished member (111)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
02/16/2022 06:50AM  
amhacker22: "I love mine for all the reasons stated above. The one thing to be aware of is that you will have to figure out how to manage the rope. Deploying it and getting it back in are actually pretty easy, but at some point you end up with some rope sitting on the bottom of your boat. This rope can grab on to other objects in your boat upon deployment. Objects like, I don't know, maybe a new rod and reel?


On an unrelated note, if you pull a gently used rod and reel out of 15 ft. of water on Horseshoe Lake, I may know who it belongs to.


Like all the stuff we travel with in our canoes, manage the load intelligently and with purpose. Drift socks are 100% worth the effort."


Oh that’s rough. Lot of lessons learned the hard way out there. Appreciate you passing that advice on as, due to other circumstances, I’ve lost a nice setup as well. It hurts so much.
 
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