This is a Cat Tip of the Day I first posted back in 2006. It works so good I thought I would bring it forward and post to the library so it is easy to find.
Have you ever setup on a wingdam or just positioned yourself on the perfect current chute in your favorite backwater and the wind starts blowing upstream in your face and you cannot keep the boat positioned on the spot you want to fish. Here is a little tip that could help you beat the wind and keep your boat right where you want it. This is a home made wind sock that you hang off the back of your boat in the current and it will help hold your boat in position. It is smaller than a standard store bought windsock and easy to keep in the water and fish around.
You start by taking a standard 5 gallon bucket and drilling 5 holes in the bottom with a 1 1/2″ hole saw.
Then you drill out 4 evenly spaced 3/8″ holes on the top edge of the bucket and run 2 pieces of rope through the holes, each rope about 6′. Run the rope through a D ring swivel (costs about $3 at the local hardware store). Tie the ropes so that the knots are on the outside of the bucket.
Snap a D ring on the D ring swivel so you can quickly hook it to a piece of rope to tie off on your boat.
Just toss the bucket off the back end of the boat, tie it off on a cleat, and it will fill up and keep your boat snug in the current and help fight the wind. It is easy to pull in and comes in handy for storing things in. Keep your spare anchor in the bucket when not using it.
