Drift bouy and sock

Just wondering if anyone fishes with a drift sock anymore and if it’s a good purchase.Also wondering how many marker bouys one should keep in the boat.I have 3 right now is that enough or should I get another 3 set

We fish a lot every year at Winni with a drift sock off the side draggin jigs. As for the marker bouy, I find it to be a flag to bring every boat on the lake right in on top of you. I use the waypoints on the GPS.

Nut

marker bouys still have a purpous and can be used to your advantage. drift socks are very effective keeping a boat tracking straight while anchored in a river, slow you down while casting in the wind, and of course don’t forget they also slow you down while drifting.

I’ve used a drift sock to slow me down,when I’m fishing finesse in deep water,for bass. 3 should be enough to mark areas,I never drop them on the spot usually I throw them off to the side as a refrence point.Like it was said u draw a lot of attention,my buddy only used black ones they were a lot harder too see though,for everybody!
Stan

Drift socks are very useful tools.

I like to use a cheap duck decoy as a marker; doesn’t attract as much attention.

Drift sock is a must. I would get 2, one size recommended for your boat and one the next size bigger. Depending on wind/desired speed you will be glad you’ve got options. Also a very small sock is great for keeping you straight while anchored.

I find myself using a sock very often. They are a great boat control tool.

As for marker buoys, 3 is plenty. Use them sparingly. Mark the start of a point or the highest point of a hump. They are handy for a quick visual reference but attract lots of attention.

whats best for a 16 ft

We run drift socks on the circuit all the time. I use GPAS Junior on the line to the boat not the bouy harness it brings the sock closer to the boat and the stretchability of the GPAS keeps the bag open. I get a more consistent speed due to the fact that the bag is always open not opening and closing with the waves. I don’t need 2 bags anymore and with out bouy harness it packs smaller. GPAS junior is 18 bucks or so available @ G-P-A-S.com also available at Runnings and Marine General.

The best thing for a bouy is to toss it out with about a foot of line below the bouy. Then let the bouy drift away and the crowd of boats to drift away with it

Drift sock – a MUST HAVE, and in multiple sizes to boot.

My neighbor has a boat with a 60 HP 4 stroke. He uses the drift sock while back trolling with the big motor. The system works well slowing down the boats speed for back trolling.

What’s a good drift sock to use? Lindy and Minnkota get bad reviws for durability. Need to get one or two this spring.

You can drift Lindy rigs in 50 mph wind at .8 mph with two of the right sized socks out. Did that a few years on opener with success.

Higher price you pay the better quality. The ones with the float so the bag opens up quickly is sure nice!

I have a smaller bag for when anchored in a river and a huge bag for drifting lakes. Both get used on real windy days to keep the boat sideways to the waves

Yes to a drift sock. X multiple on the above suggestion to size up. Not sure how the guidelines are built. My experience has been if I buy the size that matches my boat it doesn’t have enough drag.

Here’s another user – take your trolling speed down. In my little boat I can tune it down to .5mps or so for backtrolling. In my buddy’s bigger boat we need to use a sock to get our trolling passes below 2.5-2.6mps.

Is 3 buoys enough? You said you own 3. Do you find yourself wanting more? If not, there’s your answer. With GPS marks 1 or 2 max does the trick for me. Sometimes it’s easier for me to navigate around a marker I can see rather than staring at the screen.