Drift Sock or Kicker

I have a 16 foot Lund Predator with 60 horse Merc on it. I’d like to be able to troll slower than this setup currently allows (about 2 MPH).
One option would be to dust off my old 5 horse Sea King. It runs OK and will idle down very slow but it’s probably going to need a new hose and fuel tank.
On the other hand, one thing I don’t have but definitely need for a variety of reasons is a drift sock. Is it practical to tie the drift sock off the bow and use that to slow down my troll?

Thanks in advance guys!

Rootski

Sure, that’ll work. But using two smaller trolling bags, one off each side while trolling bow first, works much, much better. Keep your eyes peeled on the Drift Control displays at Gander, etc., and you should be able to catch them on sale if the budget is tight. As it stands now two smaller socks are a touch more money than one big one but I’ll guarantee you’ll be much happier with the way the two sock setup performs.

Since we’re located so close to each other why don’t you swing on by, grab a pair of the trolling bags (not like I’m using them right now) and give them a whirl to see how they work for you.

James:

I noticed on the drift control site that they make a 18″ and a 25″ bag. What do you consider small. I suppose its boat specific and I run a 17.5′ alumacraft with a 115. I need to slow down from current 3.5-4 mph idle.

Thanks.

James, is it better to run one off of each cleat in the front, or the under the boat version. Which set up is the best?

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James:

I noticed on the drift control site that they make a 18″ and a 25″ bag. What do you consider small. I suppose its boat specific and I run a 17.5′ alumacraft with a 115. I need to slow down from current 3.5-4 mph idle.

Thanks.

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I definitely should have been more specific, shouldn’t I?

I’ve used the 30″ trolling bags in tandem on a number of larger boats (big tillers, large console boats) and those 30″ bags have taken my forward speeds from 2+ MPH down to under a half mile an hour in many cases.

In Rootski’s application those 30″ bags might be a little big as his boat and motor is obviously quite a bite smaller. Those 25″ bags just might be the ticket.

As for your situation wiith a 3+MPH trolling speed that you need to slow down, I’d also recommend the 30″ bags. I’ve had them out the side on a 1880 Skeeter w/ 150 and it brought that boat to a crawl. I’m not sure where you’re located but the offer stands for you as well. Swing on by, borrow them for a couple days. See what works best for you. I’m willing to bet a pair of 30″ bags will drag you down to well under 1 MPH.

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James, is it better to run one off of each cleat in the front, or the under the boat version. Which set up is the best?

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Nord,

I’ve found the “off the cleat” setup to work very well. Going with the under the boat setup will off more stability with regards to bow lift in large waves but it won’t slow you any further. There are some advantages to the under the boat deployment method but I’ve not been in a situation yet that required the use of it.

Assuming some might not be familiar with a dual trolling bag set up, here’s a video that shows how utilizing a pair of trolling bags while forward trolling differs from the more commonly utilized back trolling with a single large bag scenario.

See more IDO Fishing Videos!

For reference the boat in this video was an 1890 Warrior with 2 stroke Mercury 90 HP 2+2.

How cool is that? It’s almost as if you said “Let’s go up to Rainy and shoot a video to show Rootksi how to slow down his boat.” This is exactly what I was looking for when I asked my question. I’m convinced, I’m getting a pair of these.

Thanks James!

Rootski

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How cool is that? It’s almost as if you said “Let’s go up to Rainy and shoot a video to show Rootksi how to slow down his boat.” This is exactly what I was looking for when I asked my question. I’m cionvinced, I’m getting a pair of these.

Thanks James!

Rootski

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Rootski

Once you have had them out on the water please let us know your starting trolling speed and what you drop to after you deploy the Drift Control trolling bags. It would be nice to build a bit of a info bank on what the various bag sizes will do for the trolling speeds of various boat and motor combos. As your rig is a pretty common length and HP rating… call me interested.

Will do! I have a GPS so I should be able to come up with a more accurate number that the “pin wheel” on my X-65.

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Will do! I have a GPS so I should be able to come up with a more accurate number that the “pin wheel” on my X-65.

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Now we’re talking. I myself don’t have a lot of faith in those wheels.

Here’s a couple photos of the “underboat system” for deploying trolling bags from the Drift Control website. In the video I posted the bags are tied off the cleats. Between the video and these photos people should get a real good idea of how each method is deployed.

For more info on the “underboat method” here’s a good article on the Drift Control site >>> Drift Control Trolling Bags “UnderBoat” Deployment

If there’s anyone out there that would like to demo a set of the trolling bags, let me know. The only thing I ask in return is that you provide “before and after” trolling speeds along with your boat and motor combo. I’m located in South MPLS / Richfield…. all you have to do is pick them up and look reasonably trustworthy.

I use a Cabelas med bag off the side of my 17′ boat. I clip it into the cleat just in front of the driver and it gets me from 2.5 with my 115 4 stroke down to 1.0 or so.

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and look reasonably trustworthy.

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Well that leaves me out

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and look reasonably trustworthy.

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Well that leaves me out

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Your looks get you bit by the dog coming up the drive… lol

I have a Ranger 620 tiller with a Mercury 125. I have two sets of trolling bags: one set of 24″ bags and another of 30″ bags. Normal trolling speeds are 2.2 to 2.5 without any trolling bags. When the small ones are used it knocks my speed down to 1.5 to 1.7, with the larger ones its about 1 to 1.3. Both methods of deploying the bags have both their advantages and disadvantages. First the under the hull deployment: awesome boat control, more stable ride, the only really negative of this type of deployment is the deployment itself can be real tricky in the dark or rough water. The bags on the side of the boat are much easier to deploy especially at night but you dont have near the boat control with this method. Hope this helps.

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I have a Ranger 620 tiller with a Mercury 125. I have two sets of trolling bags: one set of 24″ bags and another of 30″ bags. Normal trolling speeds are 2.2 to 2.5 without any trolling bags. When the small ones are used it knocks my speed down to 1.5 to 1.7, with the larger ones its about 1 to 1.3. Both methods of deploying the bags have both their advantages and disadvantages. First the under the hull deployment: awesome boat control, more stable ride, the only really negative of this type of deployment is the deployment itself can be real tricky in the dark or rough water. The bags on the side of the boat are much easier to deploy especially at night but you dont have near the boat control with this method. Hope this helps.

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It does. Thanks for sharing your info with us. The detail is bound to help more than a couple guys with similar rigs.

Great post!

Can anyone chime on on the differences between the different “series” of the Drift Control products. If I’m not mistaken, there’s “original”, “fisherman” and “tournament”. Is it just heavier material? I realize you get what you pay for, but Drift Control has a good name…just wondering if this is a case where I really need to spend the extra money for one series verses another.

Thanks,

Jim

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I use the heavy duty socks that you can buy at Cabelas. Its like a plastic coated nylon but has held up for 5 years.

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I use the heavy duty socks that you can buy at Cabelas. Its like a plastic coated nylon but has held up for 5 years.

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I use the same ones. I’ve got 2 that I’ve had for approx 4 years. Still look brand new.

The cabelas bags are pretty solid products although they really don’t go to any lengths to build in any refinements to the product. The advantage to the Drift Control product is the material used (it is lightweight, dries in seconds), there’s weights at the bottom of the bag and floats at the top of the bag. The weights and floats keep the bag from spinning and makes the bag deploy as soon as it hits the water… no tangling of harnesses.

Any drift sock is better than no drift sock though.

Just to clarify, the Cabelas drift socks that I have do have a float in the top, weighted bottom, and a strap attached to the end of the cone to “dump” the water. The floats and weights keep the bag from spinning and also help it deploy faster. I’ve never been disappointed in how fast they dry…there may be others that dry faster though.

JD

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Great post!

Can anyone chime on on the differences between the different “series” of the Drift Control products. If I’m not mistaken, there’s “original”, “fisherman” and “tournament”. Is it just heavier material? I realize you get what you pay for, but Drift Control has a good name…just wondering if this is a case where I really need to spend the extra money for one series verses another.

Thanks,

Jim

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Sorry Jim. I nearly missed this one. I’ll take a stab at getting you the answers you need to select the product that’s right for you.

Original Drift Control Drift Sock

We’ll start with the original Drift Control Drift Sock. You can find those online at Drift Control Original Series Drift Sock

This sock is pictured above and features Rip-Stop nylon construction which allows for quick drying and compact storage. One-inch nylon straps offer added support, ensuring years of tear-free usage. Drift Control’s unique upper cylinder floats and bottom weights make sure this sock opens fast and doesn’t rotate. Available in four sizes.

The “original” is just that… solid construction, made from tough but light weight nylon and comes with the weights and floats that make a drift sock easier to deploy.

Fisherman Series Drift Control Drift Sock

The next one in line is the “Fisherman Series.” This is the drift sock that most other companies try to copy. It is available at a lower price point and in return you give up some of the features of the higher end products like the floats, weights and ripstop nylon.

You can find the Fisherman Series online at Drift Control Fisherman Series Drift Sock

The Fisherman Series sock is pictured above and features reinforced nylon construction. It does not have the floats or weights of the higher end models but it is an excellent sock at an entry level price.

Tournament Series Drift Control Drift Sock

Next we come to the “Tournament Series.” The only adjustable Drift Sock! The Tournament Series drift sock allows the angler to more precisely regulate drifting and trolling speeds. With control lines in the boat, the angler can conveniently expand or reduce the rear opening of the drift sock while it’s deployed.

You can find the Fisherman Series online at Drift Control Tournament Series Drift Sock

The Tournament Series Drift Control sock is shown above. The Tournament Series sock is made with the same materials and features of the higher end Drift Control products like the floats, weights and ripstop nylon. With the addition of the adjustable rear opening this series of drift sock allows an angler to fine tune their boat control without the need for multiple sizes of drift socks.

Wave Tamer Drift Control Drift Socks

This series is the newest product to be released by Drift Control. These socks feature rugged long-lasting Rip Stop fabric and Wave Tamers don’t sink, tangle, or twist and the patented, spring-biased opening and top flotation ensure they deploy and retrieve hassle-free.

You can find the Wave Tamer Series online at Wave Tamer Series Drift Sock

This is the product I personally use. It FLOATS if you drop it in the water, there’s a slight “spring” tension in the hoop that opens the hoop as soon as you release it from your hand to the water yet it is still completely collapsable / foldable and storable. It is made from the same rip-stop nylon used in the other Drift Control products and will last through many, many years of hard use.

I hope this helps. If you have any more questions… holler at us.

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Just to clarify, the Cabelas drift socks that I have do have a float in the top, weighted bottom, and a strap attached to the end of the cone to “dump” the water. The floats and weights keep the bag from spinning and also help it deploy faster. I’ve never been disappointed in how fast they dry…there may be others that dry faster though.

JD

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Thanks for the clarification. I’ve only seen the entry level bags from Cabelas. I’m sure they work pretty darn good.

thanks james for that info. I use the orignal sock and it’s worked well for me,but after reading this and watching your video I will be buying two of the wave tammers. I will keep track of my speeds with the two setup’s and get back to you.

THANKS AGAIN

Thanks Steve. I’ll do the same. I’m sure I’ll be in a number of different rigs this summer and I’ll be sure to keep track of the bags used along with before and after speeds. Shouldn’t take long to compile some stats that will be useful down the road.

James refresh my memory please, what size sock did you use in the show when you anchored on wing dams pitching jigs?

72″ Wave Tamer. That 72″ is the perfect size for pulling you tight on the anchor rope or slowing your fall off of buildings or bridges.