Posted by OnceBitten on 2002 AM:

Drift sock / elec motor control - tactics & hints?

I'm interested in any input I can get from you guys regarding boat control when employing a drift sock in conjuction with your bow mounted electric motor. Since I fish mostly in big lakes where the wind is often an issue, I find myself using the two in combination more and more. As I find myself targeting walleye more frequently, precise boat control and positioning becomes even more critical. The boat I'm using is a 19' fiberglass walleye rig with a 150 Merc. She's got big MinnKota's off the bow and stern with 3 deep cycle batteries, so I have lots of power and can run just about any set-up I want. Here are some of the things I'm interested in:

Where do you attach the drift sock when you use the two in combination? Off the bow with a bridle? Off the stern? Amidships?

How does the lower unit of your outboard come into play? Do you leave it in the water trimmed all the way down? Trimmed up half way? Out of the water? If you leave it in, do you have it centered or turned to one side or another to help control your heading?

How do you handle mild location changes? As you move 50 yards under electric power, the sock now runs directly behind the boat. Do you move 10 yards past the upwind position you wish to jig over and allow the boat to "pendulum" back behind the drift sock as the wind blows you to the downwind position in relation to the sock once you stop running the electric?

I realize that these questions may be better received on a walleye board where these tactics are more commen, but I know alot of you guys fish big water, and many of you are multispecies guys whether you admit it or not. I'm pretty well along in the learning curve on this, but I'd like to shorten that curve a little, so please feel free to share any tips or opinions on the topic.

Thanks in advance for your help,

Fred

Posted by Sluggo / NY on 2002 AM:

Fred..I don't use the drift bag as often as a pair of trolling bags, but when I do..I hook it to the cleat just in front of the windshield. The bow of the Lund acts like a sail and blows around much faster than the stern. I also drop the bow mount and use it to keep us sideways to the wind. I don't notice much difference in leaving the main motor down or raising it, so I usually just leave it down. If I'm going to move more than a short distance..I pull the bag in. I have a line attached to the back as well as the front so it dumps and pulls in easily. You'll run the batteries down surprisingly fast if you try pulling a bag around with your electrics! Hope some of this helps. By the way..I'm still waiting to see a fishing report! Good Fishing, Sluggo (Chris)

Posted by Sea Jack on 2002 AM:

Excellent thread. I'm never sure I'm doing the right thing out on big water like that.

What seems to work to keep me sideways to the wind is to tie rteh sock to the windshield, and turn the outboard wheel into the wind. This means that the prop will be into the wind. That seems to work and I really need to use the electric.

However, I am by far no expert and hope that this question will be addressed by others.

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Posted by wnybassman on 2002 PM:

I always tie my sock to the cleat right next to my rod locker, in front of the console. This position will keep my boat perpendicular to the line of drift, and will give an angler in the back of the boat "fresh" water to drift across. I also use a very short line, I can actually reach out and touch my drift sock while drifting. Being that short, I reduce the risk of fish entanglement. I always leave my outboard at the top of the trim position, right before it starts tilting, and will turn it side to side depending which way it needs to go to get the drift I want.

Usually the only reason I even drop the trolling motor in the water, is to be able to use my graph up front

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Posted by Craig in GA on 2002 PM:

Fred,

Here's how I generally use mine... Short line on the drift sock and tied off on the bow cleat just ahead of the windshield. I'll put the outboard all the way down and use it as a rudder to control the drift angle, usually turning it all the way to the same side the drift sock is on. Bow mount very rarely gets wet if the drift sock is being used. For me, if it's windy enough to use the drift sock, the electric isn't going to be of much use. Easier to make controlled repeated drifts over the target structure using the outboard to get back to the starting point.

Craig

Posted by Rob J in WNY on 2002 PM:

quote:

Originally posted by wnybassman
I always tie my sock to the cleat right next to my rod locker, in front of the console. This position will keep my boat perpendicular to the line of drift, and will give an angler in the back of the boat "fresh" water to drift across. I also use a very short line, I can actually reach out and touch my drift sock while drifting. Being that short, I reduce the risk of fish entanglement. I always leave my outboard at the top of the trim position, right before it starts tilting, and will turn it side to side depending which way it needs to go to get the drift I want.

Usually the only reason I even drop the trolling motor in the water, is to be able to use my graph up front

Having fished with Noel in his boat on Lake Erie several times, I just wanted to comment that I was surprised to see that Noel's drift sock is indeed right at the boat. I was curious about this, as every other boat I had ever been in when one was in use had a 5 foot rope in between, if not longer.

The 'spider straps' of Noel's sock essentially come right off the gunnel, and the sock still spreads out nicely. It is a rather large sock, too. Because the sock is right at the boat, the center rope for pulling it in doesn't have to be really long, either, and he just whips it right up when we were ready to make a move. No fighting, pulling and tangles - and no tangled up Smallies, either!

It seems to me that the perfect place for attaching the sock will be somewhere before amidships because the area of the boat exposed to the wind is usually larger at the bow. I've noticed that most bass boats have a cleat at or near this optimal spot. Attachment here balances out the 'sail area' of the boat nicely, meaning less time on the electric motor to keep the drift position aright.

Tight Lines...

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Posted by OnceBitten on 2002 AM:

Thanks for the input guys. Sounds like most of us are doing slight variations of the same setup.

It occured to me that I should have mentioned that I'm running the two together so I can follow specific drop offs, trench's or other feature's on the lake bottom. In these cases, just drifting in a straight line doesn't cut it.

Thanks again guys,

Fred

Posted by wnybassman on 2002 PM:

Fred,

I have worked the two together in the past, but it always seems my fishing is less productive when I do. I think this is because my attention is turned to keeping the drift the way I want it, rather than the fishig itself. I have found when fishing specific bottom structure, I will make many (did I say MANY) repeated straightline drifts over those specific areas. A GPS with a good plotter will easily keep you making the same drift over and over. This way my attention is 100% to the end on my line.