Homemade Drift Sock Guide

There are plenty of modifications you can do to a Canoe and most of them can also be done to Kayaks as well. I have not done as many mods as some people out there but I will share with you the ones I have done. The first one I will cover is adding a drift sock to your rig.

Why Use A Drift Sock

Drift socks are essential to have with you in your Canoe on windy days. By putting the drift sock in the water it creates drag and slows down your boat. It can be used to position your canoe in a certain direction when getting blown by the wind. I will attach mine to the rear of the canoe allowing me to fish better with the wind at my back. For those who troll, a drift sock can be used to control the speed of the lure you’re presenting to the fish.

 Choosing The Right Drift Sock

 First thing you need to do it pick yourself up a drift sock. I use an 18" Lindy Drift Control sock and works well because it is specifically designed for drifting. I have recently decided to buy a larger one for very windy days, the small one doesn't work well over 10kmh. Some people use reusable grocery bags and similar things and make their own drift bag. There are other companies that make drift socks. I like Lindy because they provide quality products that are used heavily in the Walleye fishing world where drifting is done often. Lindy has various sizes in their drift sock line and there are several factors to consider when choosing one.

The first factor is the size of your boat. Generally a Canoe or Kayak will take the same size sock as a 14’ boat. The second thing to take into account is the wind speed. If you want to drift in different wind speeds you may have to have multiple sized drift socks. Below is a chart provided by Lindy to help you choose the right sock.

Buying A Harness

Typically drift socks do not come with a harness. The harness is basically the rope that attaches the sock to your boat. The harness will have a plastic or Styrofoam buoy on it so if the harness comes off the boat it won’t sink. The harness will also have a dump line which attaches to the back end of the sock. When you pull the line it pulls the rear of the sock towards the boat, allowing you to pull it in easier. Harnesses can be picked up for around 30-40$.

DIY Drift Sock Harness

Making your own is easy and you can save a few bucks.  Here is a picture of the one I made for my canoe.

You will need the following to make your own harness.

1-      Length of rope with three strands that make up the rope as shown below.

2-      Two carabiners

3-      One pool noodle.

4-      Zip ties

5-      Para Cord or something similar

Here is the step by step process:

Step 1-

 Cut the rope to the desired length. I made my harness around 3.5' - 4' long. The rope must be made up of 3 strands to make this harness.The rope should look like the picture below.

Step 2-

You are now going to make a eye splice on each end of the rope. You basically unravel enough of the 3 strands to be able to weave them back into the braided portion of the rope. The weave will cinch down on itself and create a very strong connection. I will give a link to the animated knots website instead of trying to explain the procedure. They give a great step be step guide on how to make the splice.

http://www.animatedknots.com/splice/

I will add to zap straps to the end of the splice to make sure it never comes loose.

Step 3-

Next cut a 1' length of pool noodle and run the rope through it. This will act like a buoy and keep the sock afloat if it comes off your boat. I then zap strapped the pool noodle in place to keep it from moving.

 

Step 4-

Cut a length of para cord to make into a dump line. The dump line should be at least a few feet longer then your harness. Tie one end of the dump line to the loop located on the narrow side of the drift sock.

Step 5-

Attach the two carabiners to each end of the harness. Attach the drift sock to one end and the dump line to the other. You are now ready to hit the water, simply attach the harness using the carabiner. When you want to pull it in, grab the dump line to deflate the drift sock.

Leave a comment below if you have a different way of making the drift sock harness.

Why Fish From A Canoe?

Welcome to a site dedicated to Canoe Bass Fishing. I am by far an expert but wanted to share a lot of the things I have learned about Canoe fishing with others. It has been difficult at times to find info on things such as Canoe fishing tactics, and Canoe mods. I will be putting what I know on this blog in hopes that others can read it and share what they know on the subjects in the comments sections. If anyone actually reads this... Welcome and enjoy the first post.

Why canoe fishing?

Nature

It's 7am, mist is drifting across the glassy surface of the water. You are all alone on a secluded lake that has no cottages on it. A loon and it's chick are 20' away looking at you curiously. The calm is suddenly interrupted by a monster bass engulfing your topwater popper. As you lift the 5lb monstrosity out of the water you realize you are truly experiencing something special.

In short, you will experience and see more of nature while out on more secluded waterbodies and moving at a slower pace.

Fishing

Canoes have many pros and cons when it come to fishing. I will be covering ways to overcome some of these downfalls as the blog develops. Stealth is probably the best aspect of fishing from a canoe. You can silently drift into areas and over the thickest cover unnoticed. I fish topwater frogs a lot and a canoe can get through the nastiest cover without worrying about getting stuck.

The wind is your worst enemy when fishing from a canoe. Unfortunately wind is good when it comes to bass fishing. The canoes high sides act like sails and the wind can blow you around in circles. This makes it difficult at times to use finesse presentations and fish precise spots on structure. I will try not to go out fishing in a canoe when the wind exceeds 15 kmh. At this point it becomes very difficult and could become dangerous when on larger bodies of water.

Economic

With the price of gas and even a basic aluminum boat, a canoe can be one of the most economic ways to get off the shore. You can buy a Coleman or Pelican Ram-X canoe, on sale for 499$ at Canadian Tire. These canoes are some of the cheapest on the market and can be beaten to death without having to do repairs. After picking up a few paddles and life jackets you are ready to go fishing.

 
Your new fishing machine does not use gas and runs on manpower. The only fuel you will need is a few bottles of Gatorade, some trail mix (or your favorite snack) and beef jerky. If you are lucky enough to live on or near the water you can throw the canoe in and start catching fish. If your like me and enjoy getting away to more remote lakes it will cost gas to transport the canoe there. If you own a truck transport is easy but cars may require you to buy roof racks, and these can be $300+. Some of the lakes I fish are over 50 km away and I will use up half a tank of gas. The 20$ spent on the day is well worth the solitude and sometimes amazing fishing you can experience.

Remote access / portable

The best reason to fish from a canoe is to be able to get into lakes that have no boat access. Canoes can be put in at culverts, swamps, or any where there is water access regardless of launch facilities. There are a lot of lakes in Ontario that have no boat launches. These lakes receive very little fishing pressure and can hold monster bass. You would be surprised at the quality and numbers of bass a lake can have when fish aren't harvested as well. My number one lake has no cottages on it and has a long rough portage to get to it. You can catch 3-4 lb Largemouth and Smallmouth like it's going out of style.

Private property should be respected when launching at a lake. If private property is the only way make sure you ask permission before trespassing. Launching from public or crown land are your best bets.

Health

Now you can stay in shape while doing something you love! Paddling for up to eight hours in a day can really give you a good workout. This can be good when your gobbling down poptarts and chocolate bars in the back of the canoe.

The workout you get is mostly upper body but portages can put your legs to the test. My canoe weighs 80lbs so I try to avoid anything too long. Always use good form while paddling and lifting your canoe. A canoe can injure you in lifted wrong or if you fall while portaging.