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.