Slow Your Roll DIY Drift Sock

http://funcfish.com/2013/05/building-a-kayak-drag-chain-anchor/

Spring time in south Louisiana is super windy and fishing in a kayak you are vulnerable to being blown around. Usually fight the wind  you can use your conventional anchor or the homemade pvc stake out pole. One of my favorite ways to fish is to drift the flats with the wind, but when is starts blowing 15 mph and above you can't drift very effectively. The drift simply becomes too fast and you will float right past many of your targets.  I almost bought a Drift sock that was made for a kayak and there are a couple of good options such as the Yak Gear Drift Anchor Kit, 19-Inch. But after looking at their construction they are pretty simple and that got me thinking I could make my own. I always begin any project with a quick online search chances are someone has already tried to solve the problem in having. When I searched my favorite forums for making your own kayak drift sock I got a myriad of options to chose from. People have used lengths of chain that drag the bottom, five gallon buckets , canvas tote bags, and even old pairs of jeans. I sorted through the many rigging options and quickly figured the pros and cons of each repurposed material.

The fully rolled up sock  ready for storage.

I didnt want to use the chain because of the added weight and the bucket would take up too much space so  I chose to go with the canvas tote option. The canvas tote would be lightweight and easy to store in the hull of my Hobie Outback. The only drawback is it would absorb water and would add moisture to the inside of my kayak. I already have trouble keeping my hooks from rusting in the boxes so I would have to store it on the deck and I don't use a crate. While searching for a canvas tote I found a reusable grocery bag these bags are made of recycled plastic so they don't absorb water and dry very quickly. 

The materials you will need are 

• Reusable grocery bag 
• Carabiner 
• Three feet of rope or bungee cord

The finished drift sock

 Converting it from a grocery bag to a drift sock is fairly easy it only takes two steps.      

• Tie one end of your bungee to the handles of the grocery bag.
• Tie the other end to the carabiner.
• You can clean up the tag end by zip tying it down to the main line but it is not necessary.

When on the water go to the area where you want to begin you drift and clip the carabiner to your anchor trolley. Adjust the position of the drift sock with the anchor trolley as you would on a conventional anchor to get the desired direction and angle of the drift. If the wind is blowing extremely hard or you need to drift even slower you can add a second  Grocery bag drift sock.  If you need an affordable effective drift sock when fishing you should get one of these reusable grocery bags chances are you have one laying around your house.

This site is a good resource for using a drift sock they go into way more depth than me.

http://www.charkbait.com/cs/csd_sea_anchors.htm