Drogue

[Alfie]

Keep reading in the catch reports that the drifts were too fast. Has anyone tried using a drogue to slow the boat down. It will stop the baits drifting through too fast. Never used one at sea but often used them when reservoir fishing from a boat.

[Norman]

Hi Alfie, Have looked at the posibilities of using a drogue, however if its a fast drift we often spend only 2 to 3 minutes on a drift then whip around for another since we've passed the wreck and so the main focus of the drift.
Even with a drogue it would take longer to deploy and then winch in than the time we'd save.

I can see the use of it being effective over large areas of hard ground where the drift can be 10 minutes or more

Norm

[northeast1]

As Norman says they not ideal for our kind of fishing, i have also looked at them and felt they be more of a pain than a help.

I am the same if its a fast drift i just stop further away from the wreck to give the bait time to hit the bottom before the wreck comes up.

They a good idea but not more me.

Smaller tides now but winds still shocking so cant make it out yet

[SIXFOOTSTEVE]

An ideal bit of kit for slowing the drift along a still Lock or lake ( been there ,done that ) but no good at all for wreck fishing from what I can see ,mind you a drift over a larger feature such as a sandbank or reef might be better.

[mark]

sails!

was a long time ago, but its the ultimate tool for the job. Used to have a 20' drascombe, careful trim of the sail could stop a drift dead in its tracks, or slow it to whatever speed you want

awesome in a wind against tide situation, when the wind and tide are in exactly the same direction its a lot trickier, but still effective. kills a lot of the rock and roll of the swell as well

its one thing I'm looking forward to re-learning should this floating death trap ever see the outside of st pete's again

[Norman]

I reckon we can just tie up alongside mark and you`ll keep us off the drift

[mark]

I reckon we can just tie up alongside mark and you`ll keep us off the drift

no guarantees we won't pull you under if sink though!

funnily enough though, I remember a rescue excercise years ago, big trawler just went round and round in circles, radius of about 400 yards, around a dinghy that was drifting, inside the circle there the sea flattened off and the dinghy drift slowed right down

I could never understand the physics behind it but was interesting to watch

[northeast1]

Well one more weekend and 1 more crap forecast.

Think i may use one today, would save me full if deploy it like a kite

[The Great Wallsendo]

Well one more weekend and 1 more crap forecast.

[oldessox]

Just had a trip out round the back of the island at Amble , not fishing , just took the boat out with my wife sat in the passenger seat Now she knows why I keep saying I need a bigger boat
It was lovely and flat just outside the piers but the further we went the bigger the swells and rougher it got , not ideal for drift fishing
I wanted to go tomorrow , but I think I'll do a few hours work and go one day through the week instead , I think thursday is looking good?

Ray

[northeast1]

Yer i cant see me making it more than 2-3 miles off shame as feel some big fish out there to be had.

[oldessox]

On the drogue question , I bought one last year and put it out one windy day drifting boulmer hard ground , I had hoped it might turn the boat into the wind and point into the waves whilst drifting and reduce some of the rolling , but the boat still drifted beam on , although possibly a little slower.
The drogue was deployed out of the bow like an anchor would be by the way , in case anyone thought I had chucked it over the side loch trout style.
As long as I'm on my own , I'm quite happy rolling about in the chop now , I just sit on one seat and put my feet up on the other and do shuggy boats lol.


Ray