What Is Drift Sock? How To Use It For Catching Catfish?

Drift sock is a useful “large bag” for anglers who want to catch many catfish. But, beginners, do not know how to start with this thing and even some of them do not know what a drift sock is.

At this time, we would like to share with you everything about this technique as well as tips and tricks when using it.

What Is Drift Sock?

A drift sock is a large bag that looks like a parachute. It is also attached along with a harness and a buoy to use in the water.

Plus, the other end of the harness with the boat. when you put it under the water, it will be filled up by water and create a "drag" in the water.

What Is Drift Sock Used For?

There are many functions of a drift sock with anglers:

• As we said, it can create a "drag" in the water, so it helps your boat move in the intended directions and prevents the boat from moving too fast.
• Secure the preferred portion of the boat, such as the side, front, and rear.
• Support anglers to catch many catfish, including channel and blue catfish
• Especially when you catch catfish, you have to use this technique to control the moving speed of the boat. This is the reason why it is needed for all catfish fishing trips

Some Factors To Choose A Great Drift Sock

You can easily buy a drift sock on some e-commerce websites. However, you need to focus on some factors to choose a great one for your next fishing trip.

1. The Harness

The good harness must be made of polypropylene rope and can prevent 100% UV resistance. Besides that, it should have the ability to dry out, fray, and be durable for the long term.

The ideal length is from 10 to 16 feet and thickness is at least 1/2 inch. If possible, you should prefer the harness which has steel quick-release clips on both ends because you can easily attach or remove the harness to the boat.

Going along with a good harness is the buoy. the body must be between 4 and 8 inches in length. The function of the buoy is to keep the drift sock always towards the top of the water surface. Moreover, it helps you to avoid accidental problems with the submerged structures.

Tips: You must not use ordinary rope instead of the special rope of drift sock to attach it because it is very dangerous and the normal rope can break when it is in the water for many hours.

2. The Drift Sock

We should focus on each part of the drift sock:

• The harness strap: These straps attach the bucket and the harness line, so you should prefer the one which is made of durable nylon material.
• Bucket: This is the place where water gets pushed to. You can find many materials for the bucket but we suggest you choose heavy-duty, construction-grade rip-stop nylon material for the bucket.
• The point: This is the narrow end of the drift sock.
• The collapsing strap: You can tie the collapsing cord to this strap.
• Collapsing cord: It should be resisted UV with 15 to 20 feet in length and 1/2 inch in size.

3. The Collapsing Cord

When choosing a good drift sock, you must not miss the collapsing cord.

About the material, it is similar to the harness which is made of polypropylene rope and can be UV resistant.

When you do need to use the drift sock, you should not pull the harness line in because you can meet an injury in your back when you are pulling against the water which has filled in the drift sock.

Moreover, if you try to pull the harness line, you can put unneeded stress on it and make it tear over time.

Before setting up any drift sock, you should simply tie one end of the collapsing strap to your board and the other end to the drift sock.

After using a drift sock, the best way we want to recommend you is to pull in the collapsing cord.

4. The Size Of Drift Sock

There are various sizes of drift socks in the fishing store. You should choose the one which suits your boat and the average wind conditions of the place that you often go fishing.

 Here are some suggestions:

You should use at least 4X large drift socks in size for an 18 feet boat.

Otherwise, prefer the drift sock at least 2X in size with a 16 feet boat.

Tips: Remember to buy the higher size suggestion because if you choose the same or lower size, it will not be effective and you have to buy the other one.

How To Make And Use A Drift Sock

Let's make your drift sock easier!

Step 1. You begin to choose a cleat with a big hole and tie your harness line into it. If you have a kayak boat, you can find the location of that hole easily. The most common location is the aft of your boat.

Step 2. Clip the other end of the harness to the harness straps.

Step 3. Pick one end of the collapsing cord and tie it to your boat or the harness line carabiner clip.

Step 4. In this step, you need to tie down the other end of the collapsing cord to the strap which is located on the narrow end of the drift sock.

Step 5. Put the drift sock into the water and expand it slowly to fill with water.

Step 6. Make sure the body is closer to your sock around 6-10 feet. To do that, you should set it up at this length before putting it into the water. Moreover, you can let out a little amount or much more harness line you want.

Step 7. If the weather is not good, you should let out as much rope due to better control. Allow your finished drift sock to drift slowly.

Step 8. When you want to move spots, pull in the collapsing cord and pour water out of the sock.

Tips: The place you attach the sock on the boat will depend on your technique of drifting.

If you want to fish from the side of the boat, you should prepare and drift a sock in the middle or front portion of your boat.

If you want to gain a deeper understanding of drift socks and how to use them effectively, you can watch this video below:

In conclusion, with a drift sock, your fishing trip will be more exciting and avoid many unwanted problems. Moreover, thanks to this fishing equipment, you can take many trophies out of the water. Hope you succeed!