[Retired]

Gaz has mentioned windage on the drift.

Does anyone use a drogue?

Any tips on how and when? Limitations?

Any recommendations in terms of what's available out there?

All info gratefully received.

Cheers

Paul

 

[Andy Mason]

I'm the official drogue man on our outings. Pain in the backside to fill so they work properly. Sometimes takes a bit of reversing and yanking of cords to get it right.

 

[Bagpuss]

Do they just slow down the drift due to wind, or do they slow down the drift due to current as well??

 

[Mick Ward]

Excellent questions, I have wondered about them in the sea for ages, do they work with currants. Do you have to pull them in when you hook a fish.

 

[Bagpuss]

Do they just slow down the drift due to wind, or do they slow down the drift due to current as well??

Well I would assume that if you had a drogue out in any sort of fast current it might be too dangerous, especially if it was tide against wind.

 

[Dicky Smith]

I made a little one out of roofing felt (the placcy stuff) for my kayak.

Makes a real difference to the drift speed in any wind, less paddling too :muttley:

Wouldn't like to use one in any tide in the big boat though.

 

[Chris Guest]

Drogues = pain in the arse + lost fishing time whist faffing round with them, I would much rather use the outboard (turned off) to cut across or go with the current and balance the boat, it surprising the amount of steerage you can get, plus when you’re getting "close" fire the engine up and you’re out of there not having to pull in a drogue with the possible consequences of fouling the prop, it works I've tried both methods.

 

[Bagpuss]

I have a drogue for the kayak, but I have never used it. Simple reason is, if it's that windy that I need to put a drogue out, I'm going to be coming back in pretty soon. I like comfortable fishing these days, not being tossed about like a cork. If I put the drogue out on a calmish day in any kind of current then it's going to act like a sail underwater & pull me along quicker. The reason I carry it is as a safety device, so if I do get caught out & the wind picks up & I cannot paddle home against it, chuck the drogue out so I don't end up miles offshore.

 

[Triton]

I have never used a drogues but what I do occasionally is put out a rope with 8lb of lead attached it slows down the drift very slightly and also helps to stop the boat spinning when in lots of tide.

Its probably only slows the boat down by a 1knt if that but helps keep the boat facing the same way.

A drogue wont slow you down if it is used in fast tide only. They are mainly used to slow you down on windy days its to stop windage.

A cheap way to try this out is to just throw a bucket and rope over the side (make sure its attached) :muttley: or A traffic cone is also a good one if you want to see what a drogue will do for you before you spend any money on one.

 

[Sean Taylor]

I have used one on a 10 meter Southboat. They have minimal effect. They slow you down a little & point you into wind. We use to place ours over the side to keep the boat side on to the drift in akward winds, & it worked. Worst bit about them though is they are time consuming to retreave & deploy.

remember..... if you drag anything across the bottom Bass spook easy & DONOT like any form of noise.

Last tip. If you want to know the effect of a drogue look at sea survival books & equipment, especially liferafts as they are part of the kit.

 

[Stephen Olsen]

re drogues "wind anchor"

I have a drogue which I use when the wind is blowing at right angles to the current and my drift.Because a kayak is so light compared to a boat the wind has a huge effect on it.By using a drogue I can fish say a 45 degree drift accross the current compared to almost 90. Also when a slight current and stronger wind are opposing the wind can blow a kayak back up the drift so I use the droque and current to almost hold me back to the current speed.

I wouln't think it would be that great on a boat.But as somebody mentioned earlier in a emergency/storm conditions yachts use them to slow there drift down and keep the bows down wind.

Most sailing shops sell them,bought mine for +-£15

 

[Austen Goldsmith]

Using a drouge was the best thing I adopted this year ,Im using a 17 foot centre consul boat . Im angry with myself for not doing so years ago. For fly fishing in 20 foot or more in wind over 6 knots its essential unless you just want to back drift. Doing so lifts the fly up into twinkie pollack zone, casting at 60 or 90 degress to the the boat and stripping the fly has turned Pollack marks into bass marks for me, every reef has a sweet spot ond its nice to slow down on the critical section.

I have the wisdom of Silas and Gonzo to thank for that one and if you know those guys you know what they have achieved.

 

[Alex Jordan]

Justin uses one alot out of Chi Harbour - in fact 90% of the time ... most useful ...

 

[Nick Anthony]

I have just bought one from Cabelas in the US it has a weighted lower edge so deploys really easily and it has a collapsing cord and is excellent. Solid construction and it dries in no time.

It is a bit of a faff pulling it in but in 15 knts of wind it more than halves my drift speed. It has meant the difference between two fish in a drift rather than one. Most importantly it allows me to fish lures in a more controlled fashion

 

[Austen Goldsmith]

I set mine up so I can drive forward or backwards and the drouge collapses. When I stop it re inflates itself. obviously I cant turn the wheel hard or it would snag the prop. The ropes are set about 3 foot away from the stern and bow. I also use a stainless fast release clip in case of an emergency.

I use a whichwood boat drouge I picked up from a trout fishery

The drouge stabilses the boat when drifting in heavy chop . As I become more drouge savvy I use it closer and closer to snags and structure. I can deploy or retrieve the drouge pretty fast . Once you go over 17 knots you have to get that thing in the water fast

As for currents as mentioned by Mick all I can say is so far so good. Although Im not dealing with the kind of flow that you get on Jersey

 

[Retired]

Austen,

Thanks for your input. Just thinking about a couple of basic scenarios.

1. Easterly wind 10 knots, easterly current of 3knots (tide plus additional current caused by displacement of water on a falling or rising tide). Will the drogue save the boat from moving at the extra speed caused by the wind?

2. Westerly wind 10 knots, easterly current 3knots (tide etc as above). Would a drogue cause the boat to travel with the tide against the wind?

Also, a quick release was mentioned. Have you ever had to use it in the interests of safety? Do you buoy the line(s) near the boat to to make recovery possible.

Have you ever had the boat stopped by say a pot rope and had the drogue continue to pull the boat?

Has anyone considered using a deadweight instead of a drogue?

 

[Austen Goldsmith]

Austen,

Thanks for your input. Just thinking about a couple of basic scenarios.

1. Easterly wind 10 knots, easterly current of 3knots (tide plus additional current caused by displacement of water on a falling or rising tide). Will the drogue save the boat from moving at the extra speed caused by the wind?

2. Westerly wind 10 knots, easterly current 3knots (tide etc as above). Would a drogue cause the boat to travel with the tide against the wind?

Also, a quick release was mentioned. Have you ever had to use it in the interests of safety? Do you buoy the line(s) near the boat to to make recovery possible.

Have you ever had the boat stopped by say a pot rope and had the drogue continue to pull the boat?

Has anyone considered using a deadweight instead of a drogue?

Austen,

Thanks for your input. Just thinking about a couple of basic scenarios.

1. Easterly wind 10 knots, easterly current of 3knots (tide plus additional current caused by displacement of water on a falling or rising tide). Will the drogue save the boat from moving at the extra speed caused by the wind?


I think the drouge will still control your drift





2. Westerly wind 10 knots, easterly current 3knots (tide etc as above). Would a drogue cause the boat to travel with the tide against the wind?

Not sure . The drouge would feel lighter when you pull against it. I recon it would still control your drift, be it at a lesser rate. If the tide pushes reall hard against the current then I dont need the drouge . Although It still helps to prevent the boat spinning around

Also, a quick release was mentioned. Have you ever had to use it in the interests of safety? Do you buoy the line(s) near the boat to to make recovery possible.

Have you ever had the boat stopped by say a pot rope and had the drogue continue to pull the boat?


Yes I have snagged up on the top of a couple of reefs and pot lines. I just unclip one end and then the drouge deflates. you can then can pull it free on one rope. You have to use common sense and think saftey all the time on a boat and when using a drouge likewise. If you think it will be dangerous to deploy the drouge then follow your instincts. I dont doubt that sometime in the future I will have to leave a drouge stuck to a reef.


Has anyone considered using a deadweight instead of a drogue?



I dont like the idea of dragging a weight accross the bottom and damaging place I love to fish.

 

[Austen Goldsmith]

I should add that when I use the drouge in heavy chop the motion of the boat tends to make the drouge bellow and puff and that can be a pain in the butt. The drouge does not work so well in that case senario. But I would be drifting faster than I can fish without it

 

[Mark W]

In suitable conditions I use a drogue all the time now both on my Yak and in my boat although my boat is small, lightweight and with a shallow draft so very susceptible to wind (13' Bonwitco). I use the Wychwood para drogue which I had from my reservoir trout fishing days. I agree re the safety issue that it is essential you rig so that you can unclip quickly if you catch a snag particularly in the yak.

I've lost big trout in drogues fly fishing in the past but that is usually due to one of the spare fly hooks on the droppers catching the ropes and so far I have been lucky at sea.