Drift Socks???

[crappace]

I received a Wave Tamer 40" for Christmas and I am wondering if it is the one for MN conditions and my boat. I have a Crestliner FH 1750 with a 60 merc tiller that doesnt troll down quite enough. I will be throwing it off the front of the boat and back trolling.

What socks do you guys like for this type of use??

Thanks

[gunflint]

I don't use mine for back trolling but it seems to me that a 40 incher for a 17' boat may be a little small. You might want to exchange it for a 50 to 60 inch sock. Of course, if you don't plan on doing any drifting with it then it might work fine as a back trolling brake.

[HARPOON-OR-BUST]

I think that sock will work great for your boat. It is a good all around size. When backtroling I don't think I would of gotten a different size for that boat. You don't want it 2 big that you have to rev the motor to get the boat to the speed you are working the bait when in minimal wind conditions. I personally use the cabelas advanced angler socks. The one I use the most for my boat (2025 pro-v) is the 44 or 48" that one is recommended for 16-22 ft boats and that one seems to perform the best for me most of the time. Sure there are days with 5 footers when its not enough but then I will use 2 of them and the kicker motor rather that one large one. Some socks are designed different so the inch rating that they give can be deceiving so remember to check your particular brand and what they rate it for. Some days if it is close to trolling down where you want it in a particular situation but not quite you can always trim the motor up to cut some speed.

[hitthebricks]

Crappace,When I had my 17 ft alumacraft competitor w/out a windsheild, I had a 60" wave tamer and it was big enough most of the time. Now I'm looking for a 9' drift sock for a 20 ft boat because the 60" isn't even close in a stiff wind , remember, bigger is better. HTB

[HARPOON-OR-BUST]

9'!!? you must be talking on different terms here. It would depend on his fishing style but bigger isn't always better, when it comes to the drift sock.

[crappace]

Can some brands be partially collapsed to make them fish like a smaller sock?

[HARPOON-OR-BUST]

Not that i know of

[End of the Line]

If you use it alot mostly for trolling you may find it might not last long. If that's the case, go to a local canvas shop and have them build you one from a heavy vinyl for trolling and leave the drift sock for drifting.