# Drogue - Who's USed One?



## AdrianK (May 30, 2006)

Fishing with a mate on Friday - me from something 13' he from something like 10' or less - we were drifting over a good bite, and noticed that I persistently drifted at least twice as fast as he did, with the wind.
Makes me wonder about utility of a sea anchor/drogue for slowing down the drift?
How affective are they?
Easy to deploy and draw back in?
Limitations?
Suggestions on where to get one, and roughly how much $$. (I have a new Prowler 13 if this is relevant)

Appreciate any thoughts,
Adrian


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## Gunston (May 10, 2006)

Hi Adrian
I have a cone shaped one and it seems pretty good , Dodge put me onto it. I picked mine up from Whitworths for about $23. It's not worth making one yourself as it would probably cost more.
Milan like the parachute shaped ones better, but he was talking about using it from a boat.
From a yak I think the cone one is all you need.

Regards
Chris


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## Peril (Sep 5, 2005)

I wouldn't be without mine. Enables me to fish territory in a moderate breeze that I would otherwise speed past.

Like the others, I use the Lazilas (sp?) drogue from Whitworths. I have an anchor trolley and an anchor rope with a snap, that I connect to the drogue or anchor as required. I use the drogue more often than the anchor - about 3:1


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## Davey G (Jan 15, 2006)

aaaarghh,, another line in the water to get snagged/tangled on??? 
:evil:

no thanks.. :? :roll:


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## Waka (Nov 3, 2005)

AdrianK,

Drogues are the biz esp. if fishing soft plastics or unfamiliar territory where you may need to cover some ground rather than sitting in the wrong spot with no bite.

I use mine at least 50% of the time and the frequency is increasing.

Mine is a cone shaped vinyl type and about $35 at the local marine chandlers.

Waka


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## DGax65 (Jun 7, 2006)

I have a cone-type drift chute. On windy days it slows my drift to a manageable rate. When fishing along the local kelp beds, the prevailing wind will quickly drive you into the kelp. I hate getting one or two good casts then having to paddle a couple of hundred yards back out of the kelp. The drift chute slows my drift enough to where I have plenty of time for fishing before I have to reposition. If I hook a larger fish that I want to tire out faster I can toss the drogue in the water. The kayak itself doesn't provide a whole lot of resistance. Using the drift chute can limit how far the fish will take you on the sleigh ride.
I have a U-bolt on either side of my rear tankwell to which I clip my drift chute main line. This allows me to adjust my drift attitude. I have a light line that attaches to the small end of the drogue and is clipped to an eyelet next to my seat. If I get hooked up or need to retrieve the drogue in a hurry, I pull in the light line which collapses the drogue and allows for an easy retrieve.


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## PhilipL (Apr 15, 2006)

Agree with all those who use one - indispensible. Bottom line is it keeps you there longer and helps control depth - fast drift = hard to get depth without really heavy weights = crap presentation. I also reckon it feels more stable in rough conditions with one out.

Yes its a bit messy the first few times you use one but hey, so is rigging in motion the first time. The cone shaped ones means you can pull it in easily from the back (pointy end), but I find with a kayak, you're so light that hauling it in is easy. Besides, the extra rope to the pointy end does get messed up easy.

I also have one of the orange cone shaped ones from whitworths but often find I'm still drifting too fast. They come in 2 sizes (3 if you count those small ones for a pfd) and I might invest in the larger one as well. A cheap alternative (or handy if you want to try before buying) is one of those "green" shopping bags or a blue ikea shopping bag. Sure they don't last as long, but at a $1 a pop?

PS. Dont forget the float for recovery if you ever need to let it go in a hurry


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## PeterJ (Aug 29, 2005)

Yep i use one. It's on a short rope about 3 mtrs and is easy to pull up if a big fish comes along.


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## Y-Knot (Sep 26, 2006)

make your own if your so inclined, cost me about $13 and took about 1/2 hour.
buy a yabbie net and remove the bottom ring
buy some shade cloth
fasion shadecloth into a cone shape with metal ring at top
stitch stitch stitch


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## vertigrator (Jul 25, 2006)

I too have a Prowler 13. Check out my anchor trolley and cone shaped sea anchor setup here: http://www.akff.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3247&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=45

They work brilliantly, slows you down to a nice slow drift even in a stiff wind. :wink:


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