Drift Chute

Do many of you use drift chutes?  If so, what size?  Are there any local places where I can buy one?

18" bought on Ebay.

(or support our local NCKA dealers!) 

Which are the NCKA dealers that sell them?

We can get them, but to be honest I never use one...don't even own onefor myself!

Drift chutes are suppose to be quite good for situations like fishing for halibut where you may want to cover large areas of water by drifting but at a slower rate than dictated by the current or wind.  I have one but haven't used it much, primarily because I haven't fished for halibut that much.

If Sean didn't want to order a one time thing, you can get them from Hook 1 (online) or from marine supply places like Boater's World or West Marine.  I would recommend you get the type that is made from the light weight material such as the one at Hook 1 or the one made by Minn Kota, the Trolling Motor company, (Black and Yellow, very well made) which is the one I have.  These allow you to role them up tightly and stow easily without taking up much room.  The other type (I think the kind Boater's world carries) is made of a heavier, almost vinyl-like material that is stiff and much more bulky to stow; so I wouldn't recommend these.

I was just down in Baja where the wind can be a real issue, and I used my drift chute for the first time.  It worked great and I'm going to strart using it more regularly.  It really slows down your drift.  There's someone on ebay that seems to making a business out of selling them at (i think) good prices.  My mistake was that I bought the one billed for kayaks (18"), which I think is too small.  The 24" would be better.  However, I'm not sure if the bigger one is made out of the same light material as the one billed for kayaks.

When the wind picks up BIG time it will definitely let you keep fishing by slowing your drift. On Dennis Spike's Kayak Fishing video he shows a great technique for using a drift chute incorporating a bowline. I have done this and it really works great.

Thanks for all of the info so far. 

The reason I ask is that last week when I was out at Lake McSwain, I've only been into freshwater so far, I was drifting pretty quickly in some areas which made it pretty easy to troll without having to really worry about paddling but it made it a bit difficult to cast into some areas to work the kastmaster because I'd pass by too quickly.

After a bit more thought I think that there was a bit of current in the water and not so much wind.  Because of this the chute may not have helped anyway right?

Angel

A driftchute off the bow will let you fish when you otherwise might not be able to do so.

scwafish has his choice of days and spots,and it's true that if you choose your spot wisely,
you don't need one.

But if you have limited fishing days, it can mean fishing vs. not fishing.

A drift chute will do no good in the current. It works by creating drag in the water because your kayak is moving faster than the water. If it is moving at the same pace then it is pointless to use the chute.