Rockfishing-Keeping bait on the bottom

I had a heck of a time today with my kayak drifting fast because of the wind. I couldn't keep my bait on the bottom.  Is this normally a problem if there isn't heavy wind?  If so how do you slow your drift?  I was using 20 lb mono with 3 1/2 oz megabaits and 4 oz leadheads with plastics.  I ended up puting my rod in the holder and paddling into the wind to stop my drift.  I would rather be able to hold on to my rod and jig.

Get a drift chute... makes a huge difference.   I also pack some 6 oz jigs and up to 8 oz diamond jigs in case the drift is fast.

Funny, I built my drift chute after being blown off the water at fort ross too.  It really hurts to have to pack it in dispite being able to still catch fish in the rare moments you can get to the bottom.

Go to a hardware store (ace is better than the home improvement places for hardware) and pick up some bungie cord (5/8") and a large brass clip for the end.  I like about 6' of bungie.  Tie the clip to one end and tie the other in a 4" surgeons loop.   You can attach your anchor line, drift chute line, or kelp stalks to the bungie and it'll hold well and absorb the shock of waves and buffeting winds.  You can unclip it quickly if needed.  It really sucks to get a hook out of a bungie cord, so watch it with lures with treble hooks - they're the worst offenders.

Ace also has rubber stoppers up to 3" for $2 or less.  That's the mother-lode of heavy duty scupper plugs.  I think I also saw nylon deck loops and appropriate looking aluminum rivets.  The back corner of ace by the rope and rigging is like a mini kayak-mart...

It's good to get a bunch of smaller brass clips to make a bunch of gear leashes.  Rods, paddle, everything should be leashed.  I know of 2 kayaks that rolled offshore, and countless incidents in the surf where gear was lost.  If you love it, leash it, and still steel yourself for it's eventual demise.

Is there anywhere locally where I can buy a good drift chute, or an I going to have to order it from one of the kayak fishing sites?

I have a drift shute, but I have yet to use it.  
I have kelp anchors on either side of my kayak.  I grab a bite on a length of kelp and stay in the spot until I am ready to go.
I made them myself.  They consist of two small loops. One is larksfooted around a grab handle on my boat.  The other is used to actually grab the kelp and then secure the end to the boat.  
Pat

You can probably find a drift chute at a good sporting goods store... Outdoor Pro Shop in Rohnert Park has them... stores like West marine probalby have them too...  boats use them too, so they're out there if you look.

Erik

I have never used a chute, but they supposedly work well.  The deeper/or windier you fish, the harder to get a good drift.  The windier/or deeper use all metal jigs (like a megabait or diamond jig) with thin line and it stays down much better than a plastic and jighead on heavy mono.  Metal jigs on Spectra cut like a cheese knife, always easy to get a good drift.  


Plastics are tough to fish beyond 50-60 feet even in mellow weather, there is just too much drag and they always starts to kite.  Join us at Caspar and I can show you what I do.

I cut pie shaped pieces out of a tarp and crudely stitched them together with 50lb mono and a bait threader.  Works well, although it's kinda bulky.

I find that using a drift anchor, the wind becomes much less of an issue, you don't go in until you feel like going in - not because you were blown off the water.  Granted whitecaps going over the gunwhales might make you feel like going in...

It's also a good piece of safety equipment.  Say you lose your paddle and are being blown offshore/laterally, you can deploy the drift chute and be within a few miles of where you launched for the searchers, vs 20+ miles away if you were blown by the wind all night.

I too made my chute ala Josh's instructions... it's a huge chute but works very well... once it breaks I'll buy a new one.

Erik

Thanks guys!  I think I am going to get some heavier megabaits.

You can make one real cheap out of some old marine bimini top material or marine vinyl. Up in rancho cordova you should be able to find one of the boat supply stores that carry the materials and can probably make you one. Also you can go to fisherman's wharehouse and get the small one!

-Brian

If you have a few bucks to spend on a chute, here's one on E-bay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=36123&item=7168353077&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW

I bought mine from these folks and they were great to deal with.


Randy

I'm pretty new to the sport but I borrowed brendan crahan's on an early
guided trip. I bought my own and have used it quite a bit since then.
I toss it out on almost any wind, it steadies the kayak and makes the
drift nice and even. I set it up so that the bow is pointing into the waves
and sit backwards on my boat (usually facing shore) during the drift with all my stuff in the tank well in front of me. (I don't have a kayak seat).
if it gets pulled up over the kelp, you can really feel the boat pick up speed in the wind. One day I went out for fun in the whitecaps and
other than having to use a lot of weight, I did catch fish and except for a really infrequent smack from a big wave, it was all pretty workable.
In fact it was really pretty fun. I bought mine at fisherman's warehouse,
since a small chute for a regular small boat works for a kayak.

Cabella has drift chutes. Get a bigger one than you think you need and make sure to attach something that floats to the line or chute. I've lost one because sthe line was loose, plus it could be nice to unclip and let it drift at times and be able to find it.

They fold up pretty small, so big is not a problem. If you rig it  to clip in front of you from the side you can hold your rod with one hand and pull the chute in with the other ( I only let it out a few feet). Wait till the fish nears the top to pull the chute in, then you won't have as far to paddle back into the wind to your fishing spot.

I recently bought a drift chute from Kayak Connection in Santa Cruz.  Used it several times and I'm very satisfied how well it works.  Last week when I was out there were white caps, a sail boat broke its boom due to the wind, and I had the drift chute deployed.  My line was almost vertical in 50 feet of water with 4 oz weight.
Rich