Sea Anchors

[Squid1962]

Does anyone have any experience using a sea anchor to reduce drift.

 

[Hookup1]

I use a 12' ParaTech sea anchor for sailfishing in the Keys during the winter. Learned from one of the Miami charters. Worked so well I ordered one while I was still out fishing with them!

https://seaanchor.com/sea-anchor/

 

[SkunkBoat]

I have one. Used it a couple times. It gets in the way. Your crew needs to know how to deal with it.
I see its usefullness drifting in the wind but I usually just call it a day or switch to trolling.

 

[Ky Grady]

I have 8 of them, 4 pairs, different sizes. Use to slow my drift down depending on the wind.

 

[Sardinia306Bimini]

I use a funnel style sea anchor/drogue regularly while very deep deep dropping and it does the trick, but not very well but most likely because it^s a cheap one.
As I fish alone the use can be annoying, but having the line in the right length that I can pull it in from the console solves the problem to go to the bow to recover it. I use it from the bow cleat to turn the boat in the wind instead that my boat drifts beam wards and it works reasonable well, but don't turn the bow fully in wind direction.
A bigger and better parachute design sea anchor/drogue may work better, but they are considerable more expensive but I may pull the trigger for a better model.
How much it reduces drift speed depend on several factors:
sea anchor / drogues size and shape
wind and drift direction and speed
position where drogue is attached to the boat (stern or transom)

Chris

 

[Fishtales]

Used one once. As stated above, you need an experienced hand with them and when using you need to keep an eye on other boaters.

 

[luckydude]

I have a couple of military surplus parachutes, about 5 feet across. They work way better than the sea anchor/sock things. Cheap as well, I think $25 or so.

Like others have said, you have to know what you are doing to use them. That said, I'm no genius and I figured it out. Play around, I find them useful when rock fishing and the wind wants to blow you off the reef.

 

[Hookup1]

I use a 12' ParaTech sea anchor for sailfishing in the Keys during the winter. Learned from one of the Miami charters. Worked so well I ordered one while I was still out fishing with them!

https://seaanchor.com/sea-anchor/

When sailfishing with a kite you have to keep the bow into the wind. You can try to do it with the motors but I find it impossible. Look away for a few seconds and you are turned around. And usually I'm shorthanded. The sea anchor has made it possible to kite fish on my boat. Deploy it and walk to the back of the boat and fish.

I have a 3/4" line 25' long that I shackle to the bow eye when I first get to the Keys in the winter. The other end has a quick release clip on it. This clips to the large shackle on the sea anchor. The retrieve line from the sea anchor clips to a 12" orange ball with a ring on it. The ring attaches to 30' of 3/8" polly line.

It's quick and easy to assemble. When ready to deploy turn boat into the wind, drop over the side and back the boat up and away. The sea anchor deploys without any intervention and the boat comes tight. To retrieve pull in the polly line and bring sea anchor in. If I'm not on a fish I repack the sea anchor right then - also quick and easy. A little wet but water is usually in the upper 70's.

After the initial hookup we try to get a double for a little while then pull the lines and the sea anchor. Optionally leave the kite up. We chase the fish with the bow for the release. We have tried to fight fish with everything out but frequently they go to the front of the boat into the current and get into the sea anchor.

Not inexpensive though. My 12' ParaTech is $600 from Defender. List is $749. For me it's worth every penny.

 

[Sardinia306Bimini]

Honestly I don't see particular problems to use a drogue, but never used the parachute type what has probably more lines what may tangle.

A drogue need two lines:
1st from the boat to the open part of the funnel (drogue line)
2nd from the boat to the end of the funnel (recovery line) to retrieve the drogue and a bit longer than the first one

Prepare the drogue and lines to be clear and let it slide with the end first in the water
drive backwards or just wait till drogue opens and drogue line become tight, recovery line must have slack
If current and drift is wired you may have to wiggle a bit the drogue line to make her open
to retrieve it, retrieve the recovery line and the drogue will collapse and comes towards and in the boat easily
Yes you will probably get a bit wet

On the first use you have to experiment with line length on your boat,
too short will pull the drogue out of the water
too long is not needed, my deployed drogue is about 20 ft side of my boat

Instead of attaching the recovery line to the bow, attache it to mid ship cleat and you can recover it and throw her midship on the floor without going to the bow.

Chris

 

[SkunkBoat]

When sailfishing with a kite you have to keep the bow into the wind. You can try to do it with the motors but I find it impossible. Look away for a few seconds and you are turned around. And usually I'm shorthanded. The sea anchor has made it possible to kite fish on my boat. Deploy it and walk to the back of the boat and fish.

Yep absolutely great for kite fishing because the kites keep lines up high and downwind of transom and sock is off the bow. I don't kite fish here in NJ. (nobody does)
Tried using for slowing a fluke drift (bottom) and a striper drift (live down baits).
In that case the sock is in the way of the baits. We found we would rather use more lead and forget the sock.
But there are fluke guys that swear by them...