Chapter 8 - How To Drift-Fish

We had spent most of the morning cruising around in my friend's 22-ft. boat, searching for bluefish. We were off Rockaway Point, New York, where schools of small blue-fish had been seen a couple of days earlier. My friend, Jack, suddenly pointed inshore and yelled, "Look—birds working!" I peered toward the spot and saw a big flock of gulls wheeling and diving about a half a mile away. Jack pulled on the gas throttle and the boat shot forward at full speed.

As we neared the area I could see terns diving into the flat, glassy water, and every so often I could see a swirl or splash that indicated a feeding fish. I rigged up a couple of rods after trolling, with a spoon on one and a rubber-tube lure on the other. I let the two lines out behind the boat, and we slowed down to trolling speed as we neared the edge of the feeding school of fish.

I could now see that there was a big school of fish because the swirls and breaks covered an area of several acres. When the boat reached the first few feeding fish we started to troll along the edge of the school. A minute later one of the rods dipped and the click on the reel started to screech. I grabbed the rod and could feel a fish fighting on the end. Then the other rod bent into an arc and I yelled to Jack, "Grab the other rod! There's another fish on!" Jack stopped the boat and took the other rod out of the holder. We had a hectic time keeping the two lines from fouling but managed to land two bluefish, each about 3 or 4 lbs.

By this time we were surrounded by other boats trolling through the school, and most of the fish had disappeared. The commotion had driven them into deeper water. Then we saw birds working again a few hundred feet away. We raced toward the scene and started to troll again. We picked up another bluefish before the other boats arrived and scared the fish away again.

Now I took out my light salt-water spinning outfit and attached a surface popping plug to- the end of the leader. Jack rigged up a similar outfit and we started searching for the bluefish again. We saw the birds working in the distance and sped toward the spot as fast as possible.

"Let's try drifting this time. Run the boat up to the edge of the school of fish and cut the motor," I suggested to Jack. He did exactly as recommended, and when the boat stopped and started to drift slowly with the tide we could see bluefish breaking all around us; some of them only about 20 ft. from the boat.

I cast out the small popping plug and started to work it back toward the boat. I reeled and jerked it so that it threw a big splash. Almost immediately there was a swirl behind it, but the fish missed the lure. However, a second later it came back, grabbed it, splashed around the surface and then ran all over the place. On the light salt-water spinning rod it put up a much better scrap than it would have on the heavier trolling rod. Finally, I got it close to the boat and Jack netted it. It was another bluefish—about 3 lbs. in weight.

Then Jack hooked a fish on his light rod as the boat drifted through the feeding fish. Unlike the notice they would have taken of a trolling boat, the feeding fish paid little attention to the slowly drifting boat, and we had a half hour of fast action before the fish went down. We soon found another school and repeated the procedure over and over until we had caught a dozen blues and one bonito.

Similarly, on many other occasions I have found that when a trolling boat scares fish away, it is wise to resort to drifting. This is especially true when fish are feeding on the surface in clear, flat, calm water. At such times a trolling boat will often put them down. But a boat drifting quietly through the school rarely frightens the feeding fish.

The art of drift-fishing is not as well-known as trolling or fishing from an anchored boat. Of course, party boats which seek certain bottom fish often drift for these fish. Among these are the boats seeking fluke or summer flounder on the East Coast and the California halibut party boats on the West Coast. The so-called "drift" party boats in Florida waters also do a lot of drift-fishing for groupers, snappers, grunts and similar fish.

However, anglers fishing from private craft or rented skiffs tend to overlook drift-fishing. They know that fluke or summer flounder are usually caught by drifting, but they rarely try this method on other fish. Yet it has been my experience that almost every kind of bottom fish that swims can be taken by drift-fishing.

Drift-fishing offers several advantages over fishing at anchor. First, of course, you cover more territory. As the boat moves along, the baited hook follows and is seen by more fish than if it is left in one place. Second, a moving bait attracts more fish than one which lies on the bottom, where it often gets buried in seaweed and sand or falls into a crevice. Third, a moving bait seems to attract larger fish than a stationary one. Small bottom fish tend to congregate in compact schools around stationary bait and either steal it or get caught. But a moving bait is often overtaken only by the larger members of most species. It also attracts more so-called true game fish than a stationary one. Last, but not least, drift-fishing eliminates the necessity of dropping an anchor and then hauling it up again.

Party boats drift for many fish while the anglers line up on one side of the boat.

The fact that your bait is always moving into a new area while drift-fishing also works in your favor in another way. When you anchor you may attract a few fish to your bait, but after you catch a few fish and miss others, the remaining ones often become suspicious. Then it's difficult to make them bite. But when you are drifting you are continually showing your bait to new fish which haven't been alerted.

Drift-fishing is most productive for bottom fish when there are large areas such as banks, sand or rock bars, reefs, mussel beds, oyster beds, and etc., where fish are dispersed over a wide area. This is often the case when you seek such species as fluke or summer flounder, halibut, cod, haddock, sea bass, porgies, snappers, groupers, grunts and croakers which often tend to disperse themselves over a broad area.

Drift-fishing is less productive with species which tend to congregate around sunken wrecks, rock piles, holes or other obstructions which do not cover a wide area. However, you can often locate such spots while drifting and then anchor there to fish.

Best results are obtained in drift-fishing when there is a light or moderate wind or tide. The boat should move steadily—not too slow or too fast. If there is no wind and the tide is weak, the boat stays almost in one place. If there is a strong wind or tide, the boat moves too fast and it's difficult to keep your sinker and bait on the bottom. I remember on one occasion while I was drifting for fluke off New Jersey the wind was about 25 m.p.h. We moved so fast that the sinker was off the bottom most of the time. We tried dropping the anchor to slow down the drift, but one anchor wasn't enough. So we dropped another anchor, and with both anchors dragging we slowed down enough to catch a mess of fluke.

There's a certain knack to hooking fish while drifting. Some species will grab a bait and get hooked without any effort on the angler's part. But most of the time, when you feel a bite you should let out slack line and give the fish a few seconds to swallow the bait. When using a conventional-type reel, you should keep it in free spool so that you can let out line in a split second. With a spinning reel the bail should be opened, for the same reason.

On a slow drift in deep water you can often keep the sinker bouncing under the boat. If the water is shallow or the wind or tide fairly strong, you should let out more slack line so that the sinker and bait move some distance behind the boat.

Florida has many fish, like this grouper, for drift fishermen (or fisherwomen).

In recent years party boats and private boats fishing for bluefish have found that they can take these fish while drifting and chumming with ground bunker or menhaden. You can also drift and chum for such fish as mackerel, bonito and false albacore. Here it is usually best if the boat moves sideways with the wind and tide and the hook, baited with a piece of butterfish, menhaden or a small bait fish, is let out in the chum slick without a sinker.

My favorite method of drift-fishing is to cast into a school of fish with a light spinning outfit. In this case, of course, you have to locate a school feeding on top and then cast a lure into it. This can be done with most species which feed on top and chase bait fish. Such fish as bluefish, weakfish, striped bass, channel bass, bonito, snook and tarpon can often be caught this way. Naturally, the type of tackle you use will depend on the size of the fish. Light spin outfits are used for small fish, while surf squidding or popping sticks can be used for larger fish such as striped bass, channel bass, tarpon and school tuna.

One of the easiest ways to fish a bonefish flat in the Florida Keys is by drifting. You merely run your outboard boat up on a flat during the incoming tide and let the wind or tide move you slowly until you spot a bonefish. Then you cast a buck tail jig or other bonefish lure in front of the fish. It's a lot less work than poling the boat or wading a flat.

Casting while drifting also produces fish on many occasions when they are down deep. Here you use a jig such as the buck tail type or a chrome-plated diamond jig. If the water isn't too deep and if the tide and wind are not too strong, you merely let the jig down to the bottom under the boat. When you feel it hit bottom you start jigging the lure up and down as the boat drifts slowly. If the wind or tide is strong try casting the jig ahead of the moving boat to allow slack line to develop. This permits the lure to sink toward the bottom. A light spinning outfit with an 8- or 10-lb. test line is best for such fishing.

One of the best ways to catch that big tarpon in Florida is to drift with live bait fish such as mullet, pinfish or catfish. This can be done by attaching a cork float about 10 ft. above the hook and letting it out in the current. For best results, your boat should stay some distance away from the cork float.

At Boca Grande Pass and Captiva Pass on Florida's west coast they drift for tarpon using a blue crab for bait and tie a sinker weighing anywhere from 3 to 8 oz. about 8 ft. above the hook. This sinker is tied on with light line so that it breaks off the line when the tarpon first leaps.

At Bahia Honda in the Florida Keys the tarpon fishermen drift with the tide toward the bridge and cast plugs or spoons into schools of rolling tarpon. This, of course, can also be done in other areas where tarpon are showing on top.

If you want to catch a big amberjack in Florida waters try drifting over the reefs with a live mullet, grunt, pinfish, snapper or blue runner on the hook. Here it's a good idea to chum with ground fish or pieces of fish to attract the amber-jack. When they are sighted or believed to be in the area you let out the live bait fish about 40 or 50 ft. behnd the boat as it drifts along. If you try this sort of fishing use sturdy tackle and fairly heavy lines. Amberjack are tough scrappers and are difficult to hold on light tackle.

Some eye-opening catches of big striped bass have also been made by the live-bait drift-fishing method. Capt. Dick Lema of Galilee, Rhode Island, fishes this way on his charter boat with live eels and mostly at night. The eels are drifted naturally over rocks and reefs, where big striped bass are known to lie in wait for such tidbits. The angler casts the live eel, hooked through the jaw, about 50 feet from the boat and lets out slack line. When he feels the eel stop or move away very fast he feeds some more slack line. Then, a few seconds later, he reels up the slack line, and when it tightens he comes back with the rod to set the hook. Most of the stripers hooked by this drifting method run from 30 to 60 lbs. in weight.

Rig "A" is popular with drift fishermen seeking tarpon. When a tarpon jumps, the sinker comes off. Rig "B" is for bottom drifting over rocky areas. If the sinker gets caught it breaks off.

Drift-fishing practiced in deeper offshore waters also accounts for big-game fish at times. When sail fishing, for example, if the fish aren't showing or refuse to take a trolled bait, try drifting with a live blue runner. At first, you can try letting the blue runner down to about 10 or 12 feet below the surface. If this fails you let your bait fish swim down to 40 or 50 feet below the surface.

Tuna fishermen also know that drifting often catches big tuna when anchoring or trolling fail to produce. Here, a live whiting, a mackerel or a herring can be used with or without a float. Drifting for giant tuna is mostly practiced when the tide is slack or not too strong. In shallow waters inshore, a cork or small balloon can be attached above the leader to keep the bait near the surface. In deeper offshore waters the cork is not used to permit the bait to go down until you find the proper depth.

Catches of big-game fish such as giant tuna, marlin, sword-fish and sharks have been made via the drifting method in very deep water. Commercial fishermen off Cuba and Peru have caught some huge marlin and swordfish by drift-fishing with hand lines. Big-eye tuna of the Pacific are also caught by drifting with fish baits at depths of from 100 to 300 feet. These fish rarely come to the surface, so deep drifting is best for them.

In fact, many big game fish, such as swordfish and marlin, are believed to feed more often well below the surface than on top. When swordfish are found on the surface they are rarely feeding but usually resting. Their stomachs are often full and they aren't too interested in additional food, so it's difficult to make them strike. Also, sword fishing on the surface requires calm water conditions because these fish are sighted first before the bait is put out.

Generally, the big-game angler who resorts to deep drifting stands an excellent chance of hooking a big fish in the deeper offshore waters. He also spends more time actually fishing and less time cruising around, burning up gas and straining his eyes for signs of fish. He can also fish on days when the water is too choppy or rough for sighting the fins of swordfish or marlin.

All in all, drift-fishing is a versatile and deadly method for almost all kinds of salt-water game fish. Try it as often as possible this coming fishing season. If you're like me you'll spend more and more time drift-fishing and less and less time fishing at anchor or trolling.

Are You Ready To Move Onto The Next Lesson? Click Here...