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Drifter Fishing for Pike

Eric Edwards

Last year I caught the biggest pike I'm ever likely to see using a method I've been a fan of for years. That method is vane float or drifter fishing. I first started using the drifter around eight years ago after it had become popularised by Eddie Turner (though I'm sure he didn't invent the method). It pretty soon became obvious to me that here was something that can really give you an edge. It isn't a magic formula or a replacement for watercraft. Rather, the method will enhance those angling skills you already possess and bring even greater benefits. Thus while a poor angler's results will improve with the use of a drifter, a good angler will do proportionally better still.

The Principle
Many of you will be familiar with the method but I know a few won't so I'll outline it here. In any case, my own setup may be different from yours. Drifting involves the use of a float with a large plastic vane attached. The float catches the wind and thus tows the bait out, searching out the pike on the way. Drifter fishing differs from other forms of long range piking such as ballooning in that the bait is fishing effectively from the moment it hits the water. Thus if a fish is lying fifty yards out in fifteen feet of water, the drifter will present a bait to it even though it is intended ultimately to travel much further.

The rig need not be complicated, indeed, in a strong wind, a simple poly ball and a greased line will work perfectly well - though it will be hard to see at range. My drifters are built from a stainless steel stem a foot in length. The bottom of the stem is bent through 180o to form a loop and a large swivel slipped onto the loop before the loop is closed using a piece of plastic tubing which is forced over the loop from above. A large poly ball or a poly egg is slid onto the top of the stem and locked in place around 2/3 of the way up using sections of rubber tubing which fit tightly onto the stem. All that's really needed now is a vane. You can make this out of any old bit of plastic that's knocking about but the plastic should be as light as possible - the lid of an ice cream tub works well or if you're lazy, buy a vane. Make a hole in the vane using a paper punch (it needs to be a neat hole or it will tear) close to what will be the bottom edge and paint the vane either fluorescent orange or black. Both colours are very easy to see at range. Slide the stem through the hole and attach the drifter using an elastic band (or two for security). There you have it, you're ready to fish.

There is one other item which you may need to use with the drifter - a controller. The trouble is, it's quite difficult to keep the line floating when you're drifting and when it starts to sink, it tends to slow the float down a lot. Besides this, two hundred yards of sunk line is likely to snag up on any debris that's lying on the bottom of your lake - you only find out when you start to retrieve and you're snagged! The controller is designed to bring the line from the bottom of the drifter stem up to the surface where, if properly greased, it will remain. If the line is allowed to go direct to the bottom of the stem, this breaks the surface tension which keeps it afloat. Even with a greased line, once this surface tension is broken, the sunk portion of the line 'creeps' along, backwards from the float until it all goes down. The commonest type of controller consists of a length of stiff tubing around 12 - 15 inches in length with a small poly ball glued on it at one end. This works well enough but has two problems. One is that sometimes the tubing can get clogged with grease and doesn't slide up the line far enough. This can result in you fishing shallower than you intend. The other problem with tubing is that it can occasionally tangle with the line/float stem due to the float twisting in a blustery wind. I favour a piece of cane with an eye at each end and a piece of cork glued on near the upper end. This successfully avoids the two problems.

The line can look a bit like a washing line after threading on all the bits you need. In order, they should be; Float stop (or stop knot), bead, controller, bead, float, bead, drilled bullet(s), bead and trace. When livebaiting you should use an up-trace with the leads fixed at the bottom end of it. Very large shot (4 swan) are useful for this. Don't be tempted to fasten your lead on using a snap link. It seems like a good idea since you could change weights easily but a 'dangling' lead at this point often leads to tangles. Use a fairly substantial weight (an ounce) as this will both make the float stand up more, thereby catching more wind, and it will ensure that the bait stays deep and doesn't kite upwards in a big blow.

General Tackle
I have yet to try one of the new, buoyant, low diameter braids for drifting but I'm certainly going to give them a go this winter as they seem ideal for the job. The problem with drifting is that often, you are hitting your fish at extreme range. This means that there is considerable stretch in conventional mono and it is impossible to 'strike' as such. It therefore is irrelevant whether you are using a fast taper rod or a through action one since the technique is simply to reel hard and fast to set the hooks. Reels are a different matter though. You will need to be able to carry a lot of line (250yds+) and the spool has to be very robust. I've seen a couple of spools shatter after having two hundred yards of line wound onto them under pressure - one of them was mine and I had a nice double on at the time. Once again the use of low stretch lines is likely to help a great deal here since it is the stretch which causes the problem.

The Technique
Using the drifter is really quite simple once you've got it set up. Just find a stretch of bank where the wind is off your back and where there is a reasonable depth in front of you and lob it in. Remember to put a bait on first. Livebaits will work best but drifted deads will be far more productive than static baits. I always hook my baits head up the trace. This offers less resistance on the retrieve and in the case of a livebait, will probably prevent you from killing it while dragging it back from the far side of the lake. The line must be greased. I don't like to use the 'automatic' greasers on sale in the tackle shops as they cause a good deal of resistance and slow the float down. Far better is just to put a dab of grease on the spool just before you start each retrieve. I could go on for ages about the subtleties of the method but as far as the basics go, there's not much more to be said really. Except that, while drifting is dabbled in by many anglers, many are too lazy to give it a really good go. They may try it once or twice, fail and give up. As I said at the beginning, it isn't a magic method. Drifter fishing is a skill to be learned like any other. Only with practise will you get the best out of it, so make a start on your home waters. It helps a lot if you know the topography of the water to begin with.