Setups for drift fishing?

[Lively1]

I am not a troller; I usually fish out of a small alum boat or my canoe, on Keuka.  I've learned to jig for lakers, and it works.  But when the wind starts up, it becomes challenging to hold in position for vertical jigging. 

 

My question is this - is there a set up to try when the wind makes jigging unmanageable?  (not blowing 15-20 MPH mind you - I'll be off the lake - but maybe 3 - 10 MPH wind?)

 

- I've heard about casting a heavy spoon downwind and letting it sink while you catch up to it..

- what about drifting with a dipsey diver & spoon or plug? 

- copper line with spoon?

- three-way bottom rig with a sawbelly or gob of salmon skein?

 

I'm making a drogue to hopefully slow down or stop the drift.. but haven't been able to try it yet. 

 

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Another newbie question - roughly when does the lake turn over in the fall, so you can start catching trout near the surface ?  Columbus Day?  Thanksgiving?

 

Thanks..

 

 

[jonboat]

I use drift socks, but dragging a 5 gallon bucket on the end of a rope will slow you down a bunch on the cheap. If it's not windy enough to drive you off the lake and you can slow your drift, you can probably continue to jig. You might want to take a page out of the walleye playbook, and you touched on it mentioning a sppon downwind.  Use a jig (heavy, of course) and cast down-wind and let it sink. work it on the bottom until it's almost under you then reel up and repeat. This will keep your jig in a small area along the bottom, almos like stationary jigging.

[bob3567]

Typically I switch over to bait and just use a 1 or 2 oz sinker below the alwive about 16".  I attach a cheap foot meter to the pole and try and put the bait were I mark hooks on my ff.  Seams to work well.  If the wind is over 10 and almost 15 I set out the socks to help slow the drift down.  I run 2 socks.  One off the nose the other off the bow so the boat keeps sideways and gives me more room to drift lines.  ON a side note.  With the boat moving at a good speed.  Dead alwives work well also.  What I do is use my cut bait rigs and pin a alwive.  Gives the dead bait a nice slow roll.