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How to Drift Fish

Drift fishing requires some weight to get the bait down, but the motion of the boat moves the bait through the water slowly. You can also drift a bait under a bobber or popping cork.

Drift Fishing

Knowing how to drift fish allows you to fish over a variety of habitats as your boat drifts with the currents or wind movement. Your drift fishing rig can be setup to enjoy fishing on the bottom or at any selected depth if your drift fishing setup includes a bobber or float.

When it comes to selecting drifting bait, natural baits work best, but jigs, lures and artificial flies produce good results, too. Once you learn how to fish with this method, you’ll be able to drift fish on ponds, lakes, rivers and streams any time of the day and year.

How to Drift Fish: Basics

Both live and cut baits can be drifted with a weight on your line to keep it near the bottom, or suspended beneath a bobber or popping cork.
The difference between drifting a bait and bottom fishing is motion.

Those are just some of the drift fishing basics. Learn more about how to drift fish and other fishing techniques using live bait in our next section.

How to Drift Fish

Drift Fishing

How to Drift Fish: Basics

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