It has been called many things. The "Run And Gun", "Shoot And Scoot", "Drag The Bottom", and a few others I dare not mention here. Whatever it happens to be called when you hear it, the technique is the same.

The reason we often use this fishing technique in bays or other areas where there is a good current flow or movement, is to keep our baits near the bottom for the longest duration of time. If you are kayak fishing for species such as sand bass, halibuts or other species that stay close to the bottom, your bait being 10 feet off the bottom can greatly reduce your chances of getting bit. One of the problems we face when fishing off a personal watercraft is being a slave to the current flow. We need to learn how to make the current flow and water movement work for us, and this is one way we accomplish this.

For equipment I like an 8-15lb setup with a bait casting reel that holds a few hundred yards of line on it. Something like an Ambassador works well. You don't need an expensive reel with all the bearings for this type of fishing, as you usually aren't trying to cast any distance. The main things is to have a smooth drag. I like using a rod with a medium action to it. For baits, I like using plastics, though squid strips can work quite well also. I use four or five inch swim baits, or the larger grubs. Lead heads range from 3/4 oz to 1 1/2 oz dependent on depth and current speed. If I have some, I'll spool on some low stretch line because of the amount of line I usually have out.

One piece if equipment for your watercraft which comes in very useful for this type of fishing is a drift chute. How does it help? Say I am fishing an outgoing tide. My kayak will tend to turn sideways while I'm drifting, which I'm trying to reduce or eliminate. When I have my drift chute off the bow, the chute creates a drag, and is pulling my bow towards it. My stern is pointed the direction I'm drifting, the bow following behind it because of the drag it has to overcome. The drag chute keeps my kayak orientated correctly so I can concentrate on fishing and not having to constantly make course corrections. When drift fishing offshore, or where there is a breeze blowing you sideways, or opposite to current flow, they can be indispensable.

The rig for this technique is simple. You tie on an appropriate sized lead head on your line, and thread a swim bait or grub body to it. That's all there is to it.

Next, is getting the drift zone setup. You observe which way the current is going, and pick an area of a few hundred yards long you like to drift through. You go to the front of the drift you've decided on, and let your bait down until it contacts the bottom. You keep letting line out as your drifting so your bait stays about where it hit bottom at. I keep very light thumb pressure on the side of the spool just in case it gets picked up, and a fish starts to run with it. I keep drifting letting line out until I have the last two or three wraps on the spool. Then I put the reel in gear, and wind the line in. Either a steady retrieve, or three or five cranks on the handle, then pull rod tip back like your using a plastic worm. Vary the retrieve if your not getting bit. Some days one works better than the other.

When your winding in your line, and it gets real heavy, chances are you have a fish on. I keep winding aggressively because if the fish starts swimming towards me, I'll always have a tight line on it. If I get fish on a drift, I'll setup another drift through the same zone. If you're drifting through an area that has bottom structure, you may get hung up a few times, but you may also stand a better chance of getting some fish as you drift though also. Even fish that don't school will group in an area. Bass and halibut are known for this.

Hope this helps... PerryC