Drift Fishing Gear – Must Have Gear For Anyone Who Likes To Drift Fish

As you are more than likely aware, we at JRWfishing love to drift fish, and in this post we are going to outline all of the drift fishing gear that a person needs to successfully implement this incredibly effective trout fishing technique. You will more than likely find that much of (but not all) of the gear that we consider "must have" items are manufactured or distributed by us, and this is with good reason. We created the company because there was no single place that had everything that we needed in one place, so we created that place.

In any case, the place where you get your gear doesn’t matter, what matters is that you have the following gear available to you anytime that you head out drift fishing. All of this gear will make you more efficient, which simply means that you can spend more time with your line in the water (where the fish are) rather than out of the water while you gear up. With that being said, let's get down to the gear that you "must have" to have an efficient and successful day on the water.

1. A Fishing Vest - Drift fishing requires that you wade in the water that you are fishing, and when wading the best and most efficient way to carry your fishing gear is a fishing vest . Many people think that only fly fishermen wear fishing vests, but truth be told drift fishermen wear them as well. These vests have tons of pockets for carrying your small spinners, spoons, and fishing lures, as well as extra line, wader repair kit, food, water, terminal tackle and anything else that you might need.
2. Retractors - A retractor are the best way to carry lightweight pieces of fishing gear on the outside of your fishing vest. This way these items are "at your fingertips" at all times and you don't have to go searching for them every time that they are needed. For example, I keep a retractor with a pair of small nail clippers attached to my vest at all times. I use these clippers for snipping my line after tying knots and when I have to re-spool my reel on the fly.
3. Polarized Fishing Glasses - Why do I consider polarized glasses a must have item for drift fishing? Because being able to see into the water is a great advantage not only for seeing fish, but also for seeing the bottom of the river while wading. Polarized glasses also enable you to see your fishing line while it is drifting, which is a MUST, especially when you are drift fishing with live bait.
4. A Bait Pouch - This item is a must for anyone who like to drift fish with live bait, especially if that bait is live worms. A bait bag (or pouch) is simply a small pouch that clips to your fishing vest in which you place your live worms. This way your worms are at your fingertips at all times, which makes baiting up and re-baiting a snap, saving you valuable fishing time.

The bottom line is that if you like to drift fish for virtually any species of freshwater fish, the aforementioned items will save you time and help you to catch more fish.