Apart from loch-style fishing for trout (see Fly fishing) there is little scope for drift fishing on huge stillwaters, except when fishing for pike, and to a much lesser extent for perch and zander. Ideal waters for drift fishing are large reservoirs, lakes and lochs, and even wide sluggish rivers, and results often rely on covering as much water as possible. And when pike Save been located, a mudweight can be owered for a more thorough search of the entire area.

Drift fishing is a matter of using the wind to your best advantage, so take into account its strength and direction. Choose long areas, either through the centre channel, or parallel with the shoreline so that at least one angler (if two are sharing the boat) has features such as dense reed lines, promontories, sunken trees, dykes, or river entrances to cast to. Row or motor to the furthest point upwind and turn the boat side-on to the wind. Then put out a drogue, which will slow down the boat’s passage to a fishable speed. A couple of old keepnets put out over the side will achieve similar results, but it pays to invest in a proper drogue.

You then have a choice of casting out floatfished livebaits or deadbaits from each end of the boat (see Drift-float fishing in freshwater; Sliding-float fishing for predators), while working the water in front of the boat with artificial lures or with wobbled deadbaits.
Alternatively, livebaits or deadbaits presented on float rigs can be trolled slowly behind the boat while lures or wobbled deadbaits are worked from the front and sides of the boat. There is, indeed, plenty of scope to be as thorough or as relaxed as the mood and weather conditions dictate