Walleye drifting tips with Chase Parsons

As Fishing League Worldwide Walleye Tour Champion, walleye pro and host of the “The Next Bite,” Chase Parsons is no stranger to implementing the use of a Power-Pole Drift Paddle on his boat.

“The main benefit of the Power-Pole Drift Paddle is that it effectively replaces a drift sock,” says Parsons. “Drift socks are a pain to deploy, never set just the right way and are a hassle to dry out and store. The Drift Paddle eliminates all of those problems in one shot.”

Slowing down the drift is a necessary tactic for all types of angling, whether it’s for largemouth bass, walleye, or even redfish and snook.

“As a walleye angler, we need to maintain constant speeds when trolling,” he explains. “In heavy seas, the surge of big waves can fluctuate your speed from 1 knot to 3.5 knots with each heaving wave. When I deploy the Power-Pole Drift Paddle, it maintains its root, takes the surge out and keeps me grounded to troll at a steady pace. The unique paddle shape means the further you put it down, the more it works to stabilize and hold a position and control the drift.” Weather can be unpredictable, but now there’s hope to battle the elements.

“The Drift Paddle allows me to fish productive areas a lot more methodically if I’m up against windy conditions,” says Parsons, “I have way more control over the boat and use it as a tool to slow it all down to fish with ease and precision.” Parsons has changed his approach in setting out his game plans on the water now that he is armed with the Drift Paddle.

“The Drift Paddle has absolutely helped me fish way more precisely,” he says. “I’ve changed my strategy now, as difficult and challenging conditions no longer cause me to have to switch up from my original plan. In fact, I now have the confidence to drift fish the spots I wanted to originally fish — regardless of weather, as I can still be precise on the spots and not have the messy hassle of throwing out a drift sock.”

So what’s the bottom line? Parsons eloquently concludes the main advantage of utilizing Power-Pole Drift Paddles:

“They take the wrath of Mother Nature out of the equation.”