You wear them over your boots. It's like a parachute you tie off to a cleat and it fills with water to slow the drift. Also good in a storm when you cannot anchor in deep water. Tie it off at the bow and it will keep your bow facing the oncoming waves.
drift socks, to me, are very important. They control your speed and also will help stabilize your boat in rough conditions. I always carry mine.. It is used very often. If you tie it off to your side cleats, it will give you a side drift, hence everyone can fish off to one side of the boat.
I thought they were called drift socks because of the smell when you take them outta bag.I used to use one when slow trolling kingfish down in South Carolina, the extra drag slows the troll below my minimum idle speed.
Know Before You GoLocal Weather | Marine Bouy Weather | Inshore Forecast | Offshore Forecast | Interactive Wind Charts | Tide Charts | Sea Surface Temps | Chlorophyll Concentrates | Online Chart Viewer