If your fishing snags your gonna catch one with the drift sock with a float or without a float. The socks I bought came with floats on a harness and I used them until they were done. Since then I just use good old fashioned rope and a carabiner. I can’t tell the difference and I’m pretty picky about boat control. I also run paddles but the socks still come out on occasions. Probably the most beneficial thing about the float is if you got hung up in a bad wind and needed to cut the sock loose before you sank you would be able to retrieve it.