Dipsy rod length

[TXRH Wausau]

So I'm all set on getting 2 Convector 30's for my braid dipsies. I've been reading and reading and reading some more on these setups. What I can't find is why are the rods all labled "dipsy diver" rods by manufacturers so damn long? I have a 19 foot boat and a 10' rod just seems excessive and like it may be too much to deal with.

What gives? Does length really matter? Will it not be that big of a challenge? Do I just need something with mh or h action?

Thanks,

Confused.

[Line Dancin]

With the 8'6 blanks they seem to be soft and flex to much down toward the butt area, getting to close to my riggers even in a heavy action rod. Going to a 10 foot you have a little more stiffer but area (about 2 ft) which gets around my side riggers better and allowing me to run my divers on .5 to 1 to get clearance around my riggers and be set to dig deep. I dont like my divers skipping out to the side on 1.5 or greater as i am running to many other long lines to tangle in. Here is a good test and one i learned from my Lamiglass rep. take the two rods you are comparing. place the tips on carpeted ground. and push down on the rods at the handle. this is the easiest way to see what the flex is going to be in the rod. and it will also show your stiffer areas so you can see exactly what the rod is going to do. compare 8'6 diver rods that you can find to 10 ft and you will see the difference pretty quickly. Most guys want that stiff two to thre feet for getting around riggers that you are going to find. I looked at some talora 9 footers and Outdoorsman a couple weeks ago and compared them to the 10s. I ended up with two more tens.

[KJ pluggin]

The longer rods help get outside your riggers like Aaron said, they also allow you to use a longer leader off your diver and still be able to net fish.

[BenLubbs]

Especially on a small boat like that a 10' rod can be nice (speaking from experience, I used to fish out of a 16'er). The longer poles let you get out past the downriggers, which you will probably be running off the sides so that they don't get tangled. Also, the 10' lets you have a longer leader between the dipsey and the spoon/flasher and still be able to get the fish in the net without needing to move to the very front of the boat. Too tell you the truth, there were so many other things that I had to deal with when fishing out of the small boat that I never even noticed that the poles were that long. If the boat in your avatar is the boat you are going to be fishing out of, I really don't see you having any issues.

[BenLubbs]

Looks like Kyle stole the words out of my mouth

[adrenalin]

So I'm all set on getting 2 Convector 30's for my braid dipsies. I've been reading and reading and reading some more on these setups. What I can't find is why are the rods all labled "dipsy diver" rods by manufacturers so damn long? I have a 19 foot boat and a 10' rod just seems excessive and like it may be too much to deal with.

What gives? Does length really matter? Will it not be that big of a challenge? Do I just need something with mh or h action?

Thanks,

Confused.

I agree with you here. Their is absolutley no need for a 10 foot rod on your boat. I wouldn't go over 8'6, I've used 7's, 8'6", & 10's and the 10's are a real pain in the butt to deal with and have no advantage over a 7 or 8' 6". A good rod like a shimano talora or Ugly stick has all the back bone and fast tip you need. The cheaper the rod you buy the less back bone you will have on a longer rod. I have 28 7ft rods and 2 8'6" rods on my boat and never have to break them down for storage. If I had all 8-10 ft rods I wouldn't be able to fit them all on the boat. The other advantage to short rods is manuverablity, Try passing a 10ft rod between a rigger cable if a king charges the boat, ain't happening, or better yet when you got 3 or 4 fish on and you have to switch positions it's alot harder. I guess it's just a personal preference thing. To me, simple is always the way for me.

[Paulywood]

The longest rods I will have on the boat this year are 9'. They are my braid diver rods and the only reason I have them that long is to make sure they reach past my wire dipsey rods when I run 2 divers per side. Other than that I wouldn't have a rod over 8' for the reasons Captain Russ listed above.

[mattmishler]

Our low divers are 8'6 and our highs are 10s. The reason for 10s are we have longer than usual arms on our riggers and if we went to a 7fter it out be hitting the rigger cable.

[killerbe20]

I agree with you here. Their is absolutley no need for a 10 foot rod on your boat. I wouldn't go over 8'6, I've used 7's, 8'6", & 10's and the 10's are a real pain in the butt to deal with and have no advantage over a 7 or 8' 6". A good rod like a shimano talora or Ugly stick has all the back bone and fast tip you need. The cheaper the rod you buy the less back bone you will have on a longer rod. I have 28 7ft rods and 2 8'6" rods on my boat and never have to break them down for storage. If I had all 8-10 ft rods I wouldn't be able to fit them all on the boat. The other advantage to short rods is manuverablity, Try passing a 10ft rod between a rigger cable if a king charges the boat, ain't happening, or better yet when you got 3 or 4 fish on and you have to switch positions it's alot harder. I guess it's just a personal preference thing. To me, simple is always the way for me.

exactly what i was going to say

[WoLFMaN]

The longer rods help get outside your riggers like Aaron said, they also allow you to use a longer leader off your diver and still be able to net fish.

Yep. Nailed it.

[TXRH Wausau]

Looks like I hit an area of differing opinions on this. Good discussion so far and thanks to all for the input.

I have not yet bought the dipsy or planer (leadcore) rods yet (though I have the pair for the downriggers that I spooled up tonight ) AND I bought 2 convector 30's and 2 45's this afternoon for the dipsies and leadcore rods.

I'm apt to lean towards the simpler (and a bit shorter) is better approach. I'm not a rich guy, but I have learned the hard way in the past that it costs less to buy the right thing once than go and buy it twice. I was wanting something shorter than 10' before I read all your replies and explanations and now I think that solidified it for me, although there are compelling arguments and explanations for longer rods... Final decision and purchase to be made in the next week or so.

Thanks again to all. I am very glad I found this site. I feel like I'm making much better decisions because of all the help I've gotten here.

[adrenalin]

Looks like I hit an area of differing opinions on this. Good discussion so far and thanks to all for the input.

I have not yet bought the dipsy or planer (leadcore) rods yet (though I have the pair for the downriggers that I spooled up tonight ) AND I bought 2 convector 30's and 2 45's this afternoon for the dipsies and leadcore rods.

I'm apt to lean towards the simpler (and a bit shorter) is better approach. I'm not a rich guy, but I have learned the hard way in the past that it costs less to buy the right thing once than go and buy it twice. I was wanting something shorter than 10' before I read all your replies and explanations and now I think that solidified it for me, although there are compelling arguments and explanations for longer rods... Final decision and purchase to be made in the next week or so.

Thanks again to all. I am very glad I found this site. I feel like I'm making much better decisions because of all the help I've gotten here.

Just a little more advice if you are going to get lead core rods, I would strongley suggest 7 footers. Unhooking a planer boards is way easier when you have a shorter rod. you won't have to walk all the way to the bow so the guy at the back can unhook it for you. Hooking the board on is easier too, you can hold the rod in one hand and grab the line with the other without setting the rod down to get to the tip.

[Line Dancin]

Just a little more advice if you are going to get lead core rods, I would strongley suggest 7 footers. Unhooking a planer boards is way easier when you have a shorter rod. you won't have to walk all the way to the bow so the guy at the back can unhook it for you. Hooking the board on is easier too, you can hold the rod in one hand and grab the line with the other without setting the rod down to get to the tip.

I do agree with shorter rods for core/copper rods for the reasons mentioned.

[TXRH Wausau]

Just a little more advice if you are going to get lead core rods, I would strongley suggest 7 footers. Unhooking a planer boards is way easier when you have a shorter rod. you won't have to walk all the way to the bow so the guy at the back can unhook it for you. Hooking the board on is easier too, you can hold the rod in one hand and grab the line with the other without setting the rod down to get to the tip.

Thanks Russ. What action would you recommend for these? MH?

[killerbe20]

I'm not sure about russ, or the rest of the guys for that matter.

I use MH 7 foot ugly sticks for my long cores and coppers, only $30 and have been abused for about 6 years still going strong. Okuma and shimano have some nice looking rods that are supposed to be designed for copper/leadcore with stainless guides. Okumas are just a few bucks more than the ugly sticks and the shimanos are a bit more than the okumas.

[adrenalin]

Thanks Russ. What action would you recommend for these? MH?

For the leadcores Shimano Talora TLA70Mc

For the divers Shimano Talora TLA80MH2

The leadcore rods are $80 and the diver rod is about $70 I think. But well worth the money if you fish alot. I know people have different budgets, but I have been burned to many times by trying to save a little here and there. If I can only afford 1 or 2 rods a year that's what I get, and wait till next year instead of buying 4 or 5 and then a couple years later replacing them with what I really wanted anyways.

[TXRH Wausau]

I use MH 7 foot ugly sticks for my long cores and coppers, only $30 and have been abused for about 6 years still going strong.

Well I got impatient today and directly after reading this post went and bought those exact rods, at that price at Fleet Farm. Others have also spoken positively of Ugly Stiks around here and several of the charters I have gone on in the past also used Ugly Stiks. So, I feel very good about my purchase. I work a lot and will consider myself very lucky if I can get 14 days of big lake fishing per year for the forseeable future. Taken care of (which I always do with my stuff), I'm sure the combos I now have will last a VERY long time. (I still occasionally use an Ugly Stik spinning rod I bought nearly 20 years ago. That rod has caught more pike than I can count and it's still good as it was new.)

On a side note, major kudos to the Eric Lang (creator of the reel fill calculator). Just spooled one reel with a mono backer and a full core and 10 yards of flouro leader and the other with the mono backer and 6 colors and the leader. Thanks to the calculator, both reels are perfectly full. I am pleased (and a bit proud of myself for getting this right )

Thanks to all. More questions will come soon, I'm sure...

-Brian

[Seawolf XI]

There is definatly shorter dipsy rods out there....9ft for sure and penn made some rollor wire diver rods that were even shorter...id look for some diawa heartlands....cheap and durable for the amount you fish, and i know they make a 9'3" ive had mine 5 years now and i go almost 100 times a year....the ugly stick diver rods are quite heavy and ive had the grips come apart on 2 sets....the only rods that arent ugly sticks on my boat are my divers....and i hate to tell you this...but i think okumas suc for divers....they constantly creep drag back nomatter wat you do....and u end up cranking the drag to tight and lose fish and gear because of it....id go diawa sealines the 100$ model with gold trim, saltists...if you have the cash, or penn makes new line counters reels that have a proven drag in them....i dont have a huge boat either but i like long rods 11ft and 10'3" are wat i run but i have long outdown arms also 6' gotta cover that water....the diawa's break down and store easily

[mriversinco]

I had trouble with my okumas and creep also until I switched out the drags to carbon fiber washers. $4 per reel later and they're awesome.

[killerbe20]

The problem with okumas creeping is the braid or wire line slipping on the spool. I went through this with a few reels until okuma and tuna toms helped me solve my problem. Easy solution is to splice a really short section of mono to your line to attach to the spool. Otherwise you can have a line tie post added to the spool by tuna toms. In all reality, if okuma knows this is a problem they should just add the posts from the factory.

[Line Dancin]

i agree with what josh said.

Actually you want to hear the reel click out line every once in a while. That is a proper drag set. This way when a fish hits it can take line if it needs to and you dont loose the fish. IF you have the drag cranked so tight that it isnt clicking something is going to break. Line rod or hooks out of the fishes mouth.

As far as the way i feel on diawas, they dont have the power to get out of their own way. there are a lot of better reels on the market. unless you aretalking the old great lakes series reels. Now daiwa is trying to live on their name alone and not a quality product.

[sherman51]

The problem with okumas creeping is the braid or wire line slipping on the spool. I went through this with a few reels until okuma and tuna toms helped me solve my problem. Easy solution is to splice a really short section of mono to your line to attach to the spool. Otherwise you can have a line tie post added to the spool by tuna toms. In all reality, if okuma knows this is a problem they should just add the posts from the factory.

i walleye fish only on the central basin. so i take my daughter n law,s and grand kids. and i dont have to worry about alot of long screaming runs. so i went with small reels. i got sg17lca for one side and daiwa accudepth plus 17lc for the other side of the boat. power handles on all of them. the charter boat that we used when we moved to the central basin used 65# braid. so i did the same. the point is i was having the slippage problem. with the small reels i really didnt have alot af extra room for the mono backing. so tuna tom put the pins in mine. the line slippage is gone.

i was useing a 6 ft rod on my down rod untill last yr. i started useing a short boom dr so i went to a plain old black beauty m action 8.6 dr rod that worked great. so now my front rod is 10' middle 9' back 8.6. but im going to 4 riggers this year. with longer booms so i plan on doing 11' 10' and 9'. i have the 9' and 10' any suggestions on an 11'? sorry i didnt mean to steal your thread. but you do need a rod just long enough to clear your rigger. whatever it is. and maby somebody can help me while helping you. good luck to all.

....sherman....