Wire Line - What's the big deal?

[eastcoasttransplant]

I'll still stick by the fact that there are times when too much gear in a given area will shut fish off or be less productive due to changing conditions.

Wire rods are great and catch lots of fish...depending on how you run them in a spread on a given day. Load up all the gear in one tight area and you can turn the fish off if they are in a non-aggressive mood. I've spoken to very good charter captains who will attest to the fact that sometime less gear in a given area will lead to more strikes. Maybe that's the key term....in a given area.

In a typical spread, your wire divers will be closer to your riggers than your braid divers, leadcores or copper. That can be varied, but that's your typical horizontal spread. I believe that's why it's been said that running riggers and wire divers in a tight spread can kill a bite. Does it really kill the bite or doe the attitude of the fish changing throughout the day and with varying conditions change the way you should approaching fishing for them? View it either way but one must access the conditions and then adjust from there.

[Line Dancin]

I'll still stick by the fact that there are times when too much gear in a given area will shut fish off or be less productive due to changing conditions.

Wire rods are great and catch lots of fish...depending on how you run them in a spread on a given day. Load up all the gear in one tight area and you can turn the fish off if they are in a non-aggressive mood. I've spoken to very good charter captains who will attest to the fact that sometime less gear in a given area will lead to more strikes. Maybe that's the key term....in a given area.

In a typical spread, your wire divers will be closer to your riggers than your braid divers, leadcores or copper. That can be varied, but that's your typical horizontal spread. I believe that's why it's been said that running riggers and wire divers in a tight spread can kill a bite. Does it really kill the bite or doe the attitude of the fish changing throughout the day and with varying conditions change the way you should approaching fishing for them? View it either way but one must access the conditions and then adjust from there.

After what i have been hearing from some of the captains in the ludington area i completely agree with this post. That is why i am keeping my wire but putting braid back into the picture again.

[Line Dancin]

rigger bites have slowed noticeably for top charters the past few years for a good reason, and its not wire divers. Some guys have figured out why their riggers have slowed, made adjustments, and have them rocking again. Those who have not figured it out are looking for answers, and possibly at wire divers because they are the next closest rod to the spread. What they did not tell you is that they wont end up pulling away from wire divers because they are still the hottest rods on just about any boat who knows how to fish them. I would not pull out my hottest rods to try and turn on my dead rods. I would figure out why my dead rods are dead, and make the adjustment. I have faith they will figure it out eventually...

The thing is the guys i know in the ludington area that have eliminated wire and only use braid are some of the top producing boats in the ludinton area. Most of their bite is back on riggers in that area. These boats are back to running five riggers again to produce fish. These are guys that have been in the top producing boats since the late 70s early 80s.

[tangled mess]

I can tell you wire dose not shut down my riggers they are the hotest rods on the boat most days and i always have wire out you can ask any one who has fished with me

[killerbe20]

i am personally convinced enough to eliminate braid and stick to wire only. catching big kings in the middle of the day on wire with a 124 walker diver in 25fow, awesome! who says you need to get your baits away from the boat

[Nailer]

rigger bites have slowed noticeably for top charters the past few years for a good reason, and its not wire divers. Some guys have figured out why their riggers have slowed, made adjustments, and have them rocking again. Those who have not figured it out are looking for answers, and possibly at wire divers because they are the next closest rod to the spread. What they did not tell you is that they wont end up pulling away from wire divers because they are still the hottest rods on just about any boat who knows how to fish them. I would not pull out my hottest rods to try and turn on my dead rods. I would figure out why my dead rods are dead, and make the adjustment. I have faith they will figure it out eventually...

I agree with this ^^^.

Both my wire divers (all 4 of them), and my riggers pulled good numbers of fish last year.

The changes I made, was to run my inside wire divers lower than my riggers (lowest set off the boat).

I am not buying the "harmonics between the two lines" bit, or it could be the fish in Ludington are smarter than the ones here in Holland.

Wire is a great choice, but like anything there is a small learning curve.

#1, Like Don said, drags loose so they creek once and a while.

#2, loosen the drag before removing the rod from the holder.

#3, Take your time, don't bring the fish in green.

[eastcoasttransplant]

There are cases when delivery devices are important but I really believe this may be more about placement of devices than type of device being used.

I'm not a charter captain, and have had limited time on the big lake, but guys who are out there every day have told me that there are times they will thin out their spreads in order to "keep" the bite going. It's probably more of an issue of tight spread and aggressive presentation versus a wider spread and more stealthy presentation other than delivery device.

That being said, it had also been noted that wire will tend to "jig" the lure with each wave moreso than braid. It's more of what do the fish want that day than anything else.

[Line Dancin]

I can tell you wire dose not shut down my riggers they are the hotest rods on the boat most days and i always have wire out you can ask any one who has fished with me

One of the guys i am talking about was in a booth next to you at the show and is really good friends with Chip. I am not mentioning his name as he doesn't want it used in discussions but you can figure it out as you know him also. He said the same thing wire was the hottest thing but the other five riggers and out rods weren't producing the way they should. By eliminating the wire he was able to make all his rods productive all day not just the wire rods. When i was fishing with him last spring getting ready for walleye we got on the topic on his boat and he said you will never see wire on his boat again and that there are other capts that have done the same thing.

[Sea-Mac]

I honestly have noticed many more short strikes and fish lost on wire dipsey set ups than any other. Maybe its just a fluke as its sounding, maybe im the only one that has noticed, or can admit it.

Of course your going to hear more "I caught tons of fish using this or that, I allways catch tons of fish, and if your not using it and chewing big red then screw you".

I understand and agree and even will go as far I love the fight and feel you get out of a fish on wire.

But to think or say "Now I can go out and get my limit everytime and catch tons more fish everyday than the next guy because im using wire line instead of braid for dipseys" is something that is gonna take more proof not words for me to buy into.

I also think im starting to see this might be a touchy subject for some and dont want to step on the toes of anyone that works for, sells, is sponsored by, friends with, or personally knows a wire line manufacturer.

So im bowing out even tho I could go on a little more, to each their own again.

Interesting topic.

[killerbe20]

One of the guys i am talking about was in a booth next to you at the show and is really good friends with Chip. I am not mentioning his name as he doesn't want it used in discussions but you can figure it out as you know him also. He said the same thing wire was the hottest thing but the other five riggers and out rods weren't producing the way they should. By eliminating the wire he was able to make all his rods productive all day not just the wire rods. When i was fishing with him last spring getting ready for walleye we got on the topic on his boat and he said you will never see wire on his boat again and that there are other capts that have done the same thing.

fisherman are very superstitious by nature. I will never have a banana on my boat nor will i ever touch one, eat one and that includes any and all banana products, EVER! but that is a whole different discussion. If the riggers started working after the wires were out i can see not wanting to use wire ever again.

EDITORIAL NOTE: I personally have a hard time believing that having wire line out would make your down riggers stop working. I have gone through hot streaks and many LONG cold streaks with my down riggers (wire always in the water). This seems to be a unpredictable pattern. There are so many other factors to consider then just whether wire was in the water or not. I do not believe we have enough information on the previously stated example to make a clear decision on whether we can convict the wire with a guilty verdict.

[eastcoasttransplant]

That's it Josh...you and me in the ring this weekend. LOL

I agree, I think it's more about placement of spread than delivery device. Also, lets not forget that it's personal experience that comes into play here as well. I would not say anyone here is WRONG or RIGHT. We're not really fighting over whether to use wire line rods or not but rather what some of us on the water have experience while deploying different spreads.

In the end, we are all allowed to have different opinions and different views regarding the tactics we employ and the way we fish. Heck, I've even seen different spreads used on one side of the lake that you can't seem to buy a hit on on the other side of the lake.

A fishes attitude changes with the conditions and we must adapt accordingly. Will wire always be the answer......probably not, but it does have a place on our great lakes boats.

Good luck to all this year.

[killerbe20]

That's it Josh...you and me in the ring this weekend. LOL

I agree, I think it's more about placement of spread than delivery device. Also, lets not forget that it's personal experience that comes into play here as well. I would not say anyone here is WRONG or RIGHT. We're not really fighting over whether to use wire line rods or not but rather what some of us on the water have experience while deploying different spreads.

In the end, we are all allowed to have different opinions and different views regarding the tactics we employ and the way we fish. Heck, I've even seen different spreads used on one side of the lake that you can't seem to buy a hit on on the other side of the lake.

A fishes attitude changes with the conditions and we must adapt accordingly. Will wire always be the answer......probably not, but it does have a place on our great lakes boats.

Good luck to all this year.

copy that

[Treblemaker]

Thanks for the replies guys. One thing I don't understand that I've heard quite often regarding these types of questions is that wire dives deeper and cuts the water better than braid. It seems like the 7strand wire has a diameter of .015" and that 30PP has a diameter of .011".

So how does it dive deeper and cut the water better when it has a larger diameter of 30lb Power Pro? Is it because of it's material make up being wire and made of metal that it is heavier???

I'm starting to think I might change one to wire and leave another to Power Pro and see what happens.

Pick up a spool of wire line and a spool of power pro. The wire line is much heavier and the weight to diameter characteristics change with this effect. I wouldn't trade my wire rods for any other rod on the boat day in and day out.

[Line Dancin]

I think i agree with most of what sea mac said and i am done with this conversation also.

[fishsniffer]

the guys question was why should i switch over to wire...everyone has theyre opinion..so the guys who like wire are gonna give all the benefits of wire and the guys who fish pp are gonna do the same..i wonder why people are getting so worked up..these forums are here to voice opinions ..

[Line Dancin]

One last comment and then i am out of here. I never said i was quitting wire line. I was just stating that there is a place for braid also and what some guys have noticed. I have to much invested in 4 rods to give up on it and it does work. I was just trying to point out that it may be at times more beneficail to use it. Sorry i even brought it up.

[GLF]

Wire dipseys are my favorite rods to catch fish on. Do the extra harmonics drive the fish away? Personally...I dont think so. I always run flashers and flies on my divers. Flashers are attractors, and will attract fish towards them. The more line your have out, the further from your riggers the flashers and fish will be. I believe this is why peoples riggers do not work well when they are running divers.

Throw a big white paddle down the chute or on an inside corner rigger to help draw those fish into your spread and you might get those riggers firing again.

[southtrollsouth]

One last comment and then i am out of here. I never said i was quitting wire line. I was just stating that there is a place for braid also and what some guys have noticed. I have to much invested in 4 rods to give up on it and it does work. I was just trying to point out that it may be at times more beneficail to use it. Sorry i even brought it up.

Never be sorry to bring anything up, its good to keep a persons mind working on this stuff. Programs are different around the lakes, everyone has their preference. There are charter guys who troll around in Lake O with 5-6 riggers and rods sticking straight up in the air like porcupines, then there are guys like down in Holland/GH/Saug that only run 3 riggers with their rods bent in half with tips dragging in the water. Everyone is different on what/how they run spreads.

It never hurts to experiment, but figure out what works on each individual boat, not just do something because a charter is doing it. Sometimes alot of it is BS, sometimes that what you hear only works on a certain boat, and not others.

Definitely work on your diver program, whether its braid or wire or mix. If you dont have your divers rocking, your whole program will be off. Divers create the bite.

[KJ pluggin]

I agree, don't be sorry you brought it up, I enjoyed reading all the different views people had on the subject. It definitely made me think about my spread and what might be happening underneath my boat.

[eastcoasttransplant]

Yeah I think we're all cool here.

There are different programs and theories around the lake and it's those differences that seem to spawn new ideas and new ways of thinking about things.

This is one of the best sites with helpful and understanding guys. It's OK to disagree about things as long as it doesn't get to bashing.

That's what makes this site great.

Best wishes all.

[Priority1]

Yeah I think we're all cool here.

There are different programs and theories around the lake and it's those differences that seem to spawn new ideas and new ways of thinking about things.

This is one of the best sites with helpful and understanding guys. It's OK to disagree about things as long as it doesn't get to bashing.

That's what makes this site great.

Best wishes all.

Yep!!!! We can all agree to disagree.

[tangled mess]

One of the guys i am talking about was in a booth next to you at the show and is really good friends with Chip. I am not mentioning his name as he doesn't want it used in discussions but you can figure it out as you know him also. He said the same thing wire was the hottest thing but the other five riggers and out rods weren't producing the way they should. By eliminating the wire he was able to make all his rods productive all day not just the wire rods. When i was fishing with him last spring getting ready for walleye we got on the topic on his boat and he said you will never see wire on his boat again and that there are other capts that have done the same thing.

i said my rigger were my hottest rods on my boat not wire but the wire dose not seem to shut down my riggers at all they go all day

[Sea-Mac]

I think i agree with most of what sea mac said and i am done with this conversation also.

Sigh.......Now dont get me involved in this mess you started Aaron! :lol:

I was seriously starting to think the "blood run" boys might not have liked my comments and were about to get upset over this and start a lynch mob.

I have seen people (fisherman) getting mad and start acting weird towards one another over much less than opinions/views on wire or braid for dipseys.

Thats why I find it best to just poke at the bees nest and then run my arse off.

[Paulywood]

You can do that Mike, you're a lot skinnier than me and can run faster:)

[killerbe20]

i like being poked!