Help with dipseys...

[tawood]

I'm a long time walleye fisherman, but I'm new to the trout thing...I don't use downriggers, and so far I've done pretty good with just deep diving lures, jet divers, and dipseys.

I have a question/problems on the dipseys though.

I don't seem to be able to get them to run out at an angle. I see guys that talk about setting them on "1" or "2" on the discussion boards here....I run mine on "3", and yet they still seem to track directly straight back (and down of course). Is it just the nature of dipseys, that they don't really track off to the side, or am I doing something wrong? As a test, my last time out I ran 2 dipseys, side by side on 2 rods. The rod tips were just a foot apart in the rod holders. One dipsey was set on "3" full port, the other on "3" full starboard. The 2 lines looked exactly parallel (and straight back/down).

Also, a minor note...I never seem to get a dipsey to "release" when it is suppose to either. It seems that if I loosen the release at all, it will release with just the lure, and if I tighten it even an 1/8 of a turn, I can catch big fish and still fight the dipsey. This weekend we caught a 6 lbs coho, and the dipsey didn't release.

BTW, I run my dipseys on line counter level winds, with 20 lbs mono test, and run them at 2.5 mph (gps). No snubbers. I've used magnums, #0, and #1 dipseys too. I've used them with spoons and body baits.

Thanks for any help,

Tim

[ALLEYES]

You are running your dipsey's on the wrong sides of your boat.

[fishsniffer]

The mono will make it harder to release. It will stretch with the tugs

[Adam Bomb]

I would switch up to braid or wire instead of mono. Mono is extremely stretchY and makes releasing them much more difficult. Youll also want to bump up your line # as well as the later you get in the year with bigger fish you will be losing gear. Id run at least 30# braid and even on up to 50# wouldnt hurt. Its thin, and still gets plenty deep. And if you go with wire, then 30# is what you want. If you decide to go to braid or wire, id recommend a snubber and a fluoro leader of 30#(more so later in the summer when the fish are big) so your not busting gear off as these lines have no stretch.

In reguards to the dipseys. Be sure you have them set properly. And if your set backs were short,which i assume they are fishing for coho right now, they will not track out to the sides much at all. When you start getting the longer leads like you run mid summer to late fall a dispey on 3 will track far to the side of the boat. Infact, if you dont have your boards with lead core or copper out far enough the dipsey will come up underneath the core. So, yes, they do track way out....Dipsey diameter will also play a big factor in how far they plane to the side. Small disks wont travel as far as large disks.

I hope this answers some questions for you and thank you for the report.

[Nailer]

Tim, the divers don't look like there pulling that far out, but they are. 20# mono has a lot of drag, and will pull the back also.

The divers should look like this when running.

[sherman51]

hey tim

the farther out you run them the farther to the side they will go. and remember if your out say 100 ft your line may only run out a foot or so at the boat. but picture wher that will put your lure when you get back 100 feet. the best solution i found for the release problem your having, is to switch to the lite bite slide divers. you can set them not to trip even in choppy water. then set the trigger where a small fish will trip it. check it out at. slidediver.com i switched to them last year now i dont even take the dipsy,s or the walker,s with me anymore. i think they are awesome. and make sure when you put your divers in the water they start pulling out to the side of the boat you want them on. i,ve been known to put them on the wrong side a time or two. have a great season.

....sherman....

oh yea i run 65 lb braid line. i reccomend at least 30 lb braid. and a rubber snubber behind the diver.

[anthonyyost]

My first season I ran 30# mono with mag dipseys, nothing tougher than reeling in 250' mag dipsey that you can't trip. Going to wire took care of that problem nicely.

[tawood]

I assume to switch to wire I would need to change rods...what about braid, can I use my normal mono/line counter rod/reels?

[sherman51]

I assume to switch to wire I would need to change rods...what about braid, can I use my normal mono/line counter rod/reels?

i,ve used dipsy,s then walkers and now i use lite bite slide divers. i,ve used braid with all of them. and i just use standard rods and line counter reels. good luck. have a great season.

....sherman....

[KJ pluggin]

I assume to switch to wire I would need to change rods...what about braid, can I use my normal mono/line counter rod/reels?

Yes, your normal rods and reels will work for braid. Just make sure the rods you are using have enough backbone to pull the divers.

[tawood]

One last question...

When using braid (that may have lower drag than my 20 lbs test), how do I know how deep my dipseys are running? Won't the lower drag also change their depth?

[KJ pluggin]

Yes, the braid diver will dive deeper than the mono diver. Take a look at the charts in Precision Trolling Big Water Edition, lots of good depth charts for divers.

[BenLubbs]

There is also a product out there by Fish Hawk called the Fish Hawk TD ($150) that you can clip on your line and it will tell you the max depth that a rig runs and the water temperature in 5ft intervals. I bought one this spring and plan on using it to determine the depths that all the rigs on my boat run.

[Nailer]

20# braid will work, but its on the light end. Most like to have 30#.

Troll towards shore and watch for the divers to hit bottom. When they do keep tract of it.

Knowing where your divers are running will help to get more fish.

[scgibby11]

I truly don't want to sound stupid, but for someone's sake who might not have thought of it.....

The "left" setting is for the Port/left side of the boat. Not the fisherman's left when he is facing aft setting lines.....

Scott

[fishsniffer]

I truly don't want to sound stupid, but for someone's sake who might not have thought of it.....

The "left" setting is for the Port/left side of the boat. Not the fisherman's left when he is facing aft setting lines.....

Scott

Yep. Left looking out the windshield

[sherman51]

hey tim

just thought i would ask. did you take the time to check out the lite bite slide divers. if your having problems with your releases they are great. i fish only walleye on the central basin. and sometimes the trash fish are a real pain. we can set the divers tight enough we get hardly any false releases. then adjust the trigger where those stupid white perch will even trip the diver just about every time. im not a salesman for them or anything. they just work for me. and i,ve used the dipsy,s first then heard about the walker, switched to them. then heard about the lite bites, checked them out and then tried them. they are the best. you can get info and the standard colors at slidediver.com if you want the metallic colors check out allseasonssports.com i think. let me know what you think.

also someboby said put out your lure with braid and troll towards shore when you hit bottom you know your depth. i suggest you do this about every 20 ft out. keep track of your length out and what setting on your diver. i just did it on my outside rod. because i always ues a 4 setting on it a 3 setting 20 ft shorter on my middle then a 2 setting and another 20 foot shorter on my back rod. so as long as i know where my 4 setting rod is the others are always set up off that rod and not the depth. does any of this make any sense?? i always troll within .5 mph of the same speed and always use the same size braid. so im always close. i fish geneva ohio in july and aug. my boat is last chance. if your ever up there and need help im on ch.68

....sherman....