Looking for consistency

[NBK]

I usually fish in the evening from 7:30-9:45. I've almost always caught all my fish in the last half hour right around sunset. It makes the last half hour fun, but I wish I could be a little more productive during the first hour and a half. Are there any techniques you guys have found to get fish to bite while the sun is still up? I've recently lenghtened some of my fly leads (one up to 30") and added a swr. Would it be better to run more spoons during the day or more flasher/flys? Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks!

[In The Net]

we have found that the most productive setup is meat rigs on long lines... such as lead core or copper.. Thats when the sun is up

[Paulywood]

A lot of guys go to more "stealth" setups or meat rigs. Long lines off boards (cores, coppers), SWR's, pulling dipsey's in favor of Slide Divers or Torpedo Divers, light line rigs, longer leads, pulling flasher's and flies or running right down on the bottom can all help catch fish when the sun is up. And that's what seperates the really good fishermen from the rest of us, the ability to catch fish consistently during the day. If there is a simple answer I haven't found it yet. But it sure is fun to keep trying

[mattmishler]

When the sun is high they dont alot of noise in the water, i go to 2 riggers and 2 divers and more lead core and copper, getting stuff away from the boat is a big thing. You will see when we go out i have about 20 rods out, i swich over to the more in there face kind of thing when the sun is going down. There is a thing about two many riggers and divers, i dont think there is to many lead and copper. Get your leads longer, SWRs, meat and being quite on the boat helps, no screaming the XM radio helps to

[BlueCollarOutdoors]

All good advice so far. Longer leads is a key. The only dipsey bite we had the other day in the sun was on a 15 foot leader, not always possible but, we made it work.

Also pulling dipseys out of the water could help. Replace them will long coppers or a torpedos in there place. On my small boat running the torpedos in the dipsey slots is still a little nervwracking as far as tangling, so i will run them out 15 feet on boards, and hten have shorter cores on the outside. So 2 riggers, one swr with a spoon deep, flasher fly on the other with a longer lead like 75 feet and 20 feet higher than the other rigger. 2 torpedos or a long leadcore, copper, pumphandle, then a 2 color up high for bows, and a 5 to 10 color on hte other side. Ps ive run leads up to 200 feet in the bright sun.

[SPOONWASHER]

When the sun is high they dont alot of noise in the water, i go to 2 riggers and 2 divers and more lead core and copper, getting stuff away from the boat is a big thing. You will see when we go out i have about 20 rods out, i swich over to the more in there face kind of thing when the sun is going down. There is a thing about two many riggers and divers, i dont think there is to many lead and copper. Get your leads longer, SWRs, meat and being quite on the boat helps, no screaming the XM radio helps to

Yea I caught that, I just need to get someone else to realize that.

I would try lengthening fly leads past 30" especially if you run 11" paddles like the Pro Trolls. I also really like the Slide Divers in the middle of the day with long leads. As far as spoons vs flashers fly combos it varies day by day but some times a big paddle down deep will be the set up to take a fish mid day. Good luck!

[mattmishler]

Yea I caught that, I just need to get someone else to realize that.

I wasnt naming names........

[NBK]

Thanks for all the suggestions! Does a longer lead (20-60') have a negative affect on the action of a spin doctor? Also, could I run a spin doctor/fly combo off a swr? I'm thinking that would be the best way to get it down the deepest while trying to avoid ridiculous blowback.

[BlueCollarOutdoors]

Spin are recommened to be run a little tighter to the ball for the unique action, but if the cannonballs are scaring the crap out of spooky fish, they will never even look at your flashers action. Alot of guys will tell you to run spin drs 8 to 20 feet back off the ball, or they really like them off of divers. I have a love hate relationsihp with spinnies, but last week I took a fish just 12 to 15 feet off the ball, when we hadnt got hit all morning.

In this sport, there are no cut and dried answers. Keep a log. Record what works, weather, sun, waves, direction of travel, and speed when hit, what color your dipsey was, how long was the lead, what lures/rods where closest to it in your spread. Where you turning when it hit, does it glow, was your partner eating a sandwhich at the time of the hit.

It can only help you find patterns and at the least make your confident in what you are putting out, not just guessing. Theres a reason some guys swear by certain lures and they stink for others, the guy running it all day has the confidence to catch fish on it, so it stays in the drink, not in the box.

Good luck buddy.