Slide divers

[Hotdog71]

So, I'm sitting here trying to figure out what I need to do next year to make things both easier and more productive next season. I got to thinking about my wire setups. I run a wire dipsy on each side of the boat on 7ft rods with an 8-10ft lead. My problem is when bringing in a fish on the dipsy, the T-top on my boat gets in the way. We have tried handing with success, but it's still a pain. I like the rods and they fit well into my setup so I won't replace them. So I'm wondering about the slide divers and if they would be a viable option.

Here are some of my questions:

Can/should this be used with wire?

Will the wire go through the diver or will I need to used a leader?

Do they dive the same as a regular dipsy?

Would a snubber be needed?

[fishy1]

So, I'm sitting here trying to figure out what I need to do next year to make things both easier and more productive next season. I got to thinking about my wire setups. I run a wire dipsy on each side of the boat on 7ft rods with an 8-10ft lead. My problem is when bringing in a fish on the dipsy, the T-top on my boat gets in the way. We have tried handing with success, but it's still a pain. I like the rods and they fit well into my setup so I won't replace them. So I'm wondering about the slide divers and if they would be a viable option.

Here are some of my questions:

Can/should this be used with wire?

Will the wire go through the diver or will I need to used a leader?

Do they dive the same as a regular dipsy?

Would a snubber be needed?

I have only run slide divers since they came out. I run them with 40# power pro and put a 30ft leader of big game on them, you will get the same depth with them as you will running a wire diver setup.I have run both and used a gtm to record their depths and they run almost identical.I have never used the tubing or spring that comes with them and also found you can't run fluorocarbon as the diver will cheat its way down the line as flouro is slicker than mono.

Another advantage is when you run meat rigs or flasher fly setups you can let the diver slide down to the flasher and not need a extra person to handline the fish in.

[SeaCatMich]

Can/should this be used with wire? Yes they can be used with wire.

Will the wire go through the diver or will I need to used a leader? Can be rigged either way -- I lean toward a mono leader to clamp the SlideDiver too since you will want mono to the lure anyway.

Do they dive the same as a regular dipsy? By using the heavier optional weights they will.

Would a snubber be needed? No

I have done it for similar reasons to what you describe but mainly because I catch more fish with longer leaders off the diver... especially with flashers and cut-bait. Hard to get a fish in the net with a 15' leader off the diver (even worse when I'm fishing solo).

I have done it but deploying a SlideDiver can really be a pain compared to a "regular" diver. I wish I knew an easy way to let the line behind the diver out before clamping it in. So far I have not figured out an easy way. Consequently, I will put out the SlideDivers for salmon only in daylight and generally only if regular divers are not doing well.

I do like the SlideDiver LiteBites for walleye and early season Coho. Generally a daylight presentation though but being able to have the fish release setting different than the rod setting is great for the smaller or lighter hitting fish.

[Paulywood]

Can/should this be used with wire? Yes they can be used with wire.

Will the wire go through the diver or will I need to used a leader? Can be rigged either way -- I lean toward a mono leader to clamp the SlideDiver too since you will want mono to the lure anyway.

Do they dive the same as a regular dipsy? By using the heavier optional weights they will.

Would a snubber be needed? No

I have done it for similar reasons to what you describe but mainly because I catch more fish with longer leaders off the diver... especially with flashers and cut-bait. Hard to get a fish in the net with a 15' leader off the diver (even worse when I'm fishing solo).

I have done it but deploying a SlideDiver can really be a pain compared to a "regular" diver. I wish I knew an easy way to let the line behind the diver out before clamping it in. So far I have not figured out an easy way. Consequently, I will put out the SlideDivers for salmon only in daylight and generally only if regular divers are not doing well.

I do like the SlideDiver LiteBites for walleye and early season Coho. Generally a daylight presentation though but being able to have the fish release setting different than the rod setting is great for the smaller or lighter hitting fish.

Ryan,

I had the same issues with Slide Divers. I only have one setup and don't run it often but started using a large snap on the end of the rod to hold the diver while I let out line. Mine is on a 7' rod so I just snap the diver to the rod then let out how much leader I want before snapping it in place and unsnapping it from the rod. Much easier to set this way IMO. I can't take credit for the idea, I read it somewhere else.

[mattmishler]

One of our michigan stinger pro staff use these all the time and even made a video to help, they are very effective and won them a lot of money. Enjoy, captain Jason Coslow from the KC1 http://vimeo.com/61677031

[sherman51]

you can use a longer leader and put the slide diver on your leader then when it trips it will slide down the leader to a barrel swivel you place a couple of feet from you lure.

[Long Lines]

I went to the show in Novi last weekend and stopped by the Slide Diver booth....I think I talked to Eric...I think. Anyway, dipsys are a pain when trying to run long leaders...the handlining, storage and deployment w/o tangles of the leaders, etc. Slide divers seem like a reasonably better option if I could get over a few of their apparent issues. Was hoping to get some insight.

I have struggled with:

1.) the diver sliding down the line as you are fishing.

On the main line he described running 50 or 65 lb power pro and using the surgical tub in the main pinch point as well as a plastic tube instead of the spring in the front eye...this crimps a little creating another pinch point on the line to stop sliding. Seemed reasonable.

2.) dealing with the rod during running...the diver now in line to the set up. always pulled my dipsys.

Seems stupid, but I hate tackle bouncing around on my boat. He showed me how he wraps the diver around the rod which works pretty good...I think I may couple that with a bundeez that I picked up this fall...saw them given out during the WMFL.

3.) running low and high slide divers.

They now have weight kits that turn their standard diver into a mag...so you could run both w/o the hand lining if long leads is the ticket.

4.) Eric described exactly what is shown in the KC1 video (sweet lil video...thanks Matt)....wire to 65 lb power pro, a swivel w/ bead to stop the diver from getting down to your spoon or attractor.

I am pretty convinced I will be giving the slide divers another whirl...possibly replacing my dipsys if I never have to store another long leader or hand line again.

[IRon]

I haven't used a regular dipsey in many years. Just slide divers now. I do my wire differently , though.

Also many years ago I read an article in In-Fisherman magazine about junk lines the Lake O guys were using. One was a wire set up with a long mono leader using a Dipsey with a Jettison release. The Jettison acted more or less like a slide diver. The lines were connected together with a 16" section of lead core with the lead pulled out. You'd take the wire and run it inside the leadcore sheath, do an overhand knot, do the same with the mono. I used that for a couple seasons, then I saw the slide divers and switched over to them. Switched over to 80#Power pro to splice the lines together after that came out, too. But I still use 30 feet or so of mono because I like the stretch, and I hate snubbers (there's a story behind that).

Now that I'm getting back into the salmon groove...... I didn't use it last year. But I did use the same rig for a Torpedo Diver and it worked really well, too. Now you guys got me pumped up about setting up my wire rigs again!!! Thanks Guys...

[Rascal Trophy Fishing]

Jason, Eric now owns the Slide-Diver company he bought from Randy's siblings. He's been a mate and capt. in Sheboygan Wisconsin for several decades and knows his business. He's worked on the invention, and has perfected it's usage. The original owner Randy ran a charter that ONLY used slide-divers off a long mast that he perfected in the 1990's. It was a sight to witness this kind of fishing, and it was very successful too.

[Long Lines]

Jason, Eric now owns the Slide-Diver company he bought from Randy's siblings. He's been a mate and capt. in Sheboygan Wisconsin for several decades and knows his business. He's worked on the invention, and has perfected it's usage. The original owner Randy ran a charter that ONLY used slide-divers off a long mast that he perfected in the 1990's. It was a sight to witness this kind of fishing, and it was very successful too.

Very nice guy! He walked me through how he runs his Slide Divers and the improvements with the new weight sets; definitely left his booth feeling like I needed to give that product another shot.

[brokeoff]

where can I buy the heavier weight set? their website has a weight set but it has no description about the weights what so ever.... Good video KC1

[Long Lines]

Not sure...I was going to talk to Eric again at the GR show in March.

[KJ pluggin]

where can I buy the heavier weight set? their website has a weight set but it has no description about the weights what so ever.... Good video KC1

Here is the link to the new 7 oz weight for the slide divers.

[brokeoff]

thanks for the link. im looking at slide divers depth charts and they don't make sense. the first two charts (4oz weight and the mag ring) with an 11in flasher vs 8in flasher: it shows the 11in flasher acheives greater depth with less line out vs the 8in flasher. same wire line, same weight, and same ring.

[KJ pluggin]

Yeah those charts don't make much sense, maybe they were running a different speed or direction when they put them together.

After looking at it a bit closer, down to 60' or so it looks pretty accurate, maybe hit a different current layer down a bit deeper.

[brokeoff]

is a 4oz slide diver similar to a standard #1 diver? if so these slide diver charts aren't even close:

http://www.bloodruntackle.com/more-copper-depth-data-and-wire-diver-depth-numbers/

not trying to start anything just trying to get a general idea of running depth on wire.

[sherman51]

thanks for the link. im looking at slide divers depth charts and they don't make sense. the first two charts (4oz weight and the mag ring) with an 11in flasher vs 8in flasher: it shows the 11in flasher acheives greater depth with less line out vs the 8in flasher. same wire line, same weight, and same ring.

the 11" flasher has more weight than the 8" flasher making it dive deeper. its kinda like a diver will dive deeper at slower speeds. doesn't sound right but the heavier the weight the deeper it will go. make sense??

[brokeoff]

huh ok. i guess im stuck in thinking of how much drag the flasher is creating rather than actual weight.

[mollyputzer]

This year, Slide Diver did purchase a smart troll (www.smarttroll.com) and will be making better, more accurate charts. We will be doing the same thing that Blood Run did with theirs.

Eric

[brokeoff]

nice! looking forward to those results