Some rigging questions

[jdh]

(1) Lead core knots - I've been using Uni to Uni knots without any problems. I see people talking about the Willis knot. Why would I change anything if I have never had a uni-uni fail?

(2) Big Weenie Meat rigs - the ones I have come with a bead-chain swivel. If I want to us it on the Spin-Doctor can I just cut it off and hopefully have no line twist problems?

(3) Flasher speed w/ meat rigs - Will the 10" Spin-Doctors and Wiener Flashers work at similar speeds? I guess the question is can I run them together and have success on both running the same speed?

(4) 00 Dodger & Peanut Fly speed - Do i generally want to go as fast as the dodgers will allow before spinning out? Does setting them up backwards change the movement or tolerable speed?

(5) Spoon Speeds - I see a lot about how people tend to troll fast with spoons. Which of the following would be fast vs slow types of spoons?

Stinger Standard & Stingray

ProKing

Big Lake Lures (BLL)

Dreamweaver SS

Dreamweaver Standard

(6) If I'm running at slower speeds ( e.g. Dodger & Spin-n-glow), would it make sense to maybe try some casting spoons such as the Moonshine or little cleo or K.O. Wobbler.

(7) Plugs - do they work fast and slow? Like 2 mph up to 3.5 mph.

Hopefully this give some people the opportunity to share some information!

Thank you for any info you provide.

-jdh

[killerbe20]

I will do my best to answer some of your questions while short on time.....

(1) I prefer the willis not for its small profile and simplicity.

(2) although I have had success with meat rigs, others on here fish them much more than i do so i will let them chime in

(4) I fish my dodgers and peanut flys about 1.8 on my depth raider, same as everything else. I do not believe dodgers spinning is a bad thing. It will still whip the fly just as designed. I have never tried running them backwards.

(5) again my target speed is 1.8 on my depth raider. I will let others determine whether that is fast or slow....My top producing spoons are by far Dreamweaver SS. Even when I do slow down for trout or speed up to cover ground they still are very productive spoons.

(6) Anything is worth a shot! The smaller Dreamweaver SS and Stinger spoons may be a better option for good action with slow speeds.

(7) I do not fish plugs much except fall fishing and then it is more about aggravation so this is one time speeds vary considerably for me

[gmfishon]

you can catch fish on plugs at a variety of speeds. i fish them a lot before the typical fall time when most tend to run them. they will catch fish strectched back from the ball trolling fast for active fish or slow trolled for the fall stageing fish.

[SeaCatMich]

My answers are below.

(1) Lead core knots - I've been using Uni to Uni knots without any problems. I see people talking about the Willis knot. Why would I change anything if I have never had a uni-uni fail? I love the UniKnot but I have had them fail if not tied correctly. Never had a Willis fail

(2) Big Weenie Meat rigs - the ones I have come with a bead-chain swivel. If I want to us it on the Spin-Doctor can I just cut it off and hopefully have no line twist problems? I replace the leader barrel swivel on all of my SDs with a pigtail swivel. This allows me to change between different baits easily without a new knot each time

(3) Flasher speed w/ meat rigs - Will the 10" Spin-Doctors and Wiener Flashers work at similar speeds? I guess the question is can I run them together and have success on both running the same speed? I run both SD and BW flashers in the same spread a lot of the time. But I rarely run meat off the SDs

(4) 00 Dodger & Peanut Fly speed - Do i generally want to go as fast as the dodgers will allow before spinning out? Does setting them up backwards change the movement or tolerable speed? Not a clue

(5) Spoon Speeds - I see a lot about how people tend to troll fast with spoons. Which of the following would be fast vs slow types of spoons?

Stinger Standard & Stingray

ProKing

Big Lake Lures (BLL)

Dreamweaver SS

Dreamweaver Standard

Not familiar with the BLL spoons but the others will run at a wide speed range but are better at faster speeds 2 mph+. Slow speed spoons typically have a bigger cup/bend or are wider across

(6) If I'm running at slower speeds ( e.g. Dodger & Spin-n-glow), would it make sense to maybe try some casting spoons such as the Moonshine or little cleo or K.O. Wobbler. Might work. I have had success running Loco spoons in the spread with dodgers. Most others also work but Yeck and Northport Nailers run well at slow speeds.

(7) Plugs - do they work fast and slow? Like 2 mph up to 3.5 mph. I have caught plenty of fish on regular Jplugs and Silver Hordes from 1.5 to 3 mph. Ace High type plugs run cleanly at higher speeds but I have not run them slower so I can't speak to that.

[jdh]

Thanks for the responses! I'm all geared up with spoons, spin doctors, meat rigs, dodgers, body baits & plugs.

I am trying to come up with spread ideas for this season and I don't want to be running 9 lines with only 3 or 4 of them "effective". If I experiment with anything I'll be sure to let people know if it worked!

I was wondering about slow spoons becuase typically when i'm fishing off the piers - the slower spoon retrieves often work best.

Ryan, BLL are sold in only a few places (made in Holland I think) but I know a few people who really like them. I got a good number of fish on them last October before I put the boat away.