Several of our Steelheader outings have a 6 rod limit , I don't like it but it's the rules so I will set up early with a 4 rigger and sliders on all of them and then 2 divers , 1 power-pro and 1 wire line. As it gets light out we will start switching depending on the action but most of the time I will pull one of the center riggers and put out a full core or double core down the center and then switch one of the other riggers to a S.W.R. with a spoon and the other center rigger will get an attractor/fly combo { red/glow spin doctor and mirage fly or blue glow spin doctor/and mirage or green crinkle fly }. The center rigger I pull is the one with my probe on it but I will put the probe back down and keep watching my speed with it and I may have a large attractor running tight to the weight with no lure to draw fish in. My other riggers { Walker Duo-Temp Sense } will still be giving me my down temp. so I can keep an eye on temp. If the wire diver is hot I switch the power-pro slide diver to wire or vice-versa , if the divers are not working then I may put out the inline boards with a 7 color and 1/2 core. I try to get my kings as early as possible and then we will rip and run offshore for steelhead and run the inline boards with mono and bead chain sinkers , at least 2 to start with and 2 slide divers set high and 2 riggers , then if the boards start hopping then we will pull the unproductive stuff and switch them to inline boards , if the divers are hot we will go with 4 divers if we can or 3 divers and 3 riggers but with a little longer lead and 1 will be a S.W.R. to get down about 25 feet. With the riggers we will run all fixed sliders to try to help the hook up ratio. When fishing early on the day I look for fish on the graph and target the fish zone but as the day goes on or if I'm not marking fish I try to find the coldest water I can and fish just above it with at least on rigger , my big kings come from the deep and cold rigger or from my 1 pound ball rig set deep. I have some good honey holes between Manistee and Ludington that have been very good to me so these are the areas I set up in unless I have prefished and found something else to start the morning with. I can be on the fish in about 20 to 30 min from Manistee or if we are fishing Ludington tournament I can still be on the fish in about the same time using the same waypoints and trackplots. I like to have my auto pilot run from waypoint to waypoint when fishing and then reverse the course and hit the spots from a different direction , if no action then we move out or in just a little and start over , I normally start on the shallow side and work off the bank if the traffic allows and let the riggers follow the bank down if I can. As the day wears on we almost always find the the fish havn't went much deeper but they are out over deeper water , not always but most of the time or they are in the same area but tight to the bottom like trout. Every body does things a little different but this is my typical setup. I like to have my radio on and listen to what is going on during the day , more for the entertainment value but I try not to pay attention to what the details that people are talking about because then I start second guessing my self and normally my first instinct is better.
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I really can't give a set answer to that one except it depends. My spread changes at the drop of a hat depending on what's working, how deep the action is, fun fishing or tournament fishing etc. I'd definitely run sliders on any downriggers to maximize the number of lures. I guess I could list some probable six line spreads but they'd only be starting points.
Shallow water/Early spring: One rigger with long lead to a 3-way rig/stick bait under spoon, two slide divers with long leads/ one with stick bait and one with spoon, one board with 2-5 colors core, two boards one with 3-way/stick under spoon and one with stick.
Deep water: Two riggers with sliders/one fixed and one free, one wire dipsey, one braid dipsey, two leadcores of various lengths on boards.
Shallow water/Fall harbor patrol: Two riggers/ one with long lead to J-Plug type lure and one with short lead to flasher and fly and fixed slider with spoon, Two slide divers with long leads/ one with stick and the other a J/stick/spoon/flasher and fly, and two boards/ one with J and the other a wiggling/rattling/irritating crankbait.
Three or more people is ideal but two is much better than one even though I've probably fished alone more times over the years than with crew so I'm confident I can put together a productive 3 line spread. It just takes longer to crack the code with fewer lines.
Jim...I Fish Therefore I Am
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It's a three-way swivel with one lead to a diving bait, one to a spoon and one to your rod. A good way to add an extra lure to your spread while still using the same number of rods. A true running lure is a must to avoid a rat's nest.
Jim...I Fish Therefore I Am
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Not as long as you deploy them slowly, use a true running bait, and use a shorter lead to the diver(~3') and a longer one to the spoon(~6'). The diver will be digging for bottom while the water resistance will keep the spoon straight behind the swivel. But yeah, they do get tangled sometimes.
Post edited by: wingnut, at: 2004/12/23 20:35
Post edited by: wingnut, at: 2004/12/23 20:36
Jim...I Fish Therefore I Am
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I fish alone most of the time, and I always set dipseys first, just because they are fastest to set, then a rigger with a slider. After a short while of inactivity I will set another rigger. just easiest for me.
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Hey Red, glad to see you over here! I'm SalmonShark over there on Lake Link. There was already a WingNut when I tried to sign up.
Have you ever tried this? once you've started letting a dipsey out, throw the lever and then loosen the drag so that you can set the rod in a holder while the line goes out at a controlled rate. You can then start your second dipsey in the same manner and often be able to set your downrigger in time to stop the first dipsey at the desired line out.
Jim...I Fish Therefore I Am
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Wingnut, Yes I've tried your method of setting dipseys, it was working great until a screamer picked one up and the last I saw was 600 foot on my reel and he was headed South! I do set them like that most of the time, but with me it's normally the hurrrier I get, the behinder I am. Sure like this site a LOT better then some I could mention.
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The toughest part about fishing solo is netting a fish. After you've done a few it gets easier but green fish are a bugger to net solo. Taking inline boards off isn't very easy either. When I did most of my solo fishing I was in a smaller boat and could steer by moving from one side of the boat to the other. My current boat has a Helmsman remote steering contraption that helps lots. One of my most vivid memories of fishing solo was a 4 year old that did whatever he wanted. The wind was pushing my boat all over and I did several sharp 180's. When I finally got him in the net I heard cheering and applause. Another boat was about 40 yards off my port side and I didn't even know there was a boat in the area. Whewww! That could have ended badly.
Jim...I Fish Therefore I Am
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Tiara 3600. I have a 25 ft, Bayliner, with a bimini top so it's pretty easy for me to get back and forth. No auto-pilot, so it can be hectic trying to land a healthy fish in a chop, especially with a 9 ft. rod and dipsey. Sometimes the fish gets pounded on the nose more than once. My wife isn't able to come with me every week end and my fishing buddy has a young family so I go by myself. A 17 or 18 pound er will get you breathing fast ! Also we live a little over 100 miles from the Lake, so leave the boat at the marina. I'm too old to be launching a boat a 3 A.M. I try to stay as far from other boats as possible, but sometimes it's not possible. I could tell you stories that would bring tears of laughter to your eyes !
Post edited by: Redferrari, at: 2004/12/28 20:42
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