excav-downrigger ball speed using a probe.
tmac-everyone I fish with puts the FF combos anywhere from 5 feet off the ball to 30 feet, no more than that. most of time short leads work best.
spoons are a different story. anywhere from 10 to 100 feet back.
dipsys out anywhere from 180 to as much as 350. start with one long and one short then keep adjusting till they start firing and you'll hone in on a good depth.
start with greens whites and blacks then play with the color combos from there.
try glows and darks early then change to brighter colors and chromes when the sun comes up.
pay close attention to what takes shots and what doesn't, and find similar stuff to complement the stuff firing.
try changing up the speed and do a lot of s turns - sometimes your outside rods will fire on the turns (speed up), sometimes your inside rods will fire (slow down).
Good Luck!