Multiple Flashers (spin doctors) in spread

[lakercandy]

Trying to dial in my spread for Oswego area for mid August. Will have 2 down riggers available on boat. Is there a diminishing return of running too many flashers at the same time?  I recall reading somewhere that having too many out can cause confusion and not help. 
 

would running 4 lines (stacked) with 8 inch spin doctors (with spoon or fly) at the same time be a good set up?

 

any tips of running multiple flashers!or 4 rod set?  should they be close together as a group  or run them at different spacing from the ball (one set close and one far).

 

Any pointers will help, thanks! 

 

 

[Reel Chaos]

Do you have divers?? I tend to run spoons on my down riggers and paddles on divers and coppers to start and if that’s working I stick with it if not I will start switching things around 

Edited August 5 by Reel Chaos

[AnglingAddict]

Run one attractor on each rigger (don't stack) and then add a couple divers to your spread and run and attractor on each diver.  We typically have a 7 or 8 rod spread out for kings - this time of year I'll have an attractor on every rod except for maybe my high rigger which will carry a spoon or jplug once the stagers start spending more time out of temp.  

[FishingFool34]

55 minutes ago, lakercandy said:

Trying to dial in my spread for Oswego area for mid August. Will have 2 down riggers available on boat. Is there a diminishing return of running too many flashers at the same time?  I recall reading somewhere that having too many out can cause confusion and not help. 
 

would running 4 lines (stacked) with 8 inch spin doctors (with spoon or fly) at the same time be a good set up?

 

any tips of running multiple flashers!or 4 rod set?  should they be close together as a group  or run them at different spacing from the ball (one set close and one far).

 

Any pointers will help, thanks! 

 

 

Personally I'm not a fan of stacking riggers with multiple rods, especially with FF setups. Too many issues and potential tangles, I'll run sliders on my rigger rods but only with spoons. Get yourself some divers (Dispsey, chinook or slide) and run your other two rods that way. I've never worried about too many attractors in the water at the same time either.

Edited August 5 by FishingFool34

[spoonfed-1]

If you got to stack riggers I always had good luck running flashers and flys off the main line and stacking spoons 10 feet above and 10-15 back of the flashers and flys. Believe me the fish always told me what they preferred. Make adjustments from there. If the fish showed a preference to a certain color whether it be flashers and flys or spoons I would load my spread up with it.

Edited August 5 by spoonfed-1

[GAMBLER]

I have had days when too many flashers in my spread slowed the bite.   IF your rigger bite dies, pull the flasher and go with spoons instead.   I usually run one in the riggers, spoons on the other rods cheated for more lures in the water.  I run 4 divers, 2 with flashers and 2 with spoons.  My two coppers are always pulling flashers.  

[HB2]

Back when cut bait was brand new on the lake I talked to charter guy from Pulaski on an early fly fishing run . He asked if I was running cut bait yet and no I wasn't  . He told me what to get and how to run it . He told me when he ran cut bait he ran 3 rods on 3 riggers spread out  and that was it .  He said he had a 36 ft boat with 5 riggers 12 ft beam  . He said if the kings are down there , they will see the flashers . 

 

So I did what he told me and ran 1 flasher each   on 2 of my 4 riggers and it worked. 

 

Don't crowd the zone  

 

This was before I ran dipsys . 

 

Was like 1989

 

I still kind of fish that way .

 

I agree with Gambler . To much can scare the fish away . And furthermore  , a bad setup can also . 

[lakercandy]

Great tips! Thanks for the heads up to avoid stacking as that was my original plan. I will now pivot to running 2 down riggers and then 2 dipsy rods to start. 
 

angling, you mention using a Jplug, would mid August be too early to use one (as I have some)? 

[AnglingAddict]

On 8/8/2024 at 5:09 PM, lakercandy said:

Great tips! Thanks for the heads up to avoid stacking as that was my original plan. I will now pivot to running 2 down riggers and then 2 dipsy rods to start. 
 

angling, you mention using a Jplug, would mid August be too early to use one (as I have some)? 

If you are seeing fish up high in the warm water then it might not hurt to run one - mid-august for me would be a little early - flashewr/fly's and meat rigs are better option mid-August typically.  If you are only running a 4 rod spread I probably wouldn't sacrifice one of those rods for a j-plug right now.  That's just me though.

[BRsnow]

On 8/8/2024 at 3:09 PM, lakercandy said:

Great tips! Thanks for the heads up to avoid stacking as that was my original plan. I will now pivot to running 2 down riggers and then 2 dipsy rods to start. 
 

angling, you mention using a Jplug, would mid August be too early to use one (as I have some)? 

I run a j plug all year from lake o, to Lake Michigan to lake Oahe, tends to produce the bigger fish all season