Dipsies on mono?

[joejv4]

I know most everyone uses wire with dipsies, but am wondering if anyone uses dipsies with Mono.

I pulled the depth chart from the Luhr-Jensen site, and it is based on 20# mono, which is what all my trolling rods are rigged with.

Do I really need to go the extra expense of wire and the specialized rods needed for wire, or can I get away with running mono?

[voorhees]

Do you absolutely need wire,no. Before switching to wire i caught ton of salmon off mono on the dipsys. The wire makes a big difference though. Get much deeper and faster with wire. The strikes from salmon on a wire rod is unbelievable and the feel of a salmon on wire is a whole different animal. You feel everything, every little headshake.

If i were you just get one spooled up with wire. Once you get the first one on wire i am pretty sure you wont mind spending the extra cash on it.

No more setting the hook 15 times then reeling in 100 feet just to keep setting the hook trying to pop that dipsy with 300 feet of mono out there. I so dont miss that. One gentle pull and the dipsy pops with wire. So many advantages to wire, i am sure if you run one this year with wire and get a few on it you will be switching to wire on all your dipsys

[rshubuck]

Amen too that. Last year when I got my boat I ran 30# mono untill I was able to afford wire. I can't say I want to go back. You can not go as deep and you must let out just that much more line causing even more stretch. One of the biggest reasons you should switch to wire is the water fleas. They build up on the mono line BAD and at certain peaks of the year you will be stopping to pull the fleas off during a battle! Not fun. Wire just cut right through the stuff. No stretch. Run deeper with less line. Quick snap and your dipsy's release.

I just set up a wire rod for my dad and he wanted it cheap. I bought him the 10' ft diawa accudepth rod for $40. OKuma Magna pro 30LC for $43. 1000' 30#wire for $41. Twillie tip for $8. That will last you for years. The only thing you may want to upgrade is the reel but magna pros are a good reel for the money. I prefer Okuma's convectors my self. Mainly cause of the anti reverse feature. Twice the price though!

[joejv4]

So stretch seems to be the biggest "pro" for making a switch to wite, then fleas seem to be number 2 on the list.

fleas aside, what are your thoughts on braid (power pro, fireline, etc) Those have the smaller diameter (less drag) and no stretch, but don't require special rods.

Where I'm coming from here, is that Lake O trolling is a small part of my overall fishing each year (3-4 outings) so any way I can maximize the gear I've got (7 trolling rods mix-n-match brands with mix-n-match reels) without a ton of additional investment is worth looking at.

When, during the season, do I need to be wary of fleas? So far, I've been lucky and haven't had any problems with them, but have heard that they can get bad.

[rustyrat]

Braid works fine till the fleas show up. Then it really sucks.

RR

[muskybob]

Ditto what voorhees said. Once you try wire you'll never go back to mono on dipseys.

[rshubuck]

Braided line attracks water fleas more so then Mono line but braided line does not have the stretch and runs a little deeper then mono. I understand your delima but really can't stress enough how wire is just that much more effective. I probably catch more fish on wire/dipsy combos then any other line on my boat. Probably somewhere 70 to 90% of my fish are caught on the wire rods. I mainly run 2 wire rods, 3 riggers and leadcore or copper.

Its a great investment. If you don't like it or something changes in money department there are a lot of guys on this site that will take it of your hands for a reasonable price.

[Silver Fox]

I used to use 30# mono a bunch when the fish were up high in the spring, But I found I get a ton of fish w/ the wire only out 40-70'. Coho's and bow's aren't too shy about being near your boat. When you get a rip- that close, the rod just explodes!