Dipsy/SD/fly or spoon issues...

[carpedium]

I have not been successful at all using my Dipsy presentations. I have run the standard Dipsy/flasher/fly as well as dipsy/spoon as a last resort. It seems like there is a variation in what people are using for leader lengths. Here is what I have been using:

Dipsy to SD: 24" 30Lb braid

SD to fly: 16-20" Flouro (the A-TOM-MIK fly I bought from Jay-Vee only had a 16" leader on it - so less when you tie a knot. do people blood-knot these to make them longer?)

Dipsy to Spoon: 36" 30lb big game

Do people run flasher/spoons off of a dipsy?

Thanks,

Matt

[dewey123]

I run braid to the dipsy then a 5 foot 30 or 40 lb mono leader to the spin doctor/fly or to the spoon. and about 20-24 inch leadr from spin doctor to fly (depending on size of spinnie). It says on the package you can use a spoon after the spin doctor but i just use a fly.

[Tim Bromund]

holy crap, is that right? you've been running 2' of 30 lb braid between your diver and SD? and 3' to a spoon?

That is your problem. You want the leader between the diver and bait to be as long as possible, minimum 6', longer if you can get away with it. My leaders between the diver and flasher/fly is almost 10 feet of 50 lb big game. For spoons I have 6-7 feet of 20 lb fluorocarbon between the diver and spoon. Obviously, you can't make the leader longer than you can net a fish.

mostly I buy trolling flies unrigged and tie my own leaders, generally 23-24" from back of hook to loop.

Tim

[carpedium]

Thaty'll do it.

Thanks Tim!

[jekyll]

-Rod to dipsy can be wire, braid or mono. I use wire.

-Dipsy to flasher can be mono or flourocarbon (or copolymer). The length should be as long as your rod allows you to net a fish when the dipsy is reeled up to the rod tip. I use about 8 feet of 30# Yozuri copolymer

-Flasher to fly is about 3 lengths of the flasher so, for an 8 inch SD or chip, about 24 inches as a starting point at about 2.2 mph. Faster trolls need a bit longer fly leader and slower trolls need a bit shorter. Anywhere from 20 inches to 27 inches. Your 16 inch leader is far to short except for a 4-6 inch flasher run at slow speed. I suggest you retie the fly with a longer leader using 40-50 lb flourocarbon. Fish Doctor's web site has a good video on how to snell flies. I use 50# seagar to snell flies. I've settled on 22 inch leaders on my flies from the ring on the flasher to the top of the fly head for the majority of my salmon rigs using 8 inch flashers at 2.2 mph.

-Dipsy to spoon should be flourocarbon and anywhere from 4 to 10 feet, with the length no more than you can net a fish with the dipsy reeled up to the rod tip. I use 20-25# flouro for salmon and 12-15# flouro for trout.

Spoons and flasher/fly are both effective off dipsies. Choice is up to the fish so, try them both on any given day and see what they want.