Fishing with Wire

[Luck E Reel]

Good morning. I just started fishing with wire on my dipsy's this year. Actually the first time I have had anything on them was Friday. Went out of Sandy and boated 8 for 12. A good morning, but lost every fish I had on, on my dipsy's. I am setting them so there is some drag but not enough to keep from reeling out with a hit. On all three hits, I set the hook? Maybe I shouldn't be doing this as there is no stretch - right? Or, am I not setting the hooks, enough? Thoughts, Comments? Thanks in advance for any replys.

[voorhees]

Morning Lucky e reel, with wire there is no need to set the hook. With the no stretch you can very easily tear threw a fishs mouth, especially trout. You might also wanna invest in a snubber when running wire if you dont do so already. It will help if your pulling the hooks. Are ratio to fish landed/lost are great on the wire without a hook set, just pick up the rod and keep pressure on the fish and you should have some slime on the deck in no time

[Mickey Finn]

Did you sharpen the hooks or use them right out of the package? I sharpen all my hooks. I use a small hook file and then carefully slide the point across my thumb nail. If its sharp it will stick or scracth my nail. If it's not sharp, like most new hooks, it will slide over the nail. This goes for all hooks, not just the ones on your dipsy's. I can't think of any one thing that will increase you catch rate better than sharp hooks.

[Luck E Reel]

Thanks for the responses. I do sharpen every hook, everytime, and after every fish. I was running a snubber , but I surely was setting the hook and I may have had the drags a little too tight. I was running my diver, then a snubber, then about a 6-8ft leader, my spin doc, and then the fly at about 20". Got three nice hits with fish on each time. just couldn't keep them on long enough to make it to the net. Did very good on the downriggers with not loosing any. Again, I agree with you, = Sharp Hooks.

Thanks againa nd best of luck on the water.

[TyeeTanic]

I lost a biggie this weekend too after a 30 min fight. I think the strain on the wire is just ripping the hooks out of their mouths.

If it's a biggie again, I'm going to pull my other rods and slow/stop the boat, probably circle the fish to help land it, always keep the tension on though!

You do need to "set the hook" just to make sure the dipsey pops, otherwise your arm will fall off by the time you get the fish to surface.

Mark

[Tim Bromund]

Mark,

Do NOT set the hook on wire. All you'll do is rip the hooks out of the fish's mouth. If the dipsey doesn't pop on its own, the release on the diver is set too tight. Back the screw off, just a bit. The diver releasing and that sudden lift and change of direction when it pops is key to getting a good hook set. It takes a little playing some times to get the release set properly on a wire diver. It kind of runs a fine line where it doesn't pop on it's own when trolling, yet will trip with just a quick snap of the wrist when you want to bring it in.

Tim

[TyeeTanic]

Tbromund,

It actually is a pain in the backside to get the dipseys set so they don't pop while trolling. I can't tell you how many times I've got the line out 200 ft and then pop goes the wessle! Reel in everything and start over again. So, yes, I do overtighten a bit, but on new dipseys, until you get the clips to loosen a bit, it is really difficult to not have it overtightened.

If they don't pop with a fish on, are you saying just leave it and work against the dipsey?

[TyeeTanic]

By the way - does the same apply to braid line?

[rshubuck]

Yep. Braid is no stretch but this time year there are a lot of fleas.

I don't find it hard to set the dipsys but it does take some practice. As said before it should be a little snap of the wrist and it should pop loose. New dipsys do take a little to break in. Other suggestions is keep your drag loose. When you lift your rod tip up do it in smooth gentle motion. This could be how you are pulling the hooks out. Any fish over ten lbs you have to nurse them in. That may require slowing down. Hope this helps

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[jekyll]

Tbromund,

It actually is a pain in the backside to get the dipseys set so they don't pop while trolling. I can't tell you how many times I've got the line out 200 ft and then pop goes the wessle! Reel in everything and start over again. So, yes, I do overtighten a bit, but on new dipseys, until you get the clips to loosen a bit, it is really difficult to not have it overtightened.

If they don't pop with a fish on, are you saying just leave it and work against the dipsey?

You don't need to put it out to 200 feet to check for the proper tension. Set it out 20 feet and test it. Your dispie will have just as much tension on the release 1 foot under the water as it will at 100 feet.