Wire dipseys... To run Snubbers or not run snubbers that is the question

[bobbyboy26]

So I've got one party saying no we don't run snubbers lose fish. Got other people saying run snubbers or your losing gear. I'm sure there has been debate on here over this before but I would like to hear it first hand. I just bought snubbers for my dipseys and buddy I fish with says there junk and we will lose more than we will catch

[John E Powell]

This a Ford vs Chevy type question that has been asked before and hashed over in the past with no concensus, nor do I predict this time will settle either.

 

Pro snubber camp says snubbers keep fish on the hook better once hooked, Anti snubber camp says snubbers don't give as good a hookset as without running snubbers. I only run them on steelhead/rainbow lines fished shallow when they are likely to skyrocket out of the water numerous times. IMO the drag of the line through the water is all the snubber you need. That's why I would run a snubber for jumping fish, at that time there is not drag on the line between the fish and diver.

Edited July 15, 2013 by John E Powell

[Sk8man]

John summed it up real well. Past that it boils down to personal preference...there is no right or wrong to it.

[Don Supon]

I think it was Pap that posted using them helps at the time of netting the fish. Logical.

[brettsplace]

My opinion especially in a wire diver scenario is to run snubbers. There is zero stretch with wire and braided lines. Salmon sometimes strike so hard they can rip there own lip off if there is zero give or stretch to the line. Everyone I fish with myself included runs snubbers all the time on there wire divers.

Hope this helps

Brett 

[TOP SECRET]

I used to run them religiously, now stopped. I feel like I get more hits without them, but lose more fish also...

[JimB]

It's going to be a "toilet paper over the top" or "underneath the roll" question.   Being BRAND new to this, I've read several of the snubber/no snubber threads.   I

think it will come down to time spent on the water, and actual catch experience.   May take a few years to figure out what works best for me/you, but hey, can  you think of a better

way to spend a few years?

[Richard]

I am on the no snubber side.

[TOP SECRET]

It's going to be a "toilet paper over the top" or "underneath the roll" question. Being BRAND new to this, I've read several of the snubber/no snubber threads. I

think it will come down to time spent on the water, and actual catch experience. May take a few years to figure out what works best for me/you, but hey, can you think of a better

way to spend a few years?

I worked at P&G making Charmin and THERE IS a correct way to do toilet paper, over the top. Just sayin

[bobbyboy26]

Hahaha I like the toilet paper analogies. And yes there actually is a correct way to use toilet paper. However it was shafted onto the cardboard core, you want to run it off exactly opposite. Haha but yeah we had a huge rip on the dipsey and lost a fly. So I was thinking well the snubber would help with that for sure. I guess it's definitely a preference then. Ill run one rod with and one without and compare the ratio of fish to the boat. So to the guys that are not running snubbers though, what pound test are you running from you dipsey to flasher? I'm think inning your not running the snubber you had better have some serious line to withstand a hard hit

[TOP SECRET]

50lb

[Poles293]

I run snubbers on my wire dipsy rods when I am using mag divers to get deep. I prefer the Dreamweaver type over the surgical tubing types. The DW's don't seem to have as much stretch. My typical setup is wire to mag diver, DW snubber, 6 ft of 40 lb to the spinny and about 22 " of 50 lb fluro to the fly. If I'm using a regular 001 dipsy I don't use a snubber. I found that the mag divers on wire put a lot of extra pressure on the setup and I hook and land more fish with the snubber and the mag diver.

[John E Powell]

...we had a huge rip on the dipsey and lost a fly. So I was thinking well the snubber would help with that for sure...

If you lost a fly but not the attractor, you had either a nick in the fly line, or the line may have fouled on the hook itself and been cut by the hook. In either case, it is unlikely a snubber would have made any difference given your line between the diver and attractor held up to the load of the fish (and is probably 1/2 the lb test of the fly line that broke).

Edited July 16, 2013 by John E Powell

[bobbyboy26]

This makes a bit more sense as we were running mags over the weekend. I just bought some 001 tho so ill try not running the snubber with them and see how it works out.

[Adk1]

I am not running snubbers and have never been out there yet. learning this as  I go but from what I have learned, more reason not to run them

[Chautauqua Tony]

Don't need snubbers if you know how to set your drag right.

[hawkeye625]

We run 30lb big game between the dispy and flasher with no snubber...the mono seems to stretch enough to keep from breaking off on the initial hit.  Ran snubbers for half a season and seemed to loose more fish with them.  As others said....personal preference, set your drags right and you should be fine.

[Tim Bromund]

I haven't run a snubber in years.  No need IMO, unless perhaps if you cheap out on the reel and get ones with crappy jerky drags.

 

Tim

[BAZOOKAJOE]

We run 30lb big game between the dispy and flasher with no snubber...the mono seems to stretch enough to keep from breaking off on the initial hit. Ran snubbers for half a season and seemed to loose more fish with them. As others said....personal preference, set your drags right and you should be fine.

I do the same. But with the banana poles i use (aka star fires) they have a lot of bend. Depends on the rod, IMO. I personally don't like that yo-yo feeling of fighting a fish with one.

[John E Powell]

Went out fishing on a friends boat who has not run snubbers for years. So he shows up and announces to the crew that he want's to give snubbers a try cause he thinks "they've come a long way from the soft tube snubbers with the braid inside that we used years ago." A hush fills the deck of the boat as the crew, stunned by this revelation, attempts to digest this bit of news; I think I managed to give a Spock-like quizzical raised single eyebrow and muttered something like ... but ... but ...

Test conditions checklist:

 

Two identical rigs consisting of Shimano Talora 7' roller diver rods, and Tekota 600LC reels, 19 strand torpedo wire, and mag size dipsy divers. One rigged with a snubber, one without. Both rigged with equal total leader length behind the diver. 8" Spin Doctors rigged with identical 23" fly leader lengths. Drags set just tight enough to prevent slipping, plus 1 arm of the star drag lever (to prevent slipping in turns). Hooks of tournament-rigged fly checked and all 4 hook points deemed "sticky sharp" on each fly (hooks recehecked and sharpened/replaced as necessary throughout test period)

Water conditions were near calm at time of test. Also, it was noted that water conditions had been stable for a number of days preceding test and there was little to no significant current observed during the testing period.

Target fish: Salmon.

 

Linecounter readings between reels: held within 25 feet of eachother during time test was performed, but varied from 165-225 feet from the boat.

 

Test results:

 

• Fish one, day one, snubber rig: Fish lost - approximate time from hookup to losing fish <= 2 seconds. Analysis: failure to set hook deeply in jaw of fish. Likely cause - crew agreed snubber, captain felt not enough info to determine cause at that time.

 

• Fish two, day one, clean rig: Fish landed.

 

• Fish three, day one, clean rig: Fish landed.

 

• Fish four, day two, snubber rig: Fish lost - approximate time from hookup to losing fish <= 1.5 seconds. Analysis: failure to set hook deeply in jaw of fish. Likely cause - crew agreed snubber, captain in a reluctant tone, agreed snubber.

 

• Fish five, day two, clean rig: Fish landed.

 

• Fish six, day two, snubber rig: Fish lost - approximate time from hookup to losing fish <= 4 seconds. Analysis: failure to set hook deeply in jaw of fish. Likely cause - captain and crew agreed snubber.

No further data is available as testing called to a halt by the captain. The captain directed crew to "get rid of it" - "it" clearly being understood by the crew to be the snubber.

Are snubbers worth running? You be the judge.

Edited August 1, 2013 by John E Powell

[fishuntrapper]

nice test. what #test and length of leader from dipsy?

[Steve.e]

If you don't like snubbers, here's a little trick I read about concerning rigging loss due to salmon slams on dipsey set ups. Set diver to desired depth, put a #15 rubberband on the wire just ahead of reel(one end of band slid through loop on other end) . Loop other end of band to reel handle. This allows you to loosen the drag on reel.Slowly loosen the drag untill the band starts to stretch, test elasticity of band first, so you will know the braking point. With a diver out deep and with salmon speeds for trolling, there is way to much tension on the line which requires a heavy drag setting to keep the line from pulling out. Hence, salmon wacks the already way too tight drag and you loose rig and possibly pole and will probably rip the hook through his lip. With the rubber band you can loosen the drag to about 3-4 lbs which should be plenty to set a hook on a pig king. I haven't tried this yet but it sounds logical to me.

Edited August 2, 2013 by Steve.e

[GAMBLER]

Like Tim, I do not run snubbers. I believe you get better hooks sets with a properly set drag, dipsy trip tension and quality reels.

[Trorun]

I realize this is an old topic on running dipseys, but I  would like your opinions on the following.  is there any advantage or experienced knowledge of an advantage to running a length of fluorocarbon 40 to 50 lb ahead of your diver between the diver and the wire line. 

[spoonfed-1]

25 minutes ago, Trorun said:

I realize this is an old topic on running dipseys, but I  would like your opinions on the following.  is there any advantage or experienced knowledge of an advantage to running a length of fluorocarbon 40 to 50 lb ahead of your diver between the diver and the wire line. 

No.