Stacking lines with Cowbells

[tj13825]

Hi everyone this is my first post to the site however I have been reading as much as I could for the past two months this isite is dull of great information. I have been trolling for now many years and have stacked lines in several different ways using slip sliders, fixed sliders, and also second rods with fixed releases. I have always done this while trolling only spoons on both the high and low lines. Recently I went on a charter and was introduced to the cowbell peanut setup and we hammered the lakers. I bought a bunch of set ups and have done pretty well myself with them fishing only one line on the D/R. I want to add more lines in the water and I have a few questions

 

1) When running a cowbell on the bottom do you guys run stackers above them or do they get tangled when released from a fish or bottom?

 

2) When running any kind of stacker is the top line always just a spoon, plug, diver, etc.. without a flasher/dodger/spin dr?

 

3) What distances above the cowbell will you run the stacker and how far back (in general) I run my cowbells 10-15' off the ball?

 

4) Also does the same apply if I am running a dodger/flasher spin dr on the bottom instead of a cowbell?

 

Thanks everyone

 

Terry

[momay4000]

Hi everyone this is my first post to the site however I have been reading as much as I could for the past two months this isite is dull of great information. I have been trolling for now many years and have stacked lines in several different ways using slip sliders, fixed sliders, and also second rods with fixed releases. I have always done this while trolling only spoons on both the high and low lines. Recently I went on a charter and was introduced to the cowbell peanut setup and we hammered the lakers. I bought a bunch of set ups and have done pretty well myself with them fishing only one line on the D/R. I want to add more lines in the water and I have a few questions

 

1) When running a cowbell on the bottom do you guys run stackers above them or do they get tangled when released from a fish or bottom?

 

2) When running any kind of stacker is the top line always just a spoon, plug, diver, etc.. without a flasher/dodger/spin dr?

 

3) What distances above the cowbell will you run the stacker and how far back (in general) I run my cowbells 10-15' off the ball?

 

4) Also does the same apply if I am running a dodger/flasher spin dr on the bottom instead of a cowbell?

 

Thanks everyone

 

Terry

 

IMO, you are asking for tangles after a release if you run other lines off your cowbell presentation. I run cowbells for lake trout many times and honestly there is no need to stack or slide another lure as you are getting so many hits on the cowbells that you don't need another lure.

 

Good luck,

 

Chris

[Custom Deluxe]

We do fixed spoon sliders usually 10' up from a FF on bottom. I've never done it with cowbells. Honestly for that kind of fishing you really only need 2 riggers with cowbells right on the bottom, i think your asking for trouble adding lines above them

[Sk8man]

A lot of things are possible but that doesn't mean it is always the best thing to do.  What you describe can be done (and has) but is it the most effective use of either the downrigger or the cowbell setup and that is the real question.  I very frequently run a "cheater" setup just a few feet above cowbells......but not on a downrigger.... on a Seth Green rig and often run two of them simultaneously. The purpose of it is very straightforward - the fish is attracted by the blades of the cowbell rig and peanut or Spin-N-Glow and then coming along a relatively short distance behind it (looking wounded) comes a medium weight spoon on a leader that originates about 4 to 6 ft above the cowbell setup on a leader about 15 ft long attached to the main line by a bead chain. It is a VERY effective setup for lakers but it is also bottom oriented (where they usually are) and on a rod (roller tip wire rig) that you can manipulate so that the 2 lb sinker bounces off the bottom creating turbulence that attracts the lakers attention. It is a Finger Lakes rig not for kings . I know some folks bounce downrigger balls off the bottom but in my case I hope it is only accidentally   The cowbells are largely a bottom oriented strategy and stacked downriggers are not the best way of achieving success in that area (although they can be used and have been used there) and they are best used for suspended fish and the best successes with lakers and cowbells are near or at bottom so why not use the cowbell setup in a way geared for maximum effectiveness? Stacking lines on downriggers is mainly a strategy for suspended fish. When I use cowbell setups from down riggers they are usually run close to the weight and just off bottom and best run from shallower to deep and letting out cable as I go (avoiding hangups on bottom).

Edited August 6, 2015 by Sk8man

[tj13825]

• Thanks for all the replies and insight.

Momay 4000 Ok so maybe I was not clear in my first post. I do not want to add a slider or fixed cheater to my cowbell rig. I just want to get another rod in the water above the cowbell on the same D/R.

Sammy Dog/Sk8man thanks  I was thinking that the cowbell set up spinning around would most likely catch the top line on its way up that is why I haven't done it but was wondering if it is a safe practice. You guys have confirmed my thoughts that it will just be trouble.

So when fishing a F/F set up on the bottom is it safe to run a F/F on the top line or is it just a spoon with no attractor?

[Steve.e]

I run bells, lake rigs or hot spots off the ball with 4ft of leader, and set a flutter spoon or spin and glow 2ft above and 4 ft behind the attractor. This eliminates the extra drag bringing in a fish and you can run the attractors real close to bottom and not pick up junk on your bait when attached to the attractors. Also this will allow a stacker to be utilized if wanted. I like fighting just a fish as much as possible.

Edited August 6, 2015 by Steve.e

[jigstick]

if im running cowbells on the bottom I try not to stack that rod.  usually the cowbells are firing pretty consistently.  Why take the chance of a tangled jumbled mess with a 15lb laker on the other end.