Adding another line

[sstout]

This warm weather has me thinking spring. I would like to add another line and rod to my set up. Just looking for some advice. My current set up is really basic. I have a 16 ft boat and usually fish by myself. I run two downriggers with sliders, one on each side of the boat. Sometimes straight out the back I run a dipsy rod. It's an old downrigger rod and old reel with braid. I don't use it that much, and havnt ever caught anything on it. 

 

For a third rod straight out the back, would it be better to invest in a better dipsy rod set up, or run a lead core or something. The depth of the dipsy depends on what the rest of the spread is. The only problem with running it shallow is that it's not that far behind the boat. Thanks for any advice. Here's a pic of the back of the boat.

[horsehunter]

Leadcore with a 10 colour you can let out as much or as little as you like as long as your not putting it a release and fish behind your riggers down to about 40 feet. I understand the new thinner leadcore will fish even deeper.

I suppose you could use jet divers with your current set up with the depth obtained dependant on the size diver but a collection of divers might cost more than the lead core . Then again there is always spap weights.

Edited December 28, 2019 by horsehunter

[horsehunter]

If you can't find Spap Weights try snap weights

[rolmops]

If it is flexibility of depth that you are after you can try a smaller dipsy diver which will allow you to let it out farther while staying shallow, or go with 200 feet of weighted stainless wire followed with 19 strand stainless. (both are torpedo products) 100 feet of weighted wire will get you down to 20 feet, 200 to 40 and for every additional hundred feet of 19 strand you will go another 20 feet down. A levelwind convector 45 with line counter will serve you well, while the rod can be the same old dipsy rod you have already.

Good luck !

[chowder]

I'd consider the idea of running 1 rigger to one side (with either a fixed cheater or a free slider), 1 dipsy to the other side, and 1 lead core (or a copper) down the chute, let the fish tell you what they want on that given day and whatever is dead- pull it and double up on the hot presentation.

[J.D.]

I have been a small boat fisherman since I started on the lake in 1990. In my opinion, the best addition to your set up would be a Slide Diver. I use clear and black. You can run very long leads in skinny water if needed, run it on either side of the boat, and the diver sliding down the line when released makes netting fish on a small boat alone easy.  Attach flashers to the main line, add a 4-6 ft. length of flourocarbon to the main line for plugs and spoons. Use a snap swivel to attach the leader so the diver doesn't slide down and hit the fish.

[Sk8man]

The bottom line here is that there isn't any one correct answer to the question.....more like "all of the above" as it is all good advice The price tag for all of the stuff mentioned (if you don't already have some of it is not insurmountable). Experiment  - no one method or setup is "best" all of the time. as mentioned let the fish tell you which they prefer but by trying multiple things you'll learn a lot along the way too.

[mr 580]

Get a dedicated dipsey rod setup with braid or wire to run off the side.  IMO a dipsey or slide diver running off the side and away from the boat is much more effective than running straight off the back.  Fishing solo you also have to be aware of which rods have to be cleared to land fish and prevent tangles.  You’ll likely have to limit your cheaters on riggers when you add a third rod.  Another option would be an in line board with a lead core or short copper again putting out a wider spread vs packing more rods behind the boat.

[rolmops]

There is one problem with an extra line to the side on a sixteen footer. Unless it is a very light setup with minimal water resistance you will find that your boat will try to change direction to the side that the extra line on the side is on. The extra line will act as a sort of rudder and the lighter the boat (aluminum?) the more pronounced it will be.

[finsntins]

like sk8man man said,there are a bunch of ways to get an extra line in the water,and each have pros and cons,i fish my small boat bymyself a lot and for me the easiest thing to do solo is just run three riggers,rigger in each corner out to the side and a shoot rigger straight out the back.your shoot rigger will be your deep rigger and stagger the other two above it.i run a 19' now,but had this same exact setup on a 16' tin boat.

[Earl28]

I would suggest you consider a ninja board to move a torpedo snapper line weight line out to a side.

 

 

[sstout]

Thank you everyone for the ideas. I like the idea of running a dipsy off to one side. I run an inline planer off one side with a downrigger on the same side in the spring sometimes and it works well.

 

I think another rigger would be the easiest thing but I dont really want to invest in another rigger. I've got Penns for my other two. 

 

I've toyed with the idea of a lead core straight out the back, and the more I think of it the more I like it. I could see that being pretty easy and effective especially in the spring. I'll keep doing some thinking on that. 

 

How deep can you get lead core to go? Is 50ft max realistic? Then I could set the two riggers below that with fixed cheaters and cover alot of water between let's say 50ft and 80ft

[steelhead'r]

I fish a 16 footer with my brother. we use 2 riggers 2 wire divers and either 2 leads ( 1 color,3 colors or 5 colors) on inline boards or a 7 color or 10 color down the shoot.  Since you're alone with a 3 rod limit i'd use 2 riggers and 1 wire diver.  The diver catches more fish than lead over time

[chowder]

14 hours ago, sstout said:

Thank you everyone for the ideas. I like the idea of running a dipsy off to one side. I run an inline planer off one side with a downrigger on the same side in the spring sometimes and it works well.

 

I think another rigger would be the easiest thing but I dont really want to invest in another rigger. I've got Penns for my other two. 

 

I've toyed with the idea of a lead core straight out the back, and the more I think of it the more I like it. I could see that being pretty easy and effective especially in the spring. I'll keep doing some thinking on that. 

 

How deep can you get lead core to go? Is 50ft max realistic? Then I could set the two riggers below that with fixed cheaters and cover alot of water between let's say 50ft and 80ft

50 down with 10 colors is very feasible as long as you are running spoons- I think a flasher/fly combo creates so much drag it resists getting down there

[sstout]

The more I think about it I am leaning towards a dedicated wire dipsy rod. I think it would be a good addition iut the back. Then I still have my makeshift braid dipsy rod if need be. I'm curious about trying wire. I actually stopped using my braid dipsy rod when the fleas came since it got so gummed up. 

 

I'm thinking an okuma coldwater reel spooled with 1000' ft of bloodrun wire on a 9 or 10 ft dipsy rod to get some distance either out the back or out the side. The plan would be to have the wire dipsy be the high line and then the two downriggers set below that. 

 

[Earl28]

Wire lines are great. If they tangle they cut every thing. If you are only running and carrying 3 rods why would you make one of them wire. If your carrying 6 to 8 rods get 2 of each. (C,LC,W,M)

One person run one rigger with prob and two long line.

Two person run 2 riggers and 4 long lines.

Easy peasy and you'll catch them all day. GOOD LUCK

[Charlie P]

I fished a lot solo a couple seasons ago, ran 2 riggers and a wire dipsey or 2 dipsey and a rigger. I don't know why but I didn't run copper when I fished solo. I was going to one day and then I doubled and figured it was enough of a Chinese fire drill especially with an inline planer board.

Never had an issue with my wire set ups cutting anything off. 

[wishinfishin]

Wire divers are the ticket. Good luck with your decision.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-J327A using Lake Ontario United mobile app

[sstout]

I think I'm sold on the wire diver idea. The first plan would be to run it straight out the back with a smaller dipsy to get more distance from the boat. But it still gives the option to run it off the side as well. Through bloodrun tackle they have a place that pre spools the wire, and upgrades the drag on the okuma reels and then ships them. Seems like a nice idea. I will have to look into it more. Thanks for all the advice. 

[horsehunter]

On 12/28/2019 at 10:16 AM, rolmops said:

If it is flexibility of depth that you are after you can try a smaller dipsy diver which will allow you to let it out farther while staying shallow, or go with 200 feet of weighted stainless wire followed with 19 strand stainless. (both are torpedo products) 100 feet of weighted wire will get you down to 20 feet, 200 to 40 and for every additional hundred feet of 19 strand you will go another 20 feet down. A levelwind convector 45 with line counter will serve you well, while the rod can be the same old dipsy rod you have already.

Good luck !

 

This intrigued me I have never used 19 strand or even seen weighted steel out of the package.

Why is the weighted steel followed by 19 strand rather than just more weighted steel if the sink rate is the same and ist the reel filled or is there another braid or mono backer?

Are there differences in 19 and 7 strand sink rates?

I do sort of recall hearing somewhere that 19 strand was more forgiving of kinking than 7 strand but more prone to fraying .

[rolmops]

7 hours ago, horsehunter said:

 

This intrigued me I have never used 19 strand or even seen weighted steel out of the package.

Why is the weighted steel followed by 19 strand rather than just more weighted steel if the sink rate is the same and ist the reel filled or is there another braid or mono backer?

Are there differences in 19 and 7 strand sink rates?

I do sort of recall hearing somewhere that 19 strand was more forgiving of kinking than 7 strand but more prone to fraying .

19 strand is just as flexible as most mono filament and extremely thin for its weight. On top of that it has very little water resistance.

Now any  leadcore or copper will continue sinking if you let out more backing. the thinner the backing the better the sink rate (unless it is some big highly water resistant backing), but in the case of weighted steel and 19 strand the sink rate remains the same. 20 feet per hundred feet. 200 weighted steel + 200 19 strand, will put you at 80 feet down.

7 strand steel wire has far more resistance in the water because of its diameter and its shape.

[Legacy]

9 hours ago, horsehunter said:

 

This intrigued me I have never used 19 strand or even seen weighted steel out of the package.

Why is the weighted steel followed by 19 strand rather than just more weighted steel if the sink rate is the same and ist the reel filled or is there another braid or mono backer?

Are there differences in 19 and 7 strand sink rates?

I do sort of recall hearing somewhere that 19 strand was more forgiving of kinking than 7 strand but more prone to fraying .

 

 

19 strand ss and 7 strand are the same diameter. 30# is all very close in diameter give or take .002". The upside to 19 strand is it may have a softer feel to it but the problem is far from durable. Break a single strand and let me know how you feel about it when you have to cut a couple hundred feet off the spool. I have used the product and it became very frustrating throughout the season.

The idea of using SS wire for backing is insane. I would never suggest putting wire in any planer board release and the only smart application would be to use as a chute rod. 

The idea of weighted steel having the same sink rate as copper is misleading. When the product was introduced it was offered in a 60#. The 60# weighted steel had a similar sink rate as 45# copper. The 60# seems to have disappeared and replaced with 45#. The current 45# weighted steel does not achieve the same depths as 45# copper. Simple math...close to the same diameter but not nearly the same weight. Dont believe the hype.

Is it another option similar to leadcore and copper... yes. Does it have its place? Maybe. But certainly not in the matter in which it is advertised.

[Legacy]

On 12/28/2019 at 9:25 AM, sstout said:

This warm weather has me thinking spring. I would like to add another line and rod to my set up. Just looking for some advice. My current set up is really basic. I have a 16 ft boat and usually fish by myself. I run two downriggers with sliders, one on each side of the boat. Sometimes straight out the back I run a dipsy rod. It's an old downrigger rod and old reel with braid. I don't use it that much, and havnt ever caught anything on it. 

 

For a third rod straight out the back, would it be better to invest in a better dipsy rod set up, or run a lead core or something. The depth of the dipsy depends on what the rest of the spread is. The only problem with running it shallow is that it's not that far behind the boat. Thanks for any advice. Here's a pic of the back of the boat.

 

 

The standard progression would be wire diver rods. They will be a great addition. Personally I would probably run 1 downrigger and 2 diver rods in your setup if it was just 3 rods. Leadcores and coppers would be the next play.

[Sk8man]

26 minutes ago, Legacy said:

 

 

The standard progression would be wire diver rods. They will be a great addition. Personally I would probably run 1 downrigger and 2 diver rods in your setup if it was just 3 rods. Leadcores and coppers would be the next play.

Real good advice for much of the season. You do however have to take into account the differences in seasons too. such as the Spring and Fall when the fish are in close and the wires may not be the top choice in shallow and it also depends a bit on the main species you are after during those times It pays in the long run to have a variety of set-ups so that you can optimize your fishing strategies throughout the seasons. You can accrue different setups gradually along the way and frequently there are some very good bargains on LOU so it doesn't have to be outrageously expensive if done gradually and carefully. If you choose good quality equipment and do your homework you may only have to do it once. I have had some of my equipment for 30-40 years and it is still working fine and newest and most expensive is not always best.

Edited December 30, 2019 by Sk8man

[horsehunter]

May be worth checking out if you are at all close would give you a lot of flexability