e- chip on fly

[emtystringer]

I see some talking about tying an e-chip to a fly.What is the opinion on weather it is a general improvement or not over useing just a fly.

[Legacy]

do i think it helps? i dont know. do i think it hurts? definitely not. A couple of years ago i ran a echip on the line of one of my downrigger rods for an entire season. Through observation i didnt feel that it was a huge producer over a non echip downrigger rod. I actually made up some tourny tied fly rigs for this season that are identical except 2 that have echips above the tandom hook and 2 that dont. I plan on doing some on the water side by side testing so well see what happens.

[A-TOM-MIK]

Have to agree with Rob, it certainly hasn't proven itself to hurt.

G-Fly tried it a few years ago without much success, they have pretty much gone away but can be found if you look hard enough.

We added the E chips to our flies at a very expensive commitment last season, the chips themselves come with a heft price-tag. After 1 season with A-TOM-MIK flies w/ E chips our sales (at 7 sport shops and online) averaged 1 in 20 (guessing) in heavy favor of our stock product with our simple stock rattle. We did sell some however and we are continuing on with our manufacture with them, we never had 1 testimonial where an angler was convinced of a definitive advantage? FWIW it was a poor Salmon season on the lake in our Eastern Basin, so maybe this year will tell a better tail of its productiveness, we will see !!

Tom

[emtystringer]

i was just curious because adding this and that to the fly it may kill some of its action andmay not really be worth it.

[raider44]

I think I have taken right around the same amount of fish with e-chips and without e-chips in the past. An E-chip will not call a fish in from 100 yards away, like a doe estrus scent could for a buck- but it could provide a spark of curiosity to some fish and that could be all it takes. I have only used Siggs flies with E-chips, and a few I tied myself that were set up like Siggs... I believe an Echip is an Echip though, regardless the brand of fly it is attached to.

[waterlogged]

Last fall season it seemed the e-chip on the fly was the one we couldn't keep in the water at all. Constntly firing and hooking up - landing many many fish. So we are going that route again this season. Time will tell.

BUT....as we all kow - you tie up 2 identical rigs and run them at the same time and one out and out fires constanlty and the other is a dud. I mean they are identical down to the last minute detail - lenght, beads, paddle, depth, dipsy setting and color or length off the rigger ball - you name it!!!

Or why does one spoon on the port corner rigger take fish constantly when you have the same one on the starboard??

[LongLine]

Clarke

What you say about one lure being hot is definitely true. Does the hot lure fire mostly on turns?

Tom B.

(LongLine)