ChampionShip

Set your high diver first, until you get the hang of where it settles in in relation to your other gear, then start setting it up out the back and walk the rod between leadcore and low diver. It's like anything else, takes practice. It's no picnic running 4-5 boards/side but once you do it a few times it becomes second nature.

40 or 50 lb Ande Fluoro leader material for flies, 20 lb pline fluoroclear for leadcore, copper and any other leader that I need. 30 lb mono leader for dipsy's.

I can't say in any kind of honesty that when I have my wire diver back 300ft that it's ACTUALLY 300ft. Line counters aren't even close IMO, better for repeatablity than measuring feet.

I don't see why you wouldn't put your long lines on boards.......I will flatline a jplug down the chute to keep it in the prop wash if steelhead are up high, but don't like a 10 clr or anything in the way for reasons already stated- fish can grab it at any time.

I'll be fishing out of muskegon again. Just started with 300' of copper out the chute two years ago and that rod is insane! Goes off every time, never fails. So I plan on runnin boards this year to hopefully get out a few more long lines. Haven't decided whether to run copper or lead yet, but those lines keep the fish biting, so I need a few more.

If your 300 copper is what's firing, then the fish are deep and leadcore is not the route you want to go. I like having both on board, but if copper is what's getting bit, then copper it is and same for lead. We run at least 4 boards at all times sometimes 8 depending on how many are on board. Those are our most productive setups alongside Torpedo divers (especially when it's calm) Dipsy divers shine for me when waves are at least 1'. 2 riggers is plenty these days, but in the morning they fire and that's the time to have them in FIRST.

What do you like to use to hook up a dipsey?

https://www.torpedodivers.com/scart/product_details.asp?ItemNum=S0020

My divers are sometimes switched over to pump handle style 3-way swivel setups and this makes it easy to switch over and back.

I used to spend the bucks for SPRO and Sampo, but after using Torpedo Swivels all last year I won't ever go back. Cost less too, which is Win-Win.

These for just about everything https://www.torpedodivers.com/scart/product_details.asp?ItemNum=S0015 No twist issues with blades or cut plugs.

These for heavy duty diver applications and such

https://www.torpedodivers.com/scart/product_details.asp?ItemNum=S0020

**I am not affiliated with Torpedo, I just had a good bunch of success with their gear.

I would try warm soapy water (lemon joy) and rinse them thoroughly. Any smell remains, toss it out.

And my experience running both presentations is what tells me that they are not even close to being the same. The material they're made out of is where the similarities stop. Pump handle dive curves are nowhere near what a Torpedo diver curve is, and unless you rig the lb ball with an offshore clip and set it back a long way, they're not similar presentations. There is way more turbulence with a lb ball. Do some research and talk to the people who actually run both in a spread before you conclude that it's just the same s*** in a different pile.

I agree with using 20lb for boards, if the fish doesn't break your line, any diving of a planer board will. As for depth precision, I have never noticed a difference in how deep or effective any of my rigs are with 20 lb test vs 25 lb. If it made an inch of running depth I'd be surprised.

Just use 1 lb balls or dont bend the fins on the torpedos......1lb ball 2$ 12 oz torpedo $20 the choice is obv

No, it's really not an obvious choice. Check Midwestshooters in Lomira, you can get Torpdeo divers at a steal. lb balls and Torpedo's are completely different presentations, the only thing similar is that both weights are made of lead, that's about it.

Doesn't Depthraider make one now? Can a trollmaster be retrofitted?

Add a swivel and tie a palomar knot to it.

I stay in Sturgeon bay, when in Algoma do you stay at Big lake campground? If you do look up my good friend Tony Castle, he does torpedo's extremely well under alot of conditions. I have a full set and with all the reports I have heard will be in my spread come this summer.

That's exactly where I got my education with Torpedo divers. Tony is the frickin master with those things.

Algoma Wi.

Me too.

You can have a lead length however long you want, Torpedo recommends 50 most of the time for stealth. I think it goes out to the side like a standard Dipsy set on 3 (DIRECTIONAL ONLY), exact distance depends how far out it is. In your case, you can definitely sneak one between rigger and high diver and until you get about 30 ft or so the diver curve is like 1:1 for line out vs depth gained. Very effective at the preditor ambush position that Keating talks about. Gets kinda dicey in high waves though.

Albrights like to grab on Okumas is my experience, which can break them easily. The SPRO swivel looks like it would grab, but I've never had it happen with a wide mouth guide. Ryan from Calumet Marine did a test of the two to see which was smaller by checking with a micrometer, the spro won by a long shot

SWR is on a Charter Special as is my light line rig which has 15lb ande with 15lb fluoro leader (pline I think), Fugly Stick 7' ML rods. Backing and leader on SWR is 20 lb mono. Flasher rigs are 20 lb mono on daiwa 47lc's and I forget which rods are on there right now. Running a 4 rigger set I usually have FF's on the out-down and spoons in the deeper set inside riggers. Drag is huge for riggers since the fish tend to take a pretty good rip or 2 close to the boat causing a panic. I wouldn't want a rookie touching the drag on a fish ,let alone one with 12 lb test on a Charter, but fun fishing should be fine.

If you're paying $1 per swivel, you need to look at the snap swivels from Torpedo Diver, they're flat out awesome and IMO every bit as good as SPRO or Sampo I've used for half the cost.

I've got the Okuma Convector 55. I'm looking to join my copper to my backing to using a #3 spro heavy duty swivel and was wondering if anyone using the same setup has had problems with the swivel jamming on the reel guide?

Should be ok if you have the bigger line guide, but I prefer the regular ant swivel in 50 lb test. Shrink wrap helps the line flow in and out of the guide as well which is an issue I saw potential for when we used to run albrights.

i use a regular #10 spro swivel, not the power swivel

I've used both and like the regular swivel better due to its smaller size. I use the smallest shrink wrap I can find (can't recall size 3/32" I believe). It's important to tie the mono splice on AFTER letting the shrink wrapped copper cool down. Improved clinch knot ties mono to the swivel. I have had copper snap during a stress test before my knot or the mono does.

Had TONS of problems with ablright knots over a few years of fishing copper and it didn't seem to matter who was tying it or how much we kept an eye on it, it still frayed and caught guides causing backlash and would on occasion just plain break off......one lost section of copper was all it took to make me switch. This setup I run now is flawless and very easy to deploy.

Torpdeo Divers will get it done a little more efficiently, but there's nothing quite like a pump handle spread. Set it out slow straight out the back of the boat, the trick is to stop the line counter where you want it, then count to like 30 or so for the ball to rise into its running position, then clip on the board, let it wayyyyy back down the middle, then reel it into position in your spread of boards. Kinda tricky doing the middle of a 3 or 4 board side, but can be done if you're careful and don't turn even a degree while setting.

They'll fit 45's according to him

Ditch the metal clicker for a teflon style and call Tuna for an upgraded gear box.......takes your convector to 6.1 instead of 4.1 retrieve ratio.

75 was a stud for me last year, 150 too

Chrome and flashy stuff on sunny days, white and bold colors when it's cloudy.