BlueCollarOutdoors

It always amazes me the different responses you get on these threads. We cought alot of fish on flasher/flys, most off the downriggers but again some on the dipseys. Early season flasher fly was the ticket, straight downrigger bite. Later in the season I think it went back to even with spoons up high doing plenty of damage and deeper the flys were still the trick for us. My biggest of the year just shy of 24 pounds was on a moonshine bloody nose off a 2 color swr on the rigger. We caught plenty of nice kings on an 11 inch protroll (i think) with any green fly you could find. Funny thing with that lure, 2 years ago like a dummy I threw it out with a 20 inch fly on it and it was red hot for awhile. Something happened to that fly dont remember exactly. This year the same flasher was good with a 38 inch fly on it.

Thanks for the kinda words, maybe this week we will get some ice and I can get some screaming drags on a steelhead running downriver.

abHMa-3wFIM I remember a nice edit of "just the hits" being prett popular last winter so I took the time to chop up one of my own. A littel something to get the ticker going again and get us all looking forward to next season. Enjoy.

Well now you got me interested. I run a small boat the shorter rods would certainly be nicer to deal with. I used 8 foot 6 for the rigger rods, really just because thats what I was finding to work with. I will turn those into extra planer board rods when the time comes and give the 6 footers a shot. For me on a small boat, what I find important is the angle or depth from the back of the boat to where the rigger line gets underwater. If i can get the rigger line down at 10 feet instead of 30 feeet then I have a shorter "chute" to pull fish and net. Also if the fish gets a little wild at the back of the boat it will usually go over the top of the other rods instead of into it.

If was got the cash for something better listen to the guys here. I have heard nothing but good things about the 7 foot ugly sticks. If your not looking to break the bank I have had no problems with 8 foot 6 silver bay downrigger rods like 15 bucks at fleet farm. There a medium light rod I think, plenty of backbone for big fish but a nice soft tip. Good luck out there.

Depends on the situtions. Once you find some baits your have confidence in you will not jump to pull them off the lines. In the morning start with baits kinda high in the colum, and dropped them a few feet every 10 or 15 minutes until you find some and go from there. If your still out there at 9 30 am and your on a cold spell, dont assume your spread or baits or junk, there just generally off the feed. In kewaunee I always have a green on green flasher of some sort out. I also catch alot of fish on my color leadcore with an orange spoon, and high diver out about 150 on a number 3 with a white/green 8 inch protroll or opti with same colored fly at 24 inches over the years has always been steady. But maybe thats just because they worked a few times so I like ot keep them in the water?

Getting out for the prime morning and night bites would make alot of difference. Alot of us look like hereos for 1.5 hours in the morning and dusk and then cant buy a bite mid day. Bascially you do some things wrong and get away with it becuase the fish are much more actually typically during that time. If there not biting in one area, cover water, search, keep grinding.

Welcome the the site and why dont you break down what your running and on what rods as a general spread. Your speed should be ok. Things like leader lenghts from dipsey to spoon, flasher to fly, and leads off the downrigger are all very important too. Repeat whats working that day, and keep a log of hte fish you get and the conditions. It all helps in time.

20 pound big game on everything for me with no issues or breakoffs. I let em run if they wanna run though. jeff z, on divers I usually go 7 feet on a f/f setup and 9 for a spoon. Thats on a small boat without an arch or anything over head to get in the way. I just back up a few feet and raise my arms to the moon and we dont have any trouble netting fish.

Everything your doing sounds fine to me. The 2 snubbers seems like overkill though. Im only running 20 pound test and have never had a fish break the line yet, and they really thump it hard at impact, fine by me. If there still on after the first 5 seconds they should stay on. If they really get wild back there just loosing the drag a touch.

Nice trip kyle, way to bring back the magic of the flounder too, I got a short trip with 2 rookies friday night in a pretty good chop from 7 to 8 30 and we stayed under 90 feet the whole time. Sure enough old flounder brough a slightly tan 16-17 pounder in on a dipsey in 55 fow.

I thought you couldnt submit for this anymore. I was wrong. Nice video. The diver shots are always a blast.

Another vote for 20 pound big game. I run it on riggers, dipseys, highlines, leadcore leaders. Stuffs cheap and has never given me any problems. No breakages here.

Get a moonshine regular flounder pounder and moonshine happy meel, both of mine are magnums. The happy meal has been very good on a 7 color of leadcore and the flounder had caught fish from a 2 color for bows, to the slide diver, to a rigger. I like to glow it up late morning when the suns up and run it down on a rigger 15 feet off the bottom on a 50 foot lead or longer. http://moonshinelures.com/images/2011charts/colorchart2011_pg2.jpg Mid day I like michigans stingers bloody nose ( i guess its labeled sw stevie wonder) Green Easter Egg from fishlander/warrior is another good one along with any dolphin, gree, blue carmal from mi stinger

Great report that had to be fun. Slide divers help out that 9 foot leader thing, might have to let out some more line than the mags. I say get em on and deal with how to ge em in later!

Thanks reel, I go with a spoon most of the time, although i have caught fish on the swr with a flasher as well. My mt dew spinny is in the sand in about 150 fow since about 2 weeks ago.

Water temp will change the answer here alot, also what number do you have them dialed on? Right now with the cold temps we have on the WI side I would start at 80 and 100 on my mono dipseys. Let them out 10 to 20 more feet every few minutes if your not getting hit. Especially with braid getting deeper than mono you could be fishing lower than alot of fish. And your riggers or inside divers can get the the ones that are deeper anyway. Typically, fish are high and active at first light even if the water temps arent perfect up there.

Were gonna try something different this year and instead of circling the piers with everyone else put out a big spread on boards just like were brown fishing. Slide divers off the corners, maybe riggers if were working deep enough, and boards out the sides with reef runners, fastracts, j plugs. Set it out and work the shorelines from 10 to 30 feet and relax instead of everyone running over the fish over and over again. I have by accident hooked up at the gap, then 15 minutes later doubled up about a mile down the shore line. Don't get me wrong theres fish in the gaps but there all moving at different times and coming from different directions, its not really necessary to fish directly in between the pier heads at all times. Ive caught them on jplugs, big spoon, reef runners, and smaller flasher flies

Any real preference on what you like on swr. I have been going with a moonshine bloody nose, flounder pounder or a green dolphin. I usually put a flasher about 10 feet higher and on a 30 to 40 foot lead. Basically on top and and head of the spoon. Thinking that the flasher should get there attention and if they bail out and drop down theres spoon all by itself there for an easy meal.

If your really having problems staying shorter on the leads will help. Seperation will help as well. Maybe run the flashers on the divers and more spoons on the riggers? If you start with 15 feet seperation on the riggers and leads short you would need really wicked current or to drive in complete circles to tangle them. Get a 2 color leadcore with a spoon on your deepest rigger, once its down there it cant tangle in anything and it will catch you some fish.

My first thought is no, but clear would be my first choice if I could always find them or do it all over again. If you find that a certain combo of dipsey color, and whatever you have on the end is working....keep doing it. Repeatability is important in this game.

Kyle my backer for leadcore is usually just more mono because I have old penn reels with plenty of room for alot of backer. I like your train of thought on checking for wear and tear and cutting back. I probaly let out 30 feet every time and put it on. I dont experience much for slippage but I guess for than just 2 or 3 feet will prevent the little slippage that occures. I do have a 2 color braid setup that I use for a torpedo diver and that gets some slippage, I usually have to wrap it around the pad once to prevent that. That lines is pulling hard as well with 2 color and a 8 oz torpedo so thats not helping the pull on those pads. I run offshores and church boards. Church typically for the heavier inside boards, and offshore for the short cores.

I let out some backer for a few reasons 1. I want all the leadcore in the water to get the most depth I can 2. If the board slides down the line a bit over time, I dont really want it pounding right on the knot to connect my core to the backer 50 feet might be overkill but go more than 10. If you put it 2 feet from the knot, it can creep back to the knot, and I dont want those knots getting anymore wear and tear than necessary. Most of my setups just have very small swivels from the leadcore to backer and thats been working for years, although I should retie them one of these outings now that I said that.

Just remembered since I put the slide diver into play we caught 2 bows that night On it. 100 foot leader, then 150 feet of line on the farthest setting to cut out to the side. So yes and no, becuase the slide diver is a whole different animal then a regular dipsey. The slider diver is really just a planer board without a board, or an outrigger. Great tool, glad I finally put it to use.

You got it. Let out the 7 colors and 25 to 50 feet of backer, put on the board and swing it into place.