dipsy diver

[moesislack]

looking to try dipsy divers for the first time, anybody use these before with success?

 

[pete s]

Re: dipsy diver

I use them all the time on Lake Michigan for salmon. Have always caught fish with them. I recently started running wire line with the mag dipsy divers, this did very good for us last year just running 2 of them down the chute.

 

[Mark_VTfisherman]

Re: dipsy diver

Dipseys work great- I use them more to get off to the side then to get deep- with the weight set right you can be fairly deep and 40 feet or more to the side. I use the silver-dollar-sized Big Jon Mini Diver Disks 95% or the time; I also like the colors and patterns of the Walker Deeper Divers.

Like I said - I seem to keep to the smaller sizes. I have used them for walleye with crawler harnesses and actually have had big fish whack the Diver Disk! That's when I shorten up my snell to about 16"

Was in bow of a 19-footer on Champlain last summer- 5 of us on board, with multiple 'riggers and flatlines and leadcore out the back. Nowhere for me to go but out and down. I got two hits on the rod with the Big Jon disk and landed one salmon on an otherwise slow day of fishing.

So, yes, I have used them with success

 

[CV16]

Re: dipsy diver

I just tried to use some dipsy's today. No matter where I adjusted the weights on them, they wouldn't go out to the side at all. I couldn't get 4' off the side. I'd like to know how to get them 40' out there. I tried the small size and the bigger ones. Neither went out to the side at all. I had a triangular shaped one and the round ones, no difference. I'm just gonna buy some more planer boards and fish that way. I feel I wasted my money buying mine. I tried boat speeds from 1.5-3 mph and these things wouldn't go any further out than my short arm down riggers hanging off the side.

 

[pete s]

Re: dipsy diver

I have not had good luck with any other brand than actual dipsy divers. Did you possibly have them set up backward? With the weight set all the way to one side I have had them a good 50' off the boat to the side. One other thing I forgot to mention if using them for salmon make sure you put a snubber on to avoid break offs.

 

[Mark_VTfisherman]

Re: dipsy diver

I just tried to use some dipsy's today. No matter where I adjusted the weights on them, they wouldn't go out to the side at all. I couldn't get 4' off the side. I'd like to know how to get them 40' out there. I tried the small size and the bigger ones. Neither went out to the side at all. I had a triangular shaped one and the round ones, no difference. I'm just gonna buy some more planer boards and fish that way. I feel I wasted my money buying mine. I tried boat speeds from 1.5-3 mph and these things wouldn't go any further out than my short arm down riggers hanging off the side.

You must have something set wrong or something. Dipseys are amazing!

 

[brdhntr]

Re: dipsy diver

I have not had good luck with any other brand than actual dipsy divers. Did you possibly have them set up backward? With the weight set all the way to one side I have had them a good 50' off the boat to the side. One other thing I forgot to mention if using them for salmon make sure you put a snubber on to avoid break offs.

If your drag is set correctly, you won't need a snubber on a dipsy. Been running them that way for salmon for 5 or 6 yrs and not had a breakoff due to the initial strike.

CV16, were you just freespooling it out? To properly set out a diver, let out enough line to get it in the water, set it in a rod holder that is as close to parallel to the water as possible. With the clicker on, loosen the drag until the diver just starts to pull out. Let it go out the desired depth, and then tighten the drag until it just stops pulling line. You actually want it to creep a bit on a turn. Also, if you are in an area of strong current, the dipsy may not track to the side as much. Make sure you have it set right, the markings right and left on the diver are for if you are in the back of the boat face the bow. Right will dive to your right, and left will dive to your left. A lot of folks running them the first time will switch this because they are usually facing the stern of the boat when setting lines and right and left are switched.

 

[Mark_VTfisherman]

Re: dipsy diver

... Right will dive to your right, and left will dive to your left. A lot of folks running them the first time will switch this because they are usually facing the stern of the boat when setting lines and right and left are switched.

Or just think of it this way- the diver will run in the opposite direction of the position of the weight- the further forward the weight is, the deeper it dives. The further to the side it is, it will run farther to the side but less deep for the same length of line. Pretty simple.

 

[CV16]

Re: dipsy diver

I was fishing in Lake Michigan, out of the port of Racine. I would think that a fast current would affect one side or the other, but neither side would pull out to the side. We were using Dipsy Diver brand divers. Our pole holders aren't parallel to the water, but I did try holding the rod just to see if that would help, no difference. This wasn't my first time using them, and it won't be my last. I know I had them connected right, it's pretty straight forward from what I can tell. Also, my buddy has his set up the same way, and he loves them. They'll get one more try on a less windy day, if they don't satisfy me then, I'm going to stick to planer boards. On a side note, the only fish caught were on the dipsies, ***** and moan about them, but that's what caught us fish!

 

[moesislack]

Re: dipsy diver

Thanks guys, I will be fishing with them on next friday in new york, for salmon and trout, i will let you know how i make out

 

[cedarjunki]

Re: dipsy diver

I just tried to use some dipsy's today. No matter where I adjusted the weights on them, they wouldn't go out to the side at all. I couldn't get 4' off the side. I'd like to know how to get them 40' out there. I tried the small size and the bigger ones. Neither went out to the side at all. I had a triangular shaped one and the round ones, no difference. I'm just gonna buy some more planer boards and fish that way. I feel I wasted my money buying mine. I tried boat speeds from 1.5-3 mph and these things wouldn't go any further out than my short arm down riggers hanging off the side.

dont forget the direction of current will play a big part too.

 

[pete s]

Re: dipsy diver

CV16, how are the cohos doing right now? I am from green bay and thinking about making the run down next weekend. I do most of my fishing out of Kewaunee in the summer months with good sucsess.

 

[CV16]

Re: dipsy diver

It's getting better by the day. The best action is still from Kenosha and south, but picking up around here. I'd think next weekend would be about the perfect time to come. Some buddies boated 12 in 1/2 hour on Wenesday just off of the Hob Knob(Racine/kenosha county line area). They said it really picked up in 25-40 feet of water, fishing 10-30 feet down. He runs all red flashers and peanut flies, mostly blue/green, and blue/silver. I'll be out again as soon as the lake lets up a bit, dad don't like it rough.

 

[CV16]

Re: dipsy diver

I've tried to run dipsies a few more times now, next rummage sale, they are gone. If I can get them to go 5' off the side, it's a good day. From now on, it's 4 down riggers, 4 planer boards and a high line. I'm not going to waste any more time or money on dipsies, I even went out and bought a few different types and brands. In my eyes, they aren't worth it.

 

[Mark_VTfisherman]

Re: dipsy diver

Hey CV16- something has got to be wrong with what you are doing.

All the lakers brought to the boat on Monday (Pictured here) were on a 003 chartreuse dipsey diver (two of them) and an orange 2" Big Jon Diver Disk (three of them). Both were running spoons- a Michigan and a Datilio.

The big 003 Dipsey was run straight down with no offset to the weight. The Big Jon was run on "2" so it was about 14' down and and maybe five yards off to the side with 75- 85-feet of line out (at the spped we were running).

 

[alaskanassassin]

Re: dipsy diver

I have used them on the great lakes, northern MN remote deep trout lakes and here in Alaska. They do work well, but are inconsistent due to different line thicknesses, lure weights, etc. They do work nicely for covering the mid depths. I like them with a line counter reel so I can get back to the same depth.

 

[evinice66]

Re: dipsy diver

most of the time i catch 5-8 salmon on my dipsys each trip. out of milwaukee. 6 trips this year so far and over 65 salmon in the boat.

dipsys are awsome.

but just do what works for you, try something new every time. talk to other fisherman at the launch/cleaning station.

my freind cant catch fish on dipsys either and he catches 15 every time out too! but he runs 2 big planer mast boards with 3 leadcores on each side.

just find something that works and replicate it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

good luck!!

 

[bigbucktripleb]

Re: dipsy diver

I want to run 2 dipsys on each side.would the deeper running dipsy be towards the bow or should it be the one closer to the stearn?

 

[Mark_VTfisherman]

Re: dipsy diver

I want to run 2 dipsys on each side.would the deeper running dipsy be towards the bow or should it be the one closer to the stearn?

Well, this is an "old" thread but I'll pick up on it as it is/was a good discussion.

Since your deeper dipsey will probably need to run more "straight down" to actually be deeper, it will likely be closer to the boat.

Basically the plan is to create "stagger" so no two tactics are running in the same space in the water. This helps with "spread" so that you cover more water, but more importantly it prevents tangles and potential loss of equipment (and lost valuable fishing time while you fix it). The higher line(s) are set to plane to the side, keeping them away from the line(s) close to the boat. That way when a fish strikes the longer lead on the outside lines allows the fish to move up and past your deep lures and be brought in from the back of the boat. Of course sometimes "active" salmon can mess this up anyway

So run your straight down disk closer to the stern. Place the "high" rod(s) forward- if you have three rods on a side the deepest is at the stern, then next one (on something like a 2) ahead of that, and the longest lead on maybe a 4 or 5 would be ahead of that. Sometimes if you are using 30# braided line you can target the smae depth by having (just an example here) 75' "down" on the stern rod, 110' feet on the middle, and 165' on the forward. at 2.3 or so all three lures will be at a similar depth but be have the lures still quite far away from each other.

I typically have downriggers as the 'close' and deep lure- and then run a Slide Diver Lite Bite forward on about a 2-1/2, and then a Big Jon Mini Disk ahead of it (if I have enough licenses in the boat). [the Big Jon Mini Disk can plane WAY out off the side like 30 feet and still run about 25-30' deep with 125' of line out. This has been a good approach for me. Of course I fish landlocks which come out of temperature to feed. Kings/coho in the Great Lakes are a whole different game]

Where do you fish out of?