DIPSEY BASICS
Tough fishing conditions
Hard Blow the day before (WIND)
Fish only hitting on very long leads
Cold water
Early season
Pre staging
Sunny
When the fish are aggressive and hitting the riggers.
Line Type/Brand: Wire Line-Mason 7 Strand, 30 lb test
Super Braid- Spider Wire or Power pro 40-50lb test
Mason Braid - 65lb test
Mono – 30 lb test
Description: The choice of the different type of lines, have to do with line stretch. Wire line and the braids do not stretch, while mono does. Will detail later what this does to what setup you choose to run.
Line diameter is important as the smaller the diameter, the deeper the line goes in a shorter distance. Wire line (smallest dia.) gets approximately 5% deeper than super braid (next smallest dia.), approximately 10% deeper than regular braid (second largest dia.), and approximately 20% deeper than mono (largest dia.).
Snubbers. These are basically rubber band shock absorbers that are used to cushion the initial strike on the bait, as there is one absolute certainty, a hit on a Dipsey rig is VIOLENT! Reference Page 4A
There are different types of Snubbers available so make sure you get a “Dipsey Snubber” and not one of the lighter strength versions (see Luhr Jensen). Wire line requires a bit longer Snubber so one that is 11”-14” in length works. Braided line & Super braid, an 8” Snubber works well. Mono is a little different in that mono really stretches so to use a Snubber on a mono Dipsey rig is not good as with all the stretch, you will have a hard time tripping the Dipsey.
Dipsey’s are a plastic disc with weight that allows you to get your bait away to side of the boat. This is important as there are many times when a fish is skittish and doesn’t want to come near the boat to strike your lure, so this is essentially “Stealth Fishing Technology”. Reference Page 4B
Style: There are 2 style of Dipsey, one that is called a slide diver. This Dipsey slides up and down your line like a slip bobber, then when you get the lead distance behind the Dipsey you want, set the Dipsey and your lure can be as far back as 200 ft from the Dipsey. Then when the fish hits, it trips and slides down to the end, allowing you to be able to reel the fish in. Reference Page 4C
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The other style, mostly made by Luhr Jensen is tied to your line, then the Snubber to the backside, your leader, and bait/rig. This doesn’t allow leads behind the Dipsey much longer than the rod you are using (pretty tough to land if lead is too long), but it is simpler to use.
Size: There are multiple sizes from Magnum, 0, 1, 2 to mini discs. Magnum discs are for when the summer heat forces fish deep, #0 & #1 for medium depths, and #2 and mini disc for shallower presentations and planer boards (especially for walleye).
One note when running the # 2 size or mini discs is that some if not all models don’t really like to run consistent when you attach them to your line with a snap swivel. Most cases a simple snap clip works best, but you should run your small dispey to see how they react to either snap, or snap swivel.
Check 2004 May or June issue Great Lakes Angler for when having an unstable Dipsey is a good thing!
Setting Up: When setting the Dipsey (Magnum, #0, and #1), the release is a wire that snaps into the Dipsey. A screw on the side of the Dipsey controls the snap tension that you can tighten or loosen to make it easier or harder to release. Rougher water conditions = more force on the Dipsey which means you need more tension. Play with the settings and you will understand. Be careful about over tightening as 1) the screw threads into soft material and will strip if over tightened 2) over tighten and the Dipsey wont release and one time trying to reel an un-tripped Dipsey is like hauling in a dead cow!
Since the Dipsey rig strikes are so violent, there is no reason to set the hook again!! If the Dipsey doesn’t trip from the strike, don’t try and snap it free, as 8 out of 10 times, you will break the line when trying this!
Setting Direction: The main advantage of the dispey is that it gets the lure down and away from the boat. When choosing the setting 0 to 3.5, 0 being straight down and 3.5 the farthest away to the side, you must make sure the setting is for the correct side of the boat the rod is on. Simply, the Dipsey weight must be on the inside or side closest to the boat. Otherwise it has a nasty tendency to cross every line you have out, and then you’ll end up spending the next hour re-rigging everything. Reference Page 4 B
Wire Line Rod, 9ft Heartland, MH action with a twili-tip, or a 9 ft roller rod with at least 7 Guides (Luhr Jensen has too few guides), and preferably not Eagle claw as they are too soft of an action for my personal taste. Shimano Tekota 600 Line Counter, with Mason 7 strand, 30 lb test (as much of a 1000 ft spool as I can get on the reel).
Some people like to use 200-400 ft of backing (Dacron/braid) for their wire line reel to save some money. Personally, why tie another knot as each extra knot is always a potential break area in the rig. Rather, I figure that over the course of a season, I will end up stripping between 100-200 ft of line due to kinks, lost fish, etc. So why not just put all I can then not worry about it. Wire line doesn’t rot and I have gotten 3 seasons on one spool of line. I get nearly 925 ft of wire line on my Tekota 600, where a 1000ft spool of 7 strand wire line is approx $35, which is easily affordable. See Page 7A, B for how I use crimping sleeves to attach the line to my reel & the Dipsey. The sleeves and crimping tool are usually available at any good sporting goods outlet that stocks salmon fishing supplies.
Wire line is very abrasive to rod guides and will actually saw through the guide on the rod tip in a very short time, say 1-2 day’s use. So at least install a twili-tip (Gander Mountain, Cabelas…. $5.99) or breakdown and buy a decent roller guide rod.
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The rod should be max 9ft in length have between 7- 10 guides on it as any less and the wire line tends to rub on the rod between the guides when trolling (not a good thing to saw on your fishing rod). The reason for that is when running several Dipsey’s on one side of the boat you will want to run your wire line rig on the inside at a 1 to 1.5 setting to get the bait deep in the water column.
Then the other Dipsey rod (braided line rig) is set up outside of the wire line rod at a 3 setting. Since it is a 10 ft length, this gives you just a little more distance between the two lines, small detail, but significant to me
Wire line is real touchy with absolutely no stretch so having a reel with a super smooth drag is very important. The first year I ran wire line Dipsey’s, I used a cheaper reel without a smooth drag and I lost over half of the fish that hooked up on my wire line Dipsey rig. I went whole hog the next spring and bought a really good reel, Shimano Tekota 600 lc ($179 ea). It hurt the pocket momentarily, but my catch ratio on wire is now over 80%, and I didn’t change any thing else in how I rig, baited, or handle my wire line rig. This is not to say you can’t use any of the other good line counter reels and put new silicon drag washers in them!
Braided/Super Braid: 10ft Heartland (Daiwa) or Shakespeare MH action, with a SL47GC Daiwa Line counter reel, 50 lb test Power Pro Line
As noted previously, since this rod is a 10 ft length, this gives you just a little more distance between the two lines. Also some days, the fish seem to like the braided line rigs better. As wire line is similar to down rigger cables, most everyone has heard Down Rigger cables hum when you are trolling at the right speed. Wire line will also give off a particular vibration when being run through the water also, so some days the fish cant stand the noise (must be hungover).
Mono: 9-10 ft H action, SG47LC reel with 30 lb Big Game TriLene., I generally use this rig when fishing for steelhead high in the water column. Sometimes, it is the only rig steelhead will hit
Generally, I start off running just 2 wire line Dipsey in my spread, setting one at 2.5 setting, and the other side at a 1 setting. If the fish start hitting my Dipsey, then I will set 2 –3 more Dipsey’s using the pattern/spread described on page 6 B.
The time of day affects my setup as well as early in the day, unless the fish are deep to begin with, I will generally start my Dipsey 65-100 ft back, and later in the day can even go as far back as 275 ft. When evening roll’s around, then I go back to my early morning settings.
Don’t be afraid to experiment either as I have run #1, #2, or mini disc Dipsey’s off of full size planer boards or in-line planer boards and caught fish. Granted you will have to play with the tensions of the trippable Dipsey’s, but half the fun is trying something different and it works!
J-Plug (red headed bullet) with an 8-10 ft leader from the Snubber
Large hootchie & fly/squid
Magnum spoon
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Good Luck & Tight Lines!
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