Dipsey help!

[fat bass tirds]

I would like to run 3 dipseys per side, 1 large size and 2 smaller.( 0 & 1"s) how can i set these up without a tangled mess? which settings? who goes out first and so on.... I would appreciate some help from the dipsey experts
Thanks in advance
john

[Deep Troller]

Easy to do.

Set the big ones up as the inside rods.

Set 1 at a 0 setting and the next one out set at 1 1/2 setting.

Put the small dipsey on the outside set on a 3 setting.

Put them in the water using the clicker on the reels and set them from outside-in.

Make sure the outside line is the highest and the inside is the deepest.

[FreeByrd]

John,
If I understand correctly - you would like to run a total of 6 dipseys - 3 per side. You are planning to run 2 (1 per side) Big size 1 dipseys, and 4 (2 per side) little size 0 per side.

Here's what I would do:
The rear / inside rod on both sides should have the big size 1 dipsey set anywhere from 1 to a max of 2 (I'd run a 1 setting on one side of the boat and a 2 setting on the other side of the boat)

For your little size 0 dipseys, set them at say 2 and 3 on each side. Maybe one side 2 1/2 and 3 1/2.

The 2 or 2 1/2 setting little dipsey would be the middle rod. The 3 or 3 1/2 would be the forward/outside rod.

I don't know where you are fishing or how deep you are targetting, but just for sake of example, run the large dispey on a 1 setting out to say 50 feet and on the other side the large dipsey on the 2 setting out to say 65 or 70 feet. Now the middle small size dipsey set on 2 run out to say maybe 80 feet this would be on the side that has the large dipsey set at 50 feet. The middle on the other side run to say 90-95 feet. The outside/front rod has the small dipsey set on 3 or 3 1/2 and would be run out with 95-100 on the side that has the 2 setting at 80 feet and the other outside small dipsey set to 3 1/2 run out to say 105-115.

I try to keep a minimum of 10 feet of line out separation between dipseys set next to each other, probally 15 feet is better when you are starting out.

When you set them for the first time in the day it is easiest if you set them from Outside/Front to Inside/Rear, but throughout the day you can use a technique we call speed setting. First - until you get very familiar with setting dipseys - NEVER set them without the clicker being on. If you set them too fast, the leader will wrap around the dispey and you will have a tangled mess.


Let's say you caught a fish on the outside / front rod that has the little size 0 dipsey set at 3. First - when catching the fish - or even if you are just checking the line, PATIENCE IS KEY FOR MULTIROD SETUPS. Once you are sure the dipsey is tripped, just keep enough tension on the rod - keep the rod loaded so there is no slack, until the dipsey swings behind the boat in the center. If you start cranking too early, you will pull the dipsey into your other lines.

OK - now that you've caught and put that 10 pounder in the cooler, you are ready to reset your outside dispey to go get a bigger one. Assume that the fish was caught on the starboard side of the boat for this example. Reset the release pin on the dipsey and MAKE SURE THE CLICKER IS ENGAGED on the reel. Drop the dipsey in the water off the PORT rear corner of the boat. Let line go out rapidly pointing the rod off the PORt rear corner of the boat at about a 30 degree angle. As you get to the point where you have more line out on this rod than the middle rod you start walking over to the Starboard side of the boat. If you time it right, when you get to the desired amount of line out on the rod you are setting, you insert it into the rodhodler and stop the line from going out in one fluid motion. The dipsey you just set will fall in place in the spread in 10-20 seconds depending on your speed and depth. This works for the middle rods too. It is much easier to DO than to describe. If you are someone that likes to fish very slow (less than 2mph), you will help yourself out by speeding up to above 2mph while speed setting your dipseys. Don't drop the speed back down until the dipsey has fallen in place in the spread.

Also - don't run a diving crank bait off a dipsey. Spoons or harnesses, or non diving stickbaits are the ticket.

Hope this helps and wasn't too confusing.
Steve Carlson

[fat bass tirds]

thank you for your help, it all makes sense now

[jeffery]

Steve,
That was a great detailed imstruction.I was just wondering why when you let out a starboard line you set it out off the port corner?Does this allow the dipsy to get to the proper depth before it gets on the starboard side of the boat?Just curious.

[Hook N Book]

FreeByrd,
I'm curious as to why you suggessted not using diving cranks on the dipseys? Is it because of the number of rods being used in this case or for some other reason? It seems a bunch of people use three way rigs with a crank and a spoon combo with good success or just cranks by themselves. Again, just curious.

Thanks

Good luck and be safe...See ya! :)

PS...Did you make the trip east this weekend for the steelies and if so how'd you do?

[Papascott]

A deep diving crank will put too much resistance on the on the dipsey causing it to not dive as it would with a shallow diver or spoon harness etc. Trying to put a deep diver behind a dipsey then letting it out in the spread with other dipseys would be a mess as it would want to be every where it shouldn't. I have used three ways off of dipseys with shallow divers and spoons. Just keep one leader about a foot shorter than the other so if they do tangle you will still have one bait swimming.

Scott

[FreeByrd]

>Steve,
> That was a great detailed imstruction.I was just
>wondering why when you let out a starboard line you set it out
>off the port corner?Does this allow the dipsy to get to the
>proper depth before it gets on the starboard side of the
>boat?Just curious.

Jeffrey - yes to "speed set" the dipsey - you start it out on the opposite corner side of the boat where it will end up. If you wait to walk it over until you have at least as much line out as the next most rear/inside dipsey rod, it will fall right into place in the spread without tangling anything else.

Good Luck,
Steve

[FreeByrd]

>FreeByrd,
>I'm curious as to why you suggessted not using diving cranks
>on the dipseys? Is it because of the number of rods being used
>in this case or for some other reason? It seems a bunch of
>people use three way rigs with a crank and a spoon combo with
>good success or just cranks by themselves. Again, just
>curious.
>
>Thanks
>
>Good luck and be safe...See ya! :)
>
>PS...Did you make the trip east this weekend for the steelies
>and if so how'd you do?


Papascott covered why not to run a deep diving crank behind a dipsey. As far as three ways - I've never tried them behind a dipsey. In general I don't fish with three ways very often, mainly because threeways in general call for slower speeds when setting as to not cause a tangle and in general I fish faster than most people. To me they can cause more trouble than they are worth, but I know many people that have great success with them.

We made a run on Saturday and found the steelhead. Around a 37 mile run to the NE from Lorain Harbor. Best spot was 54 North and 48 West. Lots of fish and bait in this area. We didn't find a thermocline to speak of. We were in 77 to 80 feet of water and caught fish as high as 15 feet and as deep as 65+ feet. For most of the day on Saturday there were pretty good legitimate 4 footers out there and we didn't run our planar boards - only dipseys and one downrigger. We also kept going basically with the waves for most of the day. We ended up with 15 with probally 3 over 28 inches for Fish Ohios and also 4 walleye. All the fish were "fat" - there is a tremendous amount of bait in the area and they are eating. 3 of the eyes were small 3 pounders but one was over 31 inches. Best setup was a 3 setting big dipsey with ring ran on 12 pound diameter line 200 feet back. Blueberry Muffin was the "hot" color and here is the surprise - blueberry muffin WORM HARNESS. The double willow blade short wire harnesses that I call a Fairport Harness. There were three other boats working that area on Sat morning. I think they were out of Rocky River, but I didn't talk to them. Like clockwork about the time we were ready to head in the lake laid down. I talked to Jay on Voyager II late in the afternoon and he said they had a tough day over a bit farther west. I think he said 48N 57W, but not sure. I didn't fish on Sunday. I gave my Sat numbers to Jay but I don't know if he went there or not on Sun.

Good Luck,
Steve

[Hook N Book]

FreeByrd and PapaScott,
"Deep diving" cranks certainly clarifies the point.

Sounds like you had a great day out there on Saturday. I'll be heading up to Lorain this weekend for a few days. Hopefully, I can find some of those steelies a little closer. Thirty seven miles would be one heck of a run in my little wash tub. Thanks for the report too.

Good luck and be safe..See ya! :)

[Johnnyg]

best thing would be to drive to Neff road boat launch.
You would have a North run from there.
It's about 30min past RT 58 on RT 2.

[Hook N Book]

Thanks for that tip. I had considered driving further east but wasn't sure of any launch ramps in the area.

Good luck and be safe...See ya! :)