Dipsy Divers - HELP!

[romertrain]

I've never used dipsy's before but want to start this spring and summer. I have the general idea of how they work, but I still have some questions.

1)What size should I use for shadraps and other cranks?
2)What is the shock absorber for - is it necessary?
3)What should the leader length be between the dipsy and lure?
4)How far should the dipsy be behind the boat?
5)What pd. test should I use?

thanks ahead of time........romertrain

[perchjerker]

There was a bunch of tips on this subject a few days back. Do a search of the archives and you will see the posts.

Here, I found one of them for you.

http://www.walleyecentral.com/dcf/generaldiscussion/15427.html

good reading!:)

[Lund_Dude]

I will offer my $0.02 here. I have trolled Dipsys for salmon for many years, but I am still learning the game for walleye.

1)What size should I use for shadraps and other cranks?

I have not had good luck with any diving cranks. I believe that the crank "loads" the diver and prevents it from diving properly. If you mean shallow cranks, pick the size diver that best corresponds to the depths that you want to fish.

2)What is the shock absorber for - is it necessary?

I always use a snubber. I feel that my number of lost fish declined with them, as I use superline with no stretch. But this question is similar to the Ford/Chevy debate, there are vocal supporters that make a good case on both sides.

3)What should the leader length be between the dipsy and lure?

I prefer slightly less than a rod length as it allows for easier storage.

4)How far should the dipsy be behind the boat?

See the table in Precision trolling. It gives you the diving depth of each size diver as a function of letback distance.

5)What pd. test should I use?

They recommend at least 20#. I like 40# Ripcord as it is 10# diameter and allows you to stay on the PT charts. I like the superline, it has no stretch and makes it easier to trip the divers.

Any other questions, please ask!

[ETT]

If I might add. Summer is the time for Dipsys, after the young of the year are present (on Erie that's June). Sure you can catch a few fish early, or play around and get accustomed to them, but don't get discouraged and put them aside, they wotk best later on.