# Anyone use a dipsy diver?



## Gameface (Jun 7, 2008)

I have a dipsy diver and I'm hoping to try it out soon at strawberry fishing for kokanee. I tried it once before with a snubber after the diver (I'm using braided line) with about 3-4' then a small 4" pro-troll flasher (that I don't think was spinning) with another 18" and a lucky craft. I got nothing on my first attempt. Since then I bought some pop gear and a squid assortment from cabela's. 

Any seggestions?


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## k2muskie (Oct 6, 2007)

Gameface said:


> I have a dipsy diver and I'm hoping to try it out soon at strawberry fishing for kokanee. I tried it once before with a snubber after the diver (I'm using braided line) with about 3-4' then a small 4" pro-troll flasher (that I don't think was spinning) with another 18" and a lucky craft. I got nothing on my first attempt. Since then I bought some pop gear and a squid assortment from cabela's.
> 
> Any seggestions?


Recommend using a bearing swivel this will greatly reduce line twist...we have several 'jet' divers varing depths used them a couple of times last year but didn't hook into anything. I'm think'n they'd work great depending on the depth at Strawberry and the Gorge. We need to experiment more but if we fished those waters think'n they'd work possibly as good as a down riggers. With the 30'rated jet diver I'd be bopping the bottom at around 25'. :wink: :wink:


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## Troll (Oct 21, 2008)

Yes. Dipsey divers have been around a long time. The advantage of dipseys is that they can be set to pull to the outside of the boat as they pull down. This can spread out the lures and help prevent tangles.

I also use Jet divers like K2 explained and Drones, which are another kind of diver.
I have used these kind of things for over 30 years with great success at the right time and place.

Now, rigging behind the diver is a very different process depending what your going for.
The snubber is ok for the dipsey, it will help with Kokes fragile mouth. 
3-4 feet is nothing for set back. I often run 10' or beter. This will mean you have to hand line the fish in after the diver gets to the tip of the pole, but having the lure to close to the diver will make for a boring day, you won't even have to reel in. Leader distance not only drops the lure back from the disturbance of the diver, it allows the lure to have the action that it was designed to have. to short of a lead will not allow the front of the lure to sway, which will effect the back of the lures action.

Lucky crafts are not the lure for Kokes that I know of. Rocky Mt tackle makes several koke spinners designed for the berry, squids will work, behind a dodger is better than pop geer because the dodger makes the squid jerk around in the water, Kokes mostly strike out of instinct, so that fast jerking motion helps trigger strikes. Use a small bright colored something right at the hook, I like those PB balls in orange, red, pink or yellow. The little preformed balls are best, they stay on the hook.
Hope this helps. If I was on your boat for an hour, or you mine, I could help you out alot more.


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## Grandpa D (Sep 7, 2007)

I have used them with no success.
I also lost 2 of them to snags.
I went with leaded like for a while and finally switched to downriggers.
Now I'm catching fish!
Get some downriggers!
[Christmas is coming soon] :wink:


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## Gameface (Jun 7, 2008)

Thanks for the replies!

I don't have a boat, so unless they make a portable downrigger I can't go that route. But, if leaded line is better I could possibly give that a shot.

When I had the LC on I wasn't trying for Kokes, but when I go back up I'd like to catch a few because I've never eaten any and I don't plan on keeping any Cutts, even if I catch any over or under the slot.

I could use a dodger. I could also switch to a longer amount of line between the diver and the dodger. Currently I have a pretty heafty reel with 50lb test braided line on. I put that line on for a few reasons. First, I didn't want to lose the diver to a snag. Second, I wanted to have the reel somewhat full and it can take something like 200yds of 25lb mono. As it is set up now everything is on the braided line. Should I use something else from the diver to the dodger, or just from the dodger to the lure?

I'm not terribly experienced. In the past I've caught fish at Strawberry just throwing a 3/4oz kastmaster on 6lb mono and letting a lot of line out. It's never been great, but I've always caught something.

I've been eyeing a portable fish finder from cabelas (Humminbird PiranhaMax 230) that can easily be attached to a rented boat or can double as a shore based fish finder via a smartcast pod, and it runs on AA batteries. Do any of you think a fish finder is critical? I hear a lot of talk about fishing near a drop-off, etc., but I haven't yet developed the skill to see what the bottom of the lake looks like, so I feel like having a fishfinder will help me learn the lake a lot faster and will help me dial in the depth I need to fish at.

Thanks again to everyone who's helping me out.


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## Theekillerbee (Jan 8, 2009)

I've used Dipsys alot! I've actually done quite well with them. They take a little tinkering, but I've got them dialed in for kokes. Heck, I've even out fished people with riggers while up at the Pig while using them. I call it my poor mans down rigger. I use braided line to the diver, then I use mono after. You do have to have a longer leader out, I usually go 4-6 feet. I also can fish a 2 rig setup using the diver. I affectionately call it the "Donky Dick", it's quite the setup, and not for the novice diver user. 8) 

I'm not saying I don't wish I had some nice riggers, but hauling them around on the toon isn't much fun! When i get a boat, riggers will be the way to go.


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## Nor-tah (Dec 16, 2007)

From the little I have learned about Kokes I would say a fish finder is pretty much imperative. They school at very specific depths. Just wait till they turn red and run up the creeks, then they are easy to catch. :lol: :wink:


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

Used Dipsey Divers back in the 70s on the Great Lakes for salmon and trout. Still have a few in my antique fishing box. 

Kinda pain in the butt compared to downriggers. But it was a way to go deep and have a psuedo-flasher. Downriggers were relatively new and costly then. Come to think of it, most of us just tried to keep fishing simple, unlike today.


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## BROWN BAGGER (Sep 13, 2007)

I have and have used all of them. OK my wife has. for some reason she can't stand down riggers. she thinks they are to much work. Go figure. :roll: The best diver's have a adjustable release, so after the fish hits it stops planeing down. So you don't have to fight the down ward action of the diver as you reel in the fish. Jet diver's don't do this. though I use and have plenty of them. I set my wife up with a line counter reel so she can repeat the exact depth were she was before. The best one I have found is the walker. here's a pic


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## Gameface (Jun 7, 2008)

Okay, so I've got a trip to Strawberry planned for the 20th and I'm already starting to get excited. I thought I was going to do a lot of fishing this summer, but so far that hasn't been the case.  

I'm going to extend the distance from the diver to an RMT dodger followed by an RMT squid. So something like 6-10' from the diver to the dodger and then 18" from the dodger to the squid. Does that sound about right?

I'd also like to know if there are good ways to get spinning reel setups with mono line deeper. Maybe not 30' or more in search of Kokanee, but deep enough that I might have some luck finding some cutts and bows on my other poles. I'll have my wife and 7yo son with me and I've only got the one pole with a linecounting reel and diver.

We'll be fishing off a rented pontoon boat. I did spring for the PiranhaMax 230 portable fish finder and I'm hoping I can find a place to attach the suction cup transducer. 

Wish me luck!


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## BROWN BAGGER (Sep 13, 2007)

What I do for distance is, the length of my pole, height of my boat from the water and maybe an extra foot or two for my arm reach. With a pontoon boat, you have excellant possiblities. You just want to be able land that fish without to much problems guiding it into the net. As far as your 2 better halfs  you could pick up some lure jensen jet divers. they are much cheaper. a size 20 goes down 20 feet and size 30, you get the point; and that is all they will dive, no matter how much line you let out. jet divers don't have a release to stop the diving action, so you have to deal with the pull of the fish and the dive; but like I said they are much cheaper. I'm feeling some problems for you though, I was up there on the 1st. Lots of floating weeds in the water, which picks up on your line. I didn't have much problems due to the downriggers. Fishing was slow, surface water temp was at 70 deg. so you do need to get down deep. fish at first sun up and sun down, those were the best times. be on that water a 6.00am.


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## Gameface (Jun 7, 2008)

I've read a few reports about all the floating weeds. If it's bad does it stay bad all year? Or is there a chance that it will start clearing up later in the year?


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## BROWN BAGGER (Sep 13, 2007)

once the lake turns over. near october


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