Deep Diving Lures

[rubberwellie]

A fishfinder is about the only thing I still need to get.  Are there any models that are particularly good value for money or come with extra handy features?  Is it worth getting a GPS too for marking snags, rocks, drop offs etc?

[fergie]

Humming bird fish finders are good Eagle is a good make too. Im using a Navman finder just now it came with my boat and its as good as any ive used.I fished with a guy who had a eagle split screen finder/gps and it was a great bit of kit but certainly not essential. The fish/depth finder is.

[feroxfisher]

If it was me i would invest in a portable rigger,they can often be found quite cheap on ebay.Pair it up with a 4lb ball,and off you go.Trying to work out where lures are in the water with line lengths and speed etc is a pain in the ass.The easy way to fish is your deep lures off the riggers and shallow run lures off the side rods,when you fish through shallower water you simply lift the rigger ball and leave the side rods fishing.I reckon if you searched the net you would get a portable rigger for £60,far less than what you will spend on lost lures,fishing time etc.

kevin

[Traditionalist]

If it was me i would invest in a portable rigger,they can often be found quite cheap on ebay.Pair it up with a 4lb ball,and off you go.Trying to work out where lures are in the water with line lengths and speed etc is a pain in the ass.The easy way to fish is your deep lures off the riggers and shallow run lures off the side rods,when you fish through shallower water you simply lift the rigger ball and leave the side rods fishing.I reckon if you searched the net you would get a portable rigger for £60,far less than what you will spend on lost lures,fishing time etc.

kevin

Definitely agree on that. The other methods are only makeshifts for when you don't have the proper gear.

TL
MC

[rubberwellie]

I've already got a pair of riggers - non portable though.   The reason I'm asking about deep diving lures is that there will be occasions when I'm fishing from a hire boat which means I'm unable to use my riggers, such as when I head up North in August.  I hadn't realised you can buy portable ones, it might be worth investing in one eventually but not quite yet. 

I had thought that it would make sense to get my poker rods fishing a bit deeper, say 15 and 20 or even 12 and 15 feet and my wing rods around 4 and 8 feet.  The wing rod depths should be fairly easy to accomplish, even if I had a portable rigger I'm still left with one lure (if fishing 4 rods) which I'd like to fish a bit deeper.  Mike's suggestion of using dipsy divers might be a better solution than a deep diving lure and a good alternative to the portable rigger - provided I get a fishfinder to keep track of the depth.  This ferox fishing doesn't come cheap eh - or simple?  I thought I pretty much had everything covered...  :roll: 

I'm sure once I actually have a day or two afloat I'll realise the pro's and con's of the different methods but I'm trying to hit the ground running.  Do you have to fish the divers at an angle to the boat or can you fish them straight out the back?  Is it feasible to fish all 4 rods on divers? 

Maybe one wing rod on a rapala at approx 4 feet down, one on a plug at approx 8 feet down and 2 rods straight out the back on divers might be sensible? 

[Inchlaggan]

Divers are easier to control "off the stern".
In all cases avoid sharp turns and sudden changes in speed, divers are particularly susceptible to this.
The sea fishing boys use planers out to the side, sometimes with several lines from each planer. But the speeds they use and the depths they are in are way beyond Scottish lochs.
Portable riggers are fine, but may not fit all the hire boats that you encounter, get it wrong and hit a big pike and the lot is over the side (here speaks the voice of experience).

[fergie]

If you want to fish 4 rods without riggers you might want to think about a pair of planer boards (More cash)  :lol:
As already said those dipsy type things can be a bit of a handfull i dont think id fish with two of them to start with.
A standard fish finder can be made portable very quickly and easily.I will post a few picks of my portable set up ive used it for years
.My mate has a eagle portable fishfinder the one with the suction transducer (which falls off regularly) and it takes normal batteries lots of them £££.Mine has a motorbike battery which lasts most of the season before needing recharged.

[rubberwellie]

Thanks for the advice guys, much appreciated! 

I think maybe I'd better take it easy to start with  :roll:  One diver it is then!  I'll have a look at the planer boards too - may as well go the whole hog!  The motorbike battery is a good idea - anything to make life simpler eh...

[Traditionalist]

I wouldn't try using more than two dipsy divers, indeed, it is best to use only one to start with until you know what is going on, they can be rather temperamental. One out each stern side of the boat works OK, but you need fairly long straight runs to get everything set up and working properly. 

This works pretty well and you can mount it easily on most boats;

http://www.cabelas.com/downriggers-scotty-portable-lake-troller.shtml?WT.tsrc=CSE&WT.mc_id=GoogleBaseUSA&WT.z_mc_id1=700238&rid=40&mr:trackingCode=6704DE51-F5D2-DF11-82EF-001B21631C34&mr:referralID=NA

I have never used more than one at a time.

TL
MC

[fergie]

James might have a few planerboards left.?

Heres the portable fishfinder i use.It fits on most hire boats but these new moulded plastic tubs can be a problem.

its just a G-clamp with a length of alloy conduit bolted to it and a metal plate at the bottom to protect the transducer.the conduits good as it gets the wire in out of the way.




Then the finder its self it fits in the box safely when not in use and sits on top when in use.