Diver or Downrigger

[Gobble Doc]

Is it worth using a diver until I can get a downrigger set up?  Or, is it not a good use of time and better to just bypass the deep six and spend the time and effort focused on a downrigger.  I'm thinking of coho during the next month.  Thoughts? 

[h20hunter]

Divers are much harder to control depth. Also...for lighter biters I find them harder to detect strikes. However, if you are chasing silvers I've not known them to hit light....usually like a freight train! I'd use what you can to get out and fish and look towards getting the riggers when you can.

[CP]

Divers work, especially for Coho.  That’s all they use on some of the charters out of Ilwaco.  I’ll sometimes put out a diver if I’m running 3 lines.

[sirmissalot]

When I was younger I used to kill the kings and silvers in the canal all the time with divers. Still use them on a center rod and they still catch fish!

[Button Nubbs]

Coho = propwash.

[h20hunter]

I've seen guys post this up before. So, when you are fishing the prop wash are you running a shallow rigger behind the boat or a surface line with say a trolling weight and a spoon? I've never done it but often have three guys in the boat with only two rods out. I can easily run a rod off the stern to give it a try.

[Button Nubbs]

Banana weight and a cutplug. You don't have to let much line out either. Makes for some exciting takes.

[Kola16]

Banana weight and a cutplug. You don't have to let much line out either. Makes for some exciting takes.

  That is what I do since I lost my downriggers to the bottom 

[Gobble Doc]

Do you do prop wash method only in the morning when the fish are shallow or even later in the day?

I've also wondered about trolling with or against the tide.  I've mostly read that you are supposed to troll with the tide but when I am out fishing it looks like a lot of people are going against the tide and almost sitting still.  The one hook up I had last Saturday was with the banana weight and a piece of cut plug herring but I was trolling with the tide. 

[FC]

Troll with the tide, your bait/lure looks more natural and you will get more hits.

I fished divers for a long time, they have it all over using a banana weight! Get the heavy deep six and you can fish down over 100 feet! It takes a little practice to figure out how much line to let out to get to your desired depth but they really will get down pretty far.

[Gobble Doc]

FC,

Thanks.  I will get the deep going diver.  I'm thinking no flasher or dodger, just a cut plug herring behind it?  I really don't know what I'm doing here.  I'm just thinking with a diver that I don't need a lot of additional junk hanging on the line.  My sense is that using an Ace-Hi fly that you need a flasher or something to give it action.  When I put all the variables on the table it seems like either just a cut plug herring or some kind of spoon is what I am left with behind the diver. 

[Rick]

FC,

Thanks.  I will get the deep going diver.  I'm thinking no flasher or dodger, just a cut plug herring behind it?  I really don't know what I'm doing here.  I'm just thinking with a diver that I don't need a lot of additional junk hanging on the line.  My sense is that using an Ace-Hi fly that you need a flasher or something to give it action.  When I put all the variables on the table it seems like either just a cut plug herring or some kind of spoon is what I am left with behind the diver.

A cut plug behind a diver will work great. You're correct about an Ace-hi or hootchie not working,they have no action of their own.

A spoon behind a diver will work also.

[FC]

Use a small hot spot flasher, green+glow works really well with a hootchie!

[Rick]

Banana weight and a cutplug. You don't have to let much line out either. Makes for some exciting takes.

Last weekend 6-7 of our 15 silvers came on a 2oz lead and a cut plug. That one rod put almost as many fish in the box as both DRs combined.

[Gobble Doc]

Hi Rick,

Thanks for the info.  Just to confirm.  Trolling, not mooching, right?  I'm going to get another pack of herring and brine them up and try this again.