TyeeTanic

Only reason to do this is if you want to put the dipsey on a planer board to get more separation. This allows you to have whatever length of wire in the wire (at least by segment length), then clip the board on. I wouldn't do it though ... crazy having all those knots in my opinion.

They work, I've caught some high 20's fish with them. You can dose them with herring scent.

2 riggers one higher, one deep ... I'd cover 42F on bottom one and maybe 48F/50F on top. Try spoons and meat. 2 or 3 dipseys, again cover range of water depth. Put on SD and flies. Green, UV 2 or 3 copper ... probably the 300' and 400', unless water is cold on top, then I'd go shallower. Meat.

https://torpedodivers.com/ 7 strand, 30 lb, smoke, 1000 ft

Not exactly what I'm saying. You'll have a main line and hook that up to the downrigger cable above the ball. Drop the ball say 20 feet. Attach the free slider line to the main line (it will be loose at this stage). Take an elastic and tie the elastic to the downrigger cable, and the slider swivel. Swivel is now fixed to cable at exactly 20 ft above the main line lure. But slider is still attached to the main line. Fish hits, it snaps the elastic, and slides down to the main line lure. Main line and slider on the same rod.

What temp are you targeting for kings? Steelhead like it warmer, so will almost always be above the kings. Around 52F. That normally puts them 20 to 30' above the target temp for kings (42F to 48F), but it does depend on the thermocline profile. Just measure where you see 52F as you lower the probe down.

Typically happens if you drop the balls down to fast ... think it basically pulls your line almost vertical, and the paddle starts twirling around the cable. Drop them slower and you should be alright.

yes, fluoro year round, for a few reasons ... one being that it is more abrasion resistant than mono.

Free sliders generally get you 1/3rd the way down to the rigger weight. So 100 ft down, your sliders probably at around 35 ft. If you want to get to 60' down, then you'll have to use fixed sliders. Simply attach to the cable using a rubber band that will snap if a fish takes the bait. This actually helps in most cases, as that line doesn't count as an additional rod. In Ontario, the Regulatory Guidelines for Bait and Gear Restriction, Feb 2006 state: (6) As a provincial standard, the maximum number of hooks attached to the end of a fishing line should be four (4) regardless of whether they are single, double, or treble hooks. I haven't checked if there is a later version. So this means assuming the rules haven't changed (please check yourself), that a free slider still counts as one rod, as long as total hooks including the main line bait isn't more than 4. Not sure if you have heard the term "Cheater Line" ... it's the reason, as it takes advantage of this rule in the book. I don't think using the term cheater line is a good thing though ... it just puts a negative spin on it and sooner or later someone's going to attack it ... free slider or fixed slider is far more neutral and probably won't attract the same attention.

Hard to say what could have happened as there's not really enough info. So is the suspicion that the oil was low before you took it out? Or do you think the oil leaked somewhere? I'd imagine if it leaked, you would see a slick all over the water ... unless you have a slipped ring. On a boat I had, brand new mercruiser ... the ring on one piston didn't seat properly and as a result I was losing about a quart of oil every time out (4 to 6 hours). I had to keep an eye on it, until they eventually replaced the engine. I'm assuming this is an older engine and you had no issues last season? When the mech says it's low in oil, how low? Can you check for yourself ... just pull the dipstick (in fact this should be part of your pre-start routine anyhow, especially for a new boat). As you become more confident in the boat, you should still check oil, but maybe less frequent (once per every 4 trips??). Also, didn't you get any engine temp issues? Is your raw water impeller working okay, you have coolant pressure? I hope you find the problem ... is the engine done or can it be fixed?

You can easily pull 4 dipseys without boards. 6 is possible, but I wouldn't do it. I guess I'm thinking I would never put all my eggs in one basket. Let me explain ... I would never have a situation where we had all my rods as dipseys. I'd always want something else in the mix like rigger lines or long lines (copper/lead). As you know, conditions change from early morning to afternoon ... and you never know what the fish will switch to. Plus there's a strategy ... have the riggers (weights) draw in fish ... then they fall back to dipseys and then to long lines ... But if you do want to try this ... I wouldn't do it with inline boards, that is suicide ... if you have to retrieve that rod, it will be very difficult to pop the dipsey until that board is in the boat. That's gonna need some serious muscle power to pull the board and closed dipsey in at the same time. I'd only do that with big boards off the outriggers.

I've heard of it, but I still don't understand what the advantage is.

Yup, free sliders are the way to go for steelhead.

Scotty down rigger clip ... just wrap the excess wire around the handle and duct tape it in a position that it reaches and keeps the very tip of the net as far back as possible. Bass pro does have a custom clip. Basically two parts, one goes on the net hoop and the other on the netting itself. The two connect with a strong magnet. Under the weight of a fish, the magnets release and you're good to go.

I guess you'll get a variety of opinions on this, but I see the leadcore and copper setups as more of a stealth setup, further out from the boat. So, to be consistent with that strategy, we would normally use 20' to 30' leaders ... and drop it down to 20# fluoro ... just to give it that extra agility.