rapala makes tail dancers in the "deep" model that go 15, 20, and 30 ft down. the 30 footers really pull something fierce, though. i dont fish any deeper than that because chances are you are killing whatever you catch from down there being that its being pulled up through quite the pressure difference as well as a significant temperature difference.

personally, im not a big fan of pulling sinkers. they dampen my feel of the lures action (less able to tell if its fouled) as well as when you get the fish close you have a big hunk of lead swinging around your face while you are worried about landing a thrashing fish.

deepest i fish on a regular basis is with a 20 ft tail dancer or a deep husky jerk 12, which swims around 25ft deep.

MT is more versed in the sinker world so if you plan to use one, follow his instructions 

what me, jump in? hardly ever, like pulling teeth for me to give my opinion but i will try and help

Your deep divers will be directly effected by the diameter of your line. Physics......thicker line means greater resistance and hence shallower diving depths. Choices, choices.......braid will get you deeper but it has its own drawbacks as in only certain knots can be used, potentially injurious to work with (I like gloves when tightening knots) and is highly visible to fish. There is also no stretch which can be a disadvantage due to "pulled" hooks.

I like the big deep taildancers and the trout colored finishes are tops in my book. I pull them on 8lb green xt trilene but your knots have to be 100%. Do not tie 8lb to the split ring as you will not get 100% strength. Get rid of it altogether and get a fas-snap and tie the gryp knot using a "tie fast" knot tying tool. Experiment with the number of wraps, 5 or 6 wraps should work. Yes, I sound like a broken record but this works and works well. If you do not do as I suggest I would move to 10lb mono as a minimum for tying to split rings and their oval configuration (you can minimize the thickness of tying to split rings by tying where the ring is single thickness of wire.....that helps tremendously). I will stick with the tiny fas-snaps in the large size (not x-large).

On overcast and rainy days the lakers will go up in the water column to chow down and they can be caught with the taildancers. Run them far back, rod holders are helpful and have your drag fairly tight if you use mono. Remember, mono has stretch. When you hook up remember to loosen your drag as the fish gets nearer the boat because now there is little stretch and little margin for error with 8lb line and a big fish.

Want tostep up the line size a bit? Sure, less chance for a breakoff. But now you need to get deeper. Enter in line sinker. Pay special attention to the line between the sinker and the lure.....no stretch with mono and no shock absorbing bungee effect to help out. You might want to up your lb test in this crucial area to say 12 or even 14lb test. The less experienced you are the heavier the line should be.

Trolling in lines for lakers in open water with no depth finder can work fine but trolling in lines with any precision near the bottom usually results in hang ups and that rather quickly. What makes the deep diving cranks shine is there ability to dig bottom without hanging up.......if you remove the front treble you have a snag resistant lure indeed.

good luck
MT

more random thoughts.....

the gryp knot can be tied without a tool and is in use quite commonly on salt water charter boats where it is referred to as a "mates" knot or "boat" knot. It is easy to tie without a tool by using your thumb in lb tests of 60lb. Smaller lines such as are in use in fresh water need a tool and the tie-fast tool excels. The instructions are included with the tool. I used to scoff at knot tools until the best snapper man I ever knew turned me on to them. I have had charter boat captains compliment me on my knots........they are not easy people to impress.

Concerning 8lb test........the action of your rod is also in play. If your rod is stiff then 8lb test could cost you dearly regardless my advice. I am partial to length when trolling and often use at least a 7' rod and often will use steelhead rods measuring 9'. The steelhead rods make a poor choice for versatility however as they are awkward to cast with for any length of time. For trolling they are hard to beat and act as a cushion for lighter line.

Get a tie-fast tool and you will be hard pressed to go wrong. Wet your knots before toghtening and always, always test your knots. It is not at all unusual for me to go through 2 or 3 knots before I get one I really like. Who knows when Mr big is going to show.......

Almost go time......yea baby!

i always enjoy reading MT's advice. a lot of salt water wisdom that he brings to the table that is all applicable to our usage.

an additional word on rod holders... i find them to be an irreplaceable part of my gear. MT and I have differing opinions on which is best and both reasons have their merits, but ive become especially fond of the 'cabelas quick draw' rod holder. its really a neat piece of equipment.

im also finding myself coming to agreement with MT on line choice as well. i used to run 15-20 lb braid for trolling and 4lb for jigging. now i find myself using 2 rods both spooled with 8lb test mono. im a suffix guy myself, however.

also, longer rods are indeed nice for trolling. gives you more leeway when it comes to errors. this past trip i had a 6'6" and an 8' rod. as the trip went on, i gravitated toward the 8' more and more. that was in part though, due to the actions of the rods. the 6'6" was a medium action, extra fast meaning it loads at the tip. the 8' rod was a light action with a fast tip meaning it loads more throughout the rod. since then, ive been using just one rod, a 7' medium action light tip. gives enough backbone through the blank and loads nice and even. stiff enough for trolling the 15 ft plugs and sensitive enough for finesse fishing with weightless flukes.

another reason i shy away from using sinkers is because i dont really understand them. im not comfortable because i dont know how deep i am and im not sure if i can duplicate it when i want to repeat it.

plus, i hate losing plugs, i despise it, detest it! and up in the shield lakes you grind rocks and most break offs are do to pinching your lips in rocks or your line being cut on rocks. id rather have that small chance of my plug floating back up than having it sit a few feet off the bottom with that sinker holding it down!

Ancient_Angler wrote on Jul 23^rd, 2013 at 10:38pm:


Good to know too! Have some of the copper spoons (3 1/2 in Daredevils) that I'll save for the appropriate water! Thanks!