Pentwater 8/23 pm

[KQBFISHER]

Fished last night from 6-9:15, ended an horrible 3/10. Took 4 hits w/ none landed on the same green/white slider. I have to find another one of these, I've taken more fish on this lure than any other all year, and I believe I picked it up at Meijer's for a couple bucks. It's just green and white, regular sized, w/ a hologram back, and it is consistently my top spoon (although I never seem to land em d/t the slider setup). Anyway, had one on half core w/ a Blue Dolphin Mag, 1 on a dipsey about 70 ft on setting 1: White flasher w/ watermelon fly. Other fish was on a dipsey at 110 #3 w/ a white flasher and monkey puke fly. Broke the last one off (got sick of losing fish, so when he started to run I slammed him, hoping to set the hook...guess it was a little bigger fish than anticipated). Overall, it was split b/w spoons and spinner/fly's. Nothing on the J plug, and everything was in the uper 30 ft. Fished 85-110 FOW, running the water column until we found them, then everything was at 30-41 ft down. All fish caught were in 85-89 FOW, south of the pier heads about 3 miles.

Not really the best trip of the year; ended up w/ 3 rods out of commission by the end of the night d/t knots the size of a basketball. Still fun, but I've got a lot of work to do before the weekend.
KQB

[EdB]

Attach your slider to your main line. Then use a rubber band and a half hitch your slider right to your down rigger cable. I put the rubber band through the swivel. This will make it a stacker vs a slider but you will also get much better hook ups. The key is to stack it in the zone your getting hits. If sliders are working, stack it half way to your ball. If the water is warm and fish are deep, stack it 5 to 10 ft above your ball. Sliders are the worst set up for a good hook set because of all the belly of line they are riding on.

[Sixshooter]

The rubber band trick works well I've used it for quite some time. HOWEVER, if you want to run FIXED Sliders as apposed to FREE Sliders than I would recomend using the Elberta Clipper instead of a rubber band.

Couple things I hate about the half hitch rubber band. I always end up snapping myself in the fingers trying to get the darn thing off the line again. And second all those rubber bands in the boat are a mess. And the number 1 thing I hate about the rubber band is trying to take the slider off when you have a fish on the main line.

The clipper is a spring loaded device that is EASILY removed from the line. You can actually remove the slider with one hand. It is that simple.

Our friends at the Fishdogcompany have these in stock.
http://www.fishdogco.com/elbertaclipper.cfm

It is the middle one on that page. The fixed slider.

But you also have to remember the fixed slider will rome up and down in the water column a bit more than a fixed will. If the fish are biting the bait no matter what then it doesn't matter. But sometimes a free slider even though the hook up is not as good will take more strikes than a fixed.

[CaptainNorthwood]

Can you explain the rubber band method? I am a slooooooooow learner!:D

[Duck Hunter Too]

set the downrigger down with the primary line however far you want to "stack" your "slider". I ussually go 10-13' above the cannonball. Wrap your rubber band around the mono/firewire and pull though taunt on the line, hook your slider swivel around the mono/fireline above or below the rubber band (doesn't really matter), then hook the rubberband opening in the swivel as well...let your cannonball down a few more feet and release the slider for untangled tracking and set the ball down the rest of the way...it is really quite simple. It is a pian when you get a hit on the primary having to remove the affixed slider when it gets nearr the last rod eyelet. I have fouund it does make for controlled presentation of "schooled lures" and cleaner hits and hook ups...tight lines!

[EdB]

I used to use alberta clippers but they are weak and a big king will break them. They will either wear a groove in the plastic or break it in half. I have had both happen and threw them out of my boat. A couple friends have also had the same problem. Maybe they improved the plastic in recent years???

If you rig a rubber band as I suggested, they will break on the hit of either the main bait or the stacker. If you pop them off the rigger to change baits, they will also break. You don't have to deal with them hanging on your line when you get a hit on your bottom bait. The band will break and it will slide down to your main bait like a free slider. I may not have been very clear on rigging them. Set your main bait on the downrigger and drop it down to the desired depth where you want to place the stacker. Then take the rubber band and hook it to your downrigger cable with a half hitch, you wrap the rubber band around the cable and put one end back through the rubber band. This allows you to snug it up on the downrigger cable leaving a loop of rubber band hanging off it. You take your slider swivel and clip it on the main line and also clip it on the loop of the rubber band. This places your slider on your main line but it also tacks it to your downrigger cable. When a fish hits it, it will stick the hook because the fish has to break the rubber band. If a bottom lure hits a fish, it too will break the rubber band.

[Duck Hunter Too]

EdB...How long do run the leader on the slider...using the method just described. I'd be fearful of getting the stacker lure wrapped around another down rigger wire??

[EdB]

I run them about 5-6ft. I've never caught one on another rigger cable or heard of that from others that rig em this way.

The way the fishing has been lately, I don't put down stackers or sliders in the dark. Just haven't needed the extra lures out because the action has been so good the first hour, it's tough to keep the poles in the water. They can be a pain sometimes catching a diver or a core when a king is streaking around dragging an extra spoon. They are always down in tournies or if the fishing is slow. They really shine when the thermo and fish are deep and you need to keep your lures on the bottom. When the fish are high, I agree with Sixshooter that free sliders can be the way to go.
Duck Hunter Too, I think I've heard you on the radio before, I fish your way on the Last Cast a lot.