This section will explain what a wireline Dipseydiver is and how I use it to take Lake Ontario Salmonoid. It's the ultimate way to get a Dipseydiver down deep without putting it on the downrigger. This setup will go far deeper than a Dipsey with mono line on it.
First, let's talk about what is needed as far as equipment. The first thing you will need is a good Dipsey rod. I use a Diawa, Blackwidow rod that is 10ft. long with heavy action. Next, I put a Diawa LC47 linecounter reel on it because it has the capacity and the drag system needed to handle 1000ft. of the 30lb braided wire that we will be using. On the rod you will need to replace the tip guide with a Twili tip or a roller tip because the wire will cut through the tip that comes with the rod. Once you have this setup,(I'm sure there are others that will work fine, but I chose this system)you will be ready to start using a wire Dipsey.
Once you have the rod ready to go, simply choose a size and color Dipsey you like and connect it to the wire using the snap that comes with the wire. I use the size 0 Dipsey with the ring, which is 3 1/4in. in diameter. If you want to achieve even deeper depths, try the size 1 Dipsey that is 4 1/8in. in diameter. Behind the Dipsey, as always, attach a snubber which will save a lot of breakoffs as the strike will be quite brutal. From the snubber, depending on the species I'm fishing for, I will use a 4ft. to 8ft leader of 12-20lb. test line. Generally for Browns I use 12lb. and Kings I use 20lb. Attach a swivel and tie on your favorite lure and get ready. I will also tie straight cutbait rigs to a Dipsey with a 5ft. leader. Dodgers and Flashers with lures and cutbait can also be used.
Now that we know how we are going to rig it, it's time to go fishing. First, determine how deep the fish are running so you know where you want the Dipsey to bein the water column. Now the trick is to get the Dipsey at that depth. This is harder than you think because without doing some homework you have no way of knowing how deep it is. The best way I know of to figure out how deep your Dipsey is running is to start in shallow water on a slow day when nothing is going on and play around with it. Start at 25ft. and let out enough line on the desired Dipsey setting,(I usually always use the #3 setting, unless I need to get down to a 100ft. where I will switch to a #2 setting.)and let out enough wire so it hits the bottom and write it in a notebook. Do this for all depths and you will have a good idea of where your Dipsey is running. This can be affected by trolling speed and lure selection, so it will need to be fine-tuned once you start fishing. What I do when I setup is let out the desired amount of wire and if I get no response, I either let more line out or pull some in and wait. No fish, move it again until something happens. Once it does, make a note of it and put the Dipsey back at that same amount of line. Once you've done it enough, you'll know about how much line to let out. One last thing, set the drag loose, because the strike will be brutal and this will help stop breakoffs. Wire doesn't stretch so breakoffs can sometimes be a problem if you're not setup right.
Hope this helps clear up some of the problems you have with wireline Dipseys. Good luck.
TeamTotal Chaos