reef runner ?

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rooster
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2011/03/28 10:46:30 (permalink)

reef runner ?

guys i was wondering when using these baits for walleyes in the summer months on lake erie do you guys add weight to them.i see they dive to over 20 feet but am new to fishing the lake and was hoping for some help. i know most fish 50 t0 70 foot of water on the lake, and how far back are you suppose to let line out? thanks for any info guys.
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    kingnuke32
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    RE: reef runner ? 2011/03/28 10:56:01 (permalink)
    Depending on the depth of feesh we run 2-5 oz. weights 50' ahead of the lure and let out another 100-150' before clipping on the board. A clean reef will dive about 28' with 200' of line out at 2 mph. I figure another 3-5' per oz depending on speed, current etc. Also try to stagger drop lengths so they don't interfere with the dipseys. It's all what the feesh want on certain days.

    Biggest thing with RR is tuning them properly, if not tuned properly you will have a tangled mess.
    #2
    ShutUpNFish
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    RE: reef runner ? 2011/03/28 10:58:27 (permalink)
    There are various ways to get your cranks down to the fish while trolling the big lake. Downriggers, jet divers, dipsey divers, snap weights, leadcore line, steel line, copper line. It can get pretty in depth and down to a science and typically takes a lot of trial and error. A good start would be for you to get Romanack's book on "Precision Trolling" Which gives you dive curves on various methods of deeper water trolling.

    Myself...I have kept things fairly simple while fishing for eyes kind of limited to Dipsey Divers and Down Riggers....however, I too have been contemplating some new methods of catching fish. Pick the brains of friends who do it, research the internet and finally just go out there and give 'er a shot! Got me a bunch of inline boards this year I'm going to try out....also plan on trying out a snap weight program with cranks this summer.

    Good Luck

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    Lovgren69
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    RE: reef runner ? 2011/03/28 11:07:36 (permalink)
    Pretty much ditto what Kingnuke said...

    You're probably refering to the Reef Runner 800's series, which are the deep diving models. They are quite popular for walleye fishing on Lake Erie.

    They come in a ton of colors and generally run fairly true right out of the box. Moreover they consistently catch fish! The only knock on them is that they need constant tuning, i.e. they will not track true over time.

    I believe that the dive chart for the 800 series says that they will reach a max dive depth of 28 ft. To get them to 28 ft. on a flatline, you will need approximetly 200 ft of line out. In order to target fish in the 50-70 ft depths, you have to add additional weight to get the lure down.

    There are many methods of weighting lures, but the most common way I've seen is by adding snap weights. Snap weights are simply a trolling sinker attached to your running line via a clip or a rubber band. There is alot of trial and error, but typically to get the deep Reef Runners down to 50-70 ft you will need anywhere between 3-6 ounces of weight.

    Our program last year was to let out 50ft of line, attach a 4 oz sinker, and let out an additional 150 ft. This seemed to work well when targeting fish that were suspended 45-50 ft down. Obviously if the fish are deeper, you'd want to add more weight. But that should be a good starting point for you.



    post edited by Lovgren69 - 2011/03/28 11:09:01
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    Fisherlady2
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    RE: reef runner ? 2011/03/28 11:08:45 (permalink)
    Depending on the depth of feesh we run 2-5 oz. weights 50' ahead of the lure and let out another 100-150' before clipping on the board. A clean reef will dive about 28' with 200' of line out at 2 mph. I figure another 3-5' per oz depending on speed, current etc. Also try to stagger drop lengths so they don't interfere with the dipseys. It's all what the feesh want on certain days.


    A good start would be for you to get Romanack's book on "Precision Trolling" Which gives you dive curves on various methods of deeper water trolling.



    +1 for all 3 previous posts, good advise
    post edited by Fisherlady2 - 2011/03/28 11:09:36
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    rooster
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    RE: reef runner ? 2011/03/28 11:29:35 (permalink)
    thanks for the great help everyone.but now i do have another question concerning dipsy divers? the o ring the goes around them are missing from the ones that i had giving to me from my uncle,will that affect how deep that they dive?
    #6
    musthuntmusky
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    RE: reef runner ? 2011/03/28 11:36:49 (permalink)
    afoaf told me the best way to run reefer is to put the downey on it ;)

    ... ya know, the drier sheets. I always thought if you got one of those fake-skin make-overs that make you look very old, got a caddy, and drove the limit, you would be just fine.
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    ShutUpNFish
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    RE: reef runner ? 2011/03/28 11:43:19 (permalink)
    It will slightly....Romanack's book will also give you the dive curve of the dipsey with or without the "O" ring. I glue all my O rings on with epoxy.


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    Fisherlady2
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    RE: reef runner ? 2011/03/28 11:45:03 (permalink)
    you can get 'tech reports' on the luhr jensen website

    link to one for the dipsy divers...

    http://www.luhrjensen.com/downloads/tech-reports/12DipsyDiver.pdf
    #9
    Erie Mako
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    RE: reef runner ? 2011/03/28 11:54:31 (permalink)
    In my opinion, replace the trebels that come stock on the Reefie's - I feel that they are cheap and deform very easily!

    On the internet, EVERYONE is entitled to their opinion!
    #10
    bulldog1
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    RE: reef runner ? 2011/03/28 12:02:14 (permalink)
    I've run them mainly on dipseys and riggers or flat lined, did get some education on snap weights last year and will probably use that some more...
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    rmcmillen09
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    RE: reef runner ? 2011/03/28 12:17:28 (permalink)
    seen guys do well using them in the spring casting from shore also, slow retrieve
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    rooster
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    RE: reef runner ? 2011/03/28 13:41:29 (permalink)
    shutupnfish and fisherlady thank you for that chart and website and everyone else that replied.
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    kingnuke32
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    RE: reef runner ? 2011/03/29 09:40:48 (permalink)
    Keep in mind that when running cranks behind dipseys or riggers you will be Running Reef 700 series(shallow diver) when running snap weights you will be running Deep Divers 800 series. These are not the same baits the 800 has MUCH more action than the 700 does and is much harder to tune correctly, the number one reason people do not catch feesh on reefs is mistuned cranks. I prefer Renoskys off the riggers and behind dipseys as they are suited much more to that application, although the split rings and hooks that come on those are crap and need to be replaced. I use the 700s almost exclusively for the Night trolling in shallow water or on a High line out in the Western basin.
     
    I have crank issues though I have 2 special mate boxes(hold 120 each) overflowing and just started up a 3rd, most of these cranks were designed to catch fisherman first and they do a good job.
     
    As far as the dipseys buy some rings and superglue them on it will help when you hear lead lengths etc. on the radio as 90% of people run them with rings on.
     
    Good luck on the big lake and let us know if we can be of any more help. Less than 2 weeks to our first Erie Eye trip of the year 
     
     
    #14
    rooster
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    RE: reef runner ? 2011/03/29 10:35:17 (permalink)
    kingnuke thanks for the info and everyone else.
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    bulldog1
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    RE: reef runner ? 2011/03/29 15:06:40 (permalink)
    "Less than 2 weeks to our first Erie Eye trip of the year"


    I like the way you think Western basin I assume...
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