decoy stringers

[icecold]

What type of set up does everyone use for attaching multiply decoys to 1 line and anchor ,any anchor setup better than another?

[set the drag]

just make sure when you pick them up that they are organized for the next time out. I use two of them later in the season and if they are tangeled you will just get pist and not put them out. and then you have to walk all over them in your boat and that sucks. I bought mine at cabelas I have one with eight decoys and one with eighteen decoys they work nice for divers. they are spread out a few feet or so and have big snaps so you can interchange the decoys. I use like one pound wieghts on the ends.

[wh1stler]

I put lines two feet long on each decoy. At the end I tie a loop and clip a shower curtain ring--it is big, easy to clip with gloves on, and cheap.

My main line is about 120 feet long. At each end I have a loop and another shower ring. For an anchor I took a large soft drink cup from SuperAmerica, filled it with quikset concrete mix and set an eye-bolt in. I put an anchor at each end of the long line.

In the main line I tied loops to attach the individual decoys. Because I often hunt in about 15 feet of water the first decoy loop is about 20 feet from the anchor loop. They are then spaced 8 feet apart and I get about a dozen dekes per line.

If you have never used long lines before I would recommend practicing putting out decoys several times before the season starts. Make sure at least one or two practices are in the dark. When I started using long lines I didn't do this...bad idea.

Pick up is relatively straight-forward, although having two people is helpful. I pick up the first decoy on either end so I can reach the main line. I then drop the decoy back in the water and pull up the anchor. I unclip the anchor and set it off to the side. Then using a double notched 1X4 I wind up the long line. When I reach the decoys I typically pull them off and hand them to my partner who winds and stows the strings on them. You can either leave the clips on the individual decoys and anchors or on the long line. Just be consistant otherwise when you are setting out you will find that you might need to search around for an extra ring or two.

I store the wrapped up longline and extra rings in a small rubbermaid tackle box.

Wh1stler

[Crusty old Swede]

My brother in law used the removable decoy method for his diver string, I tied my decoys on permanenty. Both ways work - with practice, the removable way is easier if you get tangled. As mentioned leave some room between the anchor and the first/last decoy for deeper water or make a extender line with clips at both ends so you can add it on quickly. If you hunt with a dog, or hunt in an area frequented by morons, put a 1oz. egg sinker on the dropper line from each decoy to the main line. This will sink the main line down out of reach of swimming dogs and spinning propellers. The main line of my string was made with two spools of 200# test braided & tarred nylon line, and is about 180' long. At first I used a notched board as mentioned and this was pretty good. Then I got fancy and mounted an electrical wire spool to my decoy box, with one end cut off and pointing up the spool worked like a spinning reel. This had some good points and bad points, if there were no tangles we could put out the diver string at moderate trolling speed, but it tangled fairly often and it took forever to wind 200' of line onto a 4" diameter spool. The system I use now has a small keeper at two corners of the decoy box so that each wrap of line is now about 7' long so winding in is only ten minutes in the dark. Setting out is slower (back trolling speed) but you don't get popped in the chops as often when the decoys are flying out of the boat.