Dodgers , What do like?

Ok, I've been looking at Dodgers and have no idea what to use other than the few Shasta Tackle pieces I have . What do you guys like, and why?worthy12worthy12

RMT Hyper plad was very successful this past year. Pink was also a great color all the way around

i use rmt signature series dodger, along with a bunch of different seps dodgers, and a couple crystal baisin wild things.

I use a variety of dodgers. The lure being used and the correct speed for that lure should help to decide what kind of dodger to go with. I have had alot of success useing dodgers with contrast... dots, lines, etc. I try to match the dodger to the lure color, and always add holographic tape to the other side of the dodgers. Some of the different dodgers that I use are made by RMT, Sep's, Vance's,Crystal Basin,Shasta Tackle,Luhr-Jensen,Kens Custom Tackle, and Father Murphy's. Where I fish the kokanee like a slow speed, so giving the tear drop shape dodgers a little more bend or attaching two together helps. One dodger that has helped catch alot of kokanee for me over the years is the Seps Watermelon...

We mostly use Rocky Mt Tackle dodgers, and Crystal Basin wild things. We almost always start out the day with some glow dodgers, move to UV as the sun first gets up, and then move to the hyper plaids and other reflective tape dodgers when the sun is at full strength. Just get a good selection that will allow you to fish different times of the day, different levels in the water column (thats where color selection comes in), and different times of the year. If you need terminal tackle too, the starter kits from RMT are a great way to get the essentials all at once.

I have a wide variety of colors and designs and use mostly RMT and Luhr-Jensen dodgers.

I started using Fish With Gary (FWG) dodgers this summer and had great success with them. They are quite a bit different from anything I have seen anyone use before and I think that is why they worked so well, especially during June and early July.

I'm a little bias, but Rocky Mountain dodgers are the #1 go to for me. I trick mine out a little from how you by them, bu then everyone does a little something to them to alter the way they work. Hyper Plaid, and Bahama Momma are my two favorite for sunny days. For early morning or overcast days I usually go with the glow.

halojm said:

I'm a little bias, but Rocky Mountain dodgers are the #1 go to for me. I trick mine out a little from how you by them, bu then everyone does a little something to them to alter the way they work. Hyper Plaid, and Bahama Momma are my two favorite for sunny days. For early morning or overcast days I usually go with the glow.

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Could anyone shed some insight on other ways to alter these? Like I stated , I've given them a bit more bend and attached two together to change their action, are there other tricks to try?
I know this thread is about dodgers, but as far as attractors go, has anyone had experience with anything else other than dodgers to attract and give the lure action? I tend to think of gang trolls more for attraction, and use them off the ball. I'm talking about things such as Big Al's Flashers, Dee's Diamond Flashers, KoneZone flashers, flashers that are shaped like dodgers but rotate, or useing things like large apex's, wobblers, or spoons in place of dodgers.

As many of you know.....I have field Tested everything there is on the market.......and it is a rare thing for me to find something I don't already own.....That being said There is always different answers for different applications.....For example If I am Trolling from 1.4-2.2 mph I use Our Rmt Dodgers 5.5 inch with the Squid's and 4.25 with a spoon or Apex style bait. If I am trolling Slower........Under 1.4 Mph I can either "Modify" Our RMT dodger By bending the Nose up and the tail down or Go with a Sep's/ Vances Style dodger that is made for slower speeds. In answer to your Second remark about "Gang Troll's" That is something that is just making it's way out to Utah and I have used all three of the previous mentioned Companies( Dee's,Kone-Zone,Big Al's) all of these gentleman are friends of mine and I had a conversation with one of them just last week about this very Item and It is something that is being looked at For the Kokanee Industry as we speak.
I make my own Ball troll's and yes they are productive.....especially in clear Water, which Flaming gorge has.
Good Luck In 2009 I am Looking forward to it!!!!!!!!!!!
Jared Johnson Owner RMT/Radical Glow/Ospery

Hey Guys, Just for FYI, Jared has updated or Should I say the Boss (WIFE) has updated the RMT web site. The new Dodgers for 2009 are on the site and you can get a look at them now so you can figure out how many of these babys you want and get your order in. There nice. thumbsup

Having had the opportunity to be fishing with Jared last Summer gave me a lot of insight into some new things to try when I got back to Kalyfornia. The thing that blew me away was how fast we were fishing for Kokanee in the Gorge, that 1.7 to 2 MPH range. I would never troll that fast consistently on my home turf where 1.5 is the max for me most of the time but that is also dictated by the variety of gear I run so it has speed limits (meaning my other dodgers would roll at higher speeds). In the Gorge we clearly outfished everyone around us by a large margin for the 4 day trip and it was with the 5.5 inch dodgers as he mentioned with the squids which allow you to go faster and have big action. Jared's custom ball trolls were very interesting as well which was run on one side of the boat and I'm kind of hoping he markets them. I'll let him describe them rather than give away any trade secrets... One thing I have to keep in mind though is the fish are so much bigger in the Gorge as well so it was like we were stepping up another level to them.

Also on the subject of gang trolls I did a lot of experimenting with the Diamond Dees this last year but as a ball troll and not a gang troll. I'm not a big fan of gang trolls only because I like to have minimal tackle to fight the fish and the sling blade style dodgers are really nice in this respect. On the Diamond Dees I liked their small series where you have two counter rotating pieces about a foot apart. I consistently watched Kokanee get attracted to them by taking a dive from the lure setup down to the ball for a look. It's a bit catch 22 in that the ball trolls in general can be great attractors, almost too good if your lure setup is not interesting enough... I also would switch the ball trolls to the Vance's model as I like those as well.

When running your dodger setups it is critical to know what types of dodgers run best at what speed. With a sensitive Kokanee rod (Rogue, Lami, etc) you should be able to read the tip to know whether your dodger has the right action or you are rolling it as it will pulse similar to a fish biting.

Dodgers --Ball trolls

If you are running a ball troll how far behind it do you run the dodger & the lure?

We would run the dodger set up approx 5-7 feet behind the ball troll and 3-4 feet above it

Kokaholic said:

We would run the dodger set up approx 5-7 feet behind the ball troll and 3-4 feet above it

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We have run the same type of set-up using a 2 -3 foot set back behind the ball troll, but without the dodger. This reduces the drag on the line and allows for a better fight with the fish. It seems to work especially well early in the season.

I clip around 4' above the ball trolls, and let out line so the dodger is 2' in back of the trolls when running a apex. When useing a lure with no action of it's own with a short leader, I like to get the dodger around 4' in back of the trolls.

I have used a 4 inch Pro-Troll rotating flasher with good sucess. You run the squid about 8 to 10 inches behind it and it gives a slow roll like a west coast salmon flasher. They come in a variety of colors, even UV. They work great on trout also. They do tend to twist your line. Some guys run an additional ball bearing swivel to stop this. It's something different, I never hear of anyone using them....Sokeyeslayer??...Any thoughts ??

jacksonlaker said:

I have used a 4 inch Pro-Troll rotating flasher with good sucess. You run the squid about 8 to 10 inches behind it and it gives a slow roll like a west coast salmon flasher. They come in a variety of colors, even UV. They work great on trout also. They do tend to twist your line. Some guys run an additional ball bearing swivel to stop this. It's something different, I never hear of anyone using them....Sokeyeslayer??...Any thoughts ??

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What speed are you trolling? I attended a kokanee seminar last year and if I'm not mistaking I heard you can troll them slow without having them roll? Another trick to give a hoochie a slow roll is to thread the line out the side just before the front.

I like to fight the fish with out a dodger when its possible so when I can I use a set of ball trolls usually late in the season when the fish are down deep .They dont seem to work as well when they are shallow.Last year I did try a salmon dodger on the ball for an attractor and one of my spinners or Draggins 2-3 feet behind.
At Hell Hole when the fish get lock jaw I find a ball troll to be most effective in loosening up the bite.

I just got my new sling blade for this year its a glow watermellon painted on both sides one with UV and one without cant wait to see how it works. I use my RMT hyperplaid and glow crush the most and a fire tiger dodger also and I like to match the lure to the dodger when I can .I customed alot of bugs to match the dodgers I have.

Is the new Watermelon something you made up or purchased?

Hi tech I had Ken of Kens custom tackle make them up for me