For me how far back from the weight depends on two things. How far down I'm fishing,and what time of day it is. Early in the morning if I'm not long lining,I will put the weight down about 10-20 ft. When I do this I usually run my lures about 100ft off the weight. When the fish are this close to the surface I think that the boat is probable spooking them as it passes over . After the boat passes over them,I think the kokes will move back in behind the boat. With my lure this far back,it comes in behind the fish to give them a chance to hit the lure. Then bingo fish on!!!. I think that this is one reason, that I will catch fish without graphing them.As the day progresses and the fish are moving to deeper water I will make changes.
Secondly if I'm fishing deeper then say 40 ft,I will shorten up my lures. In the middle of the summer I will usually start with what I call a 50/50 split. 50 ft down ,50 ft behind the weight,and then will adjust accordingly. In late summer when the kokes are holding in deep water,I might start a little closer to the weight,then make adjustments as needed. I let the fish tell me what they want.
