Dodgers

[lablover]

Sorry, but its off season and I have Kokes on my brain.

So thinking about dodgers and what works best I've asked several seasoned Koke fisherman and almost all tell me a simple chrome dodger with crushed glass on 1 side. This got myself thinking why? And I agree the crushed glass has been a top performer!

If you look at the crushed glass it reflects a TON of light which I believe is the WHY and thinking about those who use a pop gear again that's why they work! So if light reflection is key to a great dodger then why in the $ell do companies splatter paint all over them which destroys any chance of light reflecting?? Correct me if I'm wrong but every year someone adds more splatter or a stripe or etc. Now all that being said I do agree GLOW helps but the splatter that looks like someone had a hard night and puked all over it I just don't think there effective.

Love to hear your thoughts!

[SuperD]

Last year at the Gorge a white with pink splatter was my number 1 producer. To quote an old quote, "Never say never." Light reflection is only one of the things a dodger does for a Koke lure. Think action and vibration. If only one dodger was the secret, tackle companies would have gone out of business long time ago.

[lablover]

SuperD

I agree a Dodger has 2 functions- 1( Create motion for lure 2( Act as a attractor

That being said I personally think "Motion or Action" is the most important function but I think light refraction is KEY! Think about it this way? If I park a car a mile away from you and the sun reflects off the windshield you will see it! Now if I paint that windshield and the sun reflects off your not going to see it. I think these splatter patterns are created for us humans! LOL Sell more Sell More Sell More......

Just my $.02 Cents

[SuperD]

I believe lateral line vibration and lure action is more important than the light element. Late season at 80+ feet deep you won’t convince me there is a lot of light. Furthermore, I catch a lot of Kokes before the sun comes up.

[lablover]

I agree with you once you go super deep light refraction will be minimal but do you think the paint splatter helps at that depth? I think NOT.
I think Glow comes into play when we go that deep. Not UV but GLOW!

[SuperD]

Lures have a color and contrast for a reason. We can agree to disagree.

[lablover]

SuperD

I appreciate the conversation!

Thanks,

[SuperD]

It was a good topic and surprised that more didn't jump into the conversation. I'm sure there are a lot of different opinions on this. My dodger bag used to weigh 20 pounds and I've recently reduced it to about 2. While I had every dodger under the rainbow I really gravitated to the same few 99% of the time. Every few years I like buying new tapes and re-taping to freshen up an old dodger.

[mrmike]

Yes count me in, First we shorten are leaders to are hooks to create action to develope Action with a stiffer # test than are main line again action. Different dodgers,or wobbles create different action.Trying to match the hatch what the fsh like different dodger,vs wobbles. I thing there is a big difference. Color management for kokanee is a must, its an art weather you put fsh in the box or not. After many years of kokanee fshing and the lakes I fsh I have them dialed in. My go to wobbled are Arrow or Paulson Cascade. Second my colors solid gold, solid silver,solid copper, Color management tells you you get the most reflection on sunny days, overcast days, dark days with the color clarity of the water. Different dept some colors disappears some don't. I like a lot of silver on my tube flys I load up all my rods with 4 different combination and try to figure them out.

[SuperD]

Got old dodgers that aren’t getting used? Think retape. One of my winter practices is to spend a couple bucks on new tape to create some new dodgers.

[mtncat1]

those dodgers look great superD ,i'd fish them in a heart beat . i have retapped a few my self and it's not as easy as it looks

[SuperD]

I actually prefer cutting my own but my source on eBay sells precut sling blade tape in all dodger sizes.

[nofish]

I taped up a few with some glow tape. 9590

[SuperD]

Have you charged them and gone into a dark room to see how well they glow?

[mrmike]

Good luck can't see why they won't work on a cloudy day,or in the depths.trial and error. My theory has been if you try 10 things and one works your a winner.

[nofish]

They glow pretty good I think they will work.9592

[Cybersnow]

Nice looking dodgers, I have a few chrome flashers that are starting to show their age. Where can I find the tape on eBay.?

[SuperD]

Nice looking dodgers, I have a few chrome flashers that are starting to show their age. Where can I find the tape on eBay.?

Type fishing lure tape in the eBay search

[MMDON]

I'm seeing a whole new group of players like Kok-a-Bow, Paulina Peak Tackle and other that are catching a lot of fish!

[SuperD]

I'm seeing a whole new group of players like Kok-a-Bow, Paulina Peak Tackle and other that are catching a lot of fish!

Because they all look the same and all a dodger really needs to do is create some vibration while providing some action to the lure. ;-)

[Cybersnow]

Does the shape of the dodger make a lot of difference. I notice that most of the sources of Kokanee tackle have dodgers that are teardrop shaped. The dodgers I have used in the past are rectangular shaped. Does it make a difference?

[MackayGuy]

They all have different action. And you can change the action by bending em a little....or a lot. Get some different styles and run them next to your boat at different speeds and watch the action. They all work, you just have to pick the right action and color for the fishery and depth. It’s trial and error. There’s no magic answer on a fishing forum or book, you have to get out there and learn what works.

[SuperD]

Does the shape of the dodger make a lot of difference. I notice that most of the sources of Kokanee tackle have dodgers that are teardrop shaped. The dodgers I have used in the past are rectangular shaped. Does it make a difference?
The difference between the type you have used in the past and the tear drop is speed. The old rectangle blades will start to roll at relatively low speed compared to the teardrop. Where we fish at the Gorge, 1.7 - 1.8 mph is pretty common.

[Cybersnow]

That makes a lot of sense as I used to troll for trout at 1-1.2mph with the rectangular dodger and whatever lure/bait I was using. Faster resulted in less fish. If I need to fish at a faster speed as Super D suggested, then that dodger would be all over the place. According to the Idaho Dept of fish and game, there are a few lakes in the McCall ID area that hold Kokanee, but the water is colder and not sure how productive the lakes will be. I do understand that down in the Boise area there are several lakes where the Kokanee fishing is supposed to be great and down riggers are a must. I will pick up some better dodgers in the meantime and give them a try.

[mrmike]

Sorry, but its off season and I have Kokes on my brain.

So thinking about dodgers and what works best I've asked several seasoned Koke fisherman and almost all tell me a simple chrome dodger with crushed glass on 1 side. This got myself thinking why? And I agree the crushed glass has been a top performer!

If you look at the crushed glass it reflects a TON of light which I believe is the WHY and thinking about those who use a pop gear again that's why they work! So if light reflection is key to a great dodger then why in the $ell do companies splatter paint all over them which destroys any chance of light reflecting?? Correct me if I'm wrong but every year someone adds more splatter or a stripe or etc. Now all that being said I do agree GLOW helps but the splatter that looks like someone had a hard night and puked all over it I just don't think there effective.

Love to hear your thoughts!
You need to learn color management you want silver has the best reflection way better than chrome,21 carats gold, and copper.Im a Paulson Cascade wobbled guy an killer cloudyother. Name there are called Arrow dodger. They have numerous assortments to choose from. That's my pick. Run 12# Flor leader 8/10 inches in length. I use Pline. Copper can be a killer on overcast/raining days.hope this helps.

[MMDON]

Since I enjoy collecting as much as I do fishing with different gear I've been on a major collecting spree for dodgers. To fill in my collection as it's been a few years since I once owned every dodger in the larger sizes of every major mfg in every color. Actually 2 or more of each. My collection is now back to being a pride and joy thing. My next investment may have to be a fork lift to get the dodger bag in and out of the boat! 96769677
Each one of the Shimano Blue Binder Bags has 15 custom inserts that hold 8 to 12 dodgers per page. The fourth binder is for lake and gang trolls and such. Looking forward to taking some of the newer mfg's out for a swim. They are doing great with them in Idaho, Oregon and Washington!

[SuperD]

Start getting them wet Don. That new finder installed yet?

[MMDON]

Start getting them wet Don. That new finder installed yet?

I couldn't get shop fabrication time until the 8th. Then they will mount the 2 new digitrols, the Lowrance HDS 12 Live and the Lowrance radio with NEMA link.

[Arrow]

Yes count me in, First we shorten are leaders to are hooks to create action to develope Action with a stiffer # test than are main line again action. Different dodgers,or wobbles create different action.Trying to match the hatch what the fsh like different dodger,vs wobbles. I thing there is a big difference. Color management for kokanee is a must, its an art weather you put fsh in the box or not. After many years of kokanee fshing and the lakes I fsh I have them dialed in. My go to wobbled are Arrow or Paulson Cascade. Second my colors solid gold, solid silver,solid copper, Color management tells you you get the most reflection on sunny days, overcast days, dark days with the color clarity of the water. Different dept some colors disappears some don't. I like a lot of silver on my tube flys I load up all my rods with 4 different combination and try to figure them out.

As the manufacturer of these I can attest to the fact that virtually all of the guides who fish these prefer the same metals for colors as their go-tos---especially the gold plated variations. That said, as the day wears on many of them change over to pink or orange painted finishes. Same with many of the tournament anglers in the Pacific Northwest.

[MasterCaster]

Boise area there are several lakes where the Kokanee fishing is supposed to be great and down riggers are a must.I've fished Wa/Or/Id for Kokanee and have always done well (I think anyway) and have never used even a weight. Ultra Light setup with small flasher about 120-150' back at 1.2-1.6 mph. Hit 3 fatty Kokes and 2 nice rainbow at Lucky Peak Reservoir just yesterday morning. But, I've never fished past about 11 am either. I think Kokanee are shallow in low light areas, which would explain why I am able to catch them every time without 5 lbs of gear on a stiff rod. But I am no Professional either.

[G3 longliner]

I've fished Wa/Or/Id for Kokanee and have always done well (I think anyway) and have never used even a weight. Ultra Light setup with small flasher about 120-150' back at 1.2-1.6 mph. Hit 3 fatty Kokes and 2 nice rainbow at Lucky Peak Reservoir just yesterday morning. But, I've never fished past about 11 am either. I think Kokanee are shallow in low light areas, which would explain why I am able to catch them every time without 5 lbs of gear on a stiff rod. But I am no Professional either.
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went LP yesterday - caught 5 trout, 1 chinook and all where small no KOKS Maybe 25 boats on water

[G3 longliner]

I've fished Wa/Or/Id for Kokanee and have always done well (I think anyway) and have never used even a weight. Ultra Light setup with small flasher about 120-150' back at 1.2-1.6 mph. Hit 3 fatty Kokes and 2 nice rainbow at Lucky Peak Reservoir just yesterday morning. But, I've never fished past about 11 am either. I think Kokanee are shallow in low light areas, which would explain why I am able to catch them every time without 5 lbs of gear on a stiff rod. But I am no Professional either.

went LP yesterday 5 trout, 1 chin, no koks maybe 25 boats on water