dodger size

[RalphL]

How long a dodger do most here use??

 

[SuperD]

At the on set of the season, the fish are in the top 15' of the water column where I fish. Sep sidekicks and 4 1/2" for early season and as the fish move deeper, I use 5.5" & 6" dodgers middle to late season.

 

[fishslayer13]

Like SuperD Season and location in the water makes a difference.
In dirty water I run a 7 or 8 inch dodger and they seem to do better than a smaller one.
Clear water I run a 4 1/2 dodger.

 

[RalphL]

7 or 8 in._____ Thats big.. Anyone else run them that long??

 

[SuperD]

7 or 8 in._____ Thats big.. Anyone else run them that long??

About 4-5 years ago I fished with a guy at FG that turned me onto some 8" Abe & Al flashers that kicked butt. I drove home and bought 10 of them. They never produced like that again for me. I still have them in my bag though. That particular year was the latest that I'd ever fished the Gorge so I wondered if bigger was better real late into the season.

 

[fishslayer13]

We run large ones all season long,(april through oct) it just depends on water conditions.
The large ones I like are the hagens T5 thin spoon in many assorted colors.
It seems that when the fish go into spawn mode they react to the smaller dodger. I dont personally think of a 7 or 8 inch dodger as big considering that many catch koke on gang trolls 3 feet long.
Her in northern Idaho in one lake the water is always a green dirty color and we can only catch fish with larger dodger or go to gang trolls.

 

[SilverBullets]

I mainly use 5-51/2" dodgers... sometimes 2 in tandem.

 

[fishslayer13]

I mainly use 5-51/2" dodgers... sometimes 2 in tandem.

Interesting , do you ever get tangled or do you have some way of rigging that keeps them from getting messed up.

How far apart are you tying them ?

 

[SilverBullets]

Interesting , do you ever get tangled or do you have some way of rigging that keeps them from getting messed up.

How far apart are you tying them ?

I attach them together...sometimes running a smaller one in back of a larger one. Running them in tandem produces more action and a different look. Another method is to give the dodger some additional bend...nose up, tail down.

 

[fishslayer13]

Cool beans silverbullets! Thanks for the info. I had tried something like that but I used mono line to put them together.
Snaping the swivels together would stop the tangle.

I do bend a lot of dodgers seems to help some days.
I will have to try that.

 

[SculpinKing]

If you wanted a little more space, one of those leaders they sell pike and musky fisherman would clip in their perfectly and since they're nylon covered braided wire it wouldn't tangle easily.