trolling with deep six divers

i get tired of switching lead, so i'm thinking of trying out deepsix divers. do they work well from a kayak? never used. to get to depth do i need move a certain speed? will it work with and against current?

any key points or things to avoid?

They work, I've caught a lot of fish with them, not sure if the do what they claim cause you can't really tell for sure what depth you are fishing at but the get it down deeper the a banana weight.  Work great for Coho, and ok for Chinook.  Max depth is about 50' they claim.  That size planer adds some drag to the fish and makes the whole game it bit less fun.

I thought I read that it has a clip release to minimize drag during a takedown.. and isnt there a 100' size?  and how's the line angle when around 50'?

I've caught ALOT of fish with them from my big boat, and there is a clip that trips when a fish strikes to minimize drag. The problem that I foresee with a kayak is the extreme amount of drag created while trolling I mean it would work but it just might be kind of a pain plus you may not be able to go fast enough to get it to work properly, I may try it out this weekend though to see how it works

the speed was one of my concerns.. how fast do you generally troll them?

We troll slow for kings, like 2 mph maybe a little faster, i can do that against moderate current for a while.  So speed isn't an issue, and yes they unclip, but there is still additional drag from it and the flasher and it changes the game a bit compared to catching them with just a jig.  I've caught dozen's if chinook, mostly blackmouth, but quite a few Kings too.  They catch coho, Lingcod, bass etc.  Haven't seen a 100' model but that must be a big sucker.

OK so first of all the last time I checked Kings, Blackmouth/blackgum , and Chinook where all the same fish ??.... I.E chinook...( but what do I know )....MAVERICK to better answere your question in my larger boat ( 36' uniflight W/twin diesels ) I have trolled the usual diver and bait combo and have been extremely successful over the years, In the ocean I will troll a diver with about a 36" leader attached to a mooching rig ( hoochies help ) and I use either a herring or sardine..Ive used the same set up in the river and have been equally successful with and without a flasher...Ive also used the slider weight set up with flasher and bait combo and its worked also...in the boat I find that 2-3.5 MPH is a great trolling speed... BUT as I said before in the boat I see ALOT of drag while trolling although it does trip when a fish strikes...as for the kayak I am pretty new to the sport and am trying new things myself. I hope to try what I know this weeking to see if it works the same ( I've heard in a kayak if your line is at a 45 degree angle your in the right area )....I hope this helps

When I first started fishing for chinook this was the way I liked most. Does work fine but as said has a limited depth and is a lot of work. If your fish are at that depth and you don't mind the workout then by all means, does a great job.

The medium size deep six  with 100ft of line out will get you to about 40-45 feet, perfect for returning kings in the early AM along shore/kelp...

Here's from Luhr Jensen:


SIZE   LENGTH   RUNNING DEPTH
000    3-1/2"    40’
001    4"           60’
002    5"           90’

Google "Slide Diver" for another take on the planer idea.

Guys, I don't know if this is consistent with your experience... but I've found that in fishing cohos in Resurrection Bay, the diver without a flasher on a large herring gooped up with herring gel for extra scent, fishing an estimated 35-45' --- it's the bomb. I've got a Hobie Revo 13, and I'm trolling pretty fast at 3 mph according to the GPS.  I'm not getting strikes at a slower troll, but I'm hooking up consistently at the faster troll rate. 

All I know is I'm catching fish when those PB's further offshore are just standing by...  I think the fish are close and deep, and they're just waiting for me.  It's been a good season so far, but I'm attributing it all to beginners luck. 

      Could it be that "simple is better" ?   

though I was tempted, I kinda gave up on trolling for salmon all together right now.. I've spent two five-six hour days trolling with no luck. switched to jigging and landed a king in less than 30 mins.. then four fish in three days!

speaking of"simple is better." I don't think it gets more simple than mainline->jig->hook->fish

so until jigs stop producing, Ill just paddle out with one rod and five jigs. but i do appreciate the input and I will utilize it sooner or later

Jigging works great right now, but it won't last.  In another couple of weeks, probably around the first good rain, the Kings move out and the Coho will be on the push too.  You might get them on Buzz Bombs or other similar jigs, but fast trolling is the ticket. I agree that 2.5 to 3 knots seems to be the speed they like, and that's a lot of work with a DR system. A spoon hoochie or herring, with a flasher and medium deep six gets up to the speed and works if they are on the bite. When their not on the bite, all you can do is watch them swim past.

Any suggestions on specific jigs?