Northwest Fishing Reports

I don't have a downrigger and can't afford one right now. How effective are divers for both fresh and saltwater? Obviously not as good as a downrigger otherwise no one would spend the money on a downrigger LOL. But, I am thinking about heading out to Sammamish either tomorrow or Saturday for cutts and need to get down deep I would imagine. So, what type??? Brand??? Can they be used for Lake Trout/salmon fishing??? Any suggestions would be appreciated.

We always used Luhr Jensen Deep Six dipsy divers back when we did salmon fishing out in the sound and didn't have downriggers yet. If anything, you can always just use a 2 ounce banana weight out there at the lake, works just as well.

if i were u i would use a jet diver not as much stress on the rod for lakes

Each one has their place. There are a lot of times in which a diver is the better option, like when fishing on a changing bottom. God help you if your downrigger ball gets hung up. There are some places that we fish divers off the back and downriggers off the side and they preform equally well. That being said there is some technique to fishing a diver, you have to know how much line to let out to get down to a certain depth. Good luck.

I have downriggers on my boat but in some cases I use the Dipsy Divers. When trolling near bridges with long cables on anchors I dont want to wrap my DR cable on the tethers,I use the divers.Same goes for lakes with loads of deadheads and snags.

use a jet diver but rig it on a slider setup on your main line. i use them alot at mineral lake with very good success.