Josh Hatley
New member
I saw these forsale on FM Marketplace. It got me thinking. How are they used?
Eider Sleds?! How are they used?
- Thread starter Josh Hatley
- Start date
roy brewington
Well-known member
I made up some scoter sleds a few years back. Attached 3' long lines drops to them with 6" stainless clips. In use ran long line out and clipped them on about every 8'. At front of long line I clipped on a black painted lobster pot buoy to stop downward drag on first sled. Rode great , nested great and show up from a long ways off when done in a super magnum sizing. The plans for my sled dimensions came from archived plans on this site.
I have not used sleds but over the last 25 years I have seen a number of people here on the DHBP demonstrate building and floating them.
What I have seen is that the nested sleds are all connected. You attach an anchor line (with a bouy to break the current) to the first one and the rest simply slide out the back, forming a string of decoys. I believe most guys use a rear anchor line to keep them from swinging in the current.
Sorta like long-lining decoys.
What I have seen is that the nested sleds are all connected. You attach an anchor line (with a bouy to break the current) to the first one and the rest simply slide out the back, forming a string of decoys. I believe most guys use a rear anchor line to keep them from swinging in the current.
Sorta like long-lining decoys.
Neal Haarberg
Active member
I have used Scoter sleds and did them just as Roy did. Except I used a couple decoys in the front and and back of the long line instead of a crab pot bouy. They worked great. Alsmost looks like the birds are diving as you motor around them. I like the idea that Carl posted above but if you are using a dog they will not be abel to swim through the spread.
roy brewington
Well-known member
If silhouettes on sled are sized right they,ll show up from a distance much farther than any commercial decoy . You really appreciate just how far when your out chasing a long swimming cripple and look back to rig.
Troy Fields
Well-known member
Spot on Carl.
Troy Fields
Well-known member
Just need to add a 24" dropper from the sled to long-line and a seasoned dog will swim right through/over the line.
I made some magnum scoter sleds years back, still use them today, work great. I string them out like Carl suggested.
don novicki
Active member
Whats the advantage to a sled vs a long line ?
Scott Farris
Well-known member
Sleds are silhouettes separated by two crossbars providing both stability and flotation. Sleds normally built with different widths so they stack for storage. Sleds are deployed like full body decoys, either individually or ganged together. Like everything in life, they have their benefits and drawbacks. The size of the silhouettes can be made substantially larger for the same storage space than full body decoys for greater visibility. But they have a lot of drag when deployed in water with currents, and they are less effective for bringing the waterfowl into full commitment, so they are usually deployed with a mix of full body decoys or in areas where there are lots of opportunities. Bill Wasson, active member here in the early years and a professional Maine guide stated in a published article, that he rigged his sleds on the outside edge of his rig with full bodied decoys inside. The idea being that the eiders were attracted from a distance with the large silhouettes but when they swung down wind for an approach the silhouettes faded out and the eiders would swing into the full bodies well within range of the guns. Personally I like the flexibility of having my sleds on individual 36" droppers (bridled for stability).
Long-lines are a method of rigging decoys in strings using larger anchors, a heavy main line with decoys attached by droppers and clips or tied directly to the main line or tied to the main line with droppers to allow dogs to work through the rig. Couple of photos, in action and a close up of how I tie my lines.
