? for you big water hunters

Capt Jeff Kraynik

Capt Jeff Kraynik

Well-known member
When putting out your longlines, do you start downwind & motoring as you drop or drift with the wind.

Love to hear some different opinions!!!
 
start at the top. drift with the wind. work at the back of the boat and slow up the drift with motor if needed. reverse the process when picking up...
 
Jeff,

For sea ducks, we have always started from the upwind end since we need to make sure the anchor is well set against the currents/tide. We anchor the boat first with a buoy to mark where we want the boat. We then set the strings parallel to the desired position of the boat (TBD 17 or layout). We set in up to 40' of water and it's a mess if a string breaks free. We anchor the end of the string with a sash weight. Hope this helps.

Bill
 
I usually start up wind... I actually start by having the decoys on long lines ready to drop overboard... and then we hook the line to the front of the layout... as we drift from the layout the block jump over the side like Navy Seals... then we set anchor on the other end.
 
We usually try to let the boat drift with the tide or wind. But you have to play it by ear, sometimes you've got to motor to get out your strings. We anchor front and rear with a Lobster daub painted black at each end. Last week on the moon we had a hellacious job getting the stools back into the boat. It was onlny my son and I out shooting. To get the stools back I had to power into the tide while John pulled. We couldn't stack them and bungie them neatly as we usually do. He just had to pile them up. what a mess, thank God for long line snaps. It was an hours work back at the house and we were good to go. We set 4 srings of 24 decoys it usually takes us about 15 minutes to get them out and about 20 to get them back into the boat, Thats if there is no tangles. On Mondays trip, John stacked them a different way, now he want to add a 5th string. I dont know if will help.
 
Start upwind and drift back, you can set and pick up two lines at a time, most times.
 
I deal with current, tide and wind and varying numbers of helpers. Quite often the wind, tide and current are in opposition or crosswise, so many times I am operating the motor in order to maintain a drift and keep the boat in the proper attitude to the strings. Window sash weights will not hold, so I use 5 lbs. or 10 lbs. pyramid anchors or the folding grappling hooks.
 
Definitely start upwind and deploy from the stern. Use motor to slow your drift. If you can, keep them as parallel to the current and wind as you can. Use weights on BOTH ends. Use too much weight. Here I use at least 8lbs. A beer can full of lead with an eye bolt is about 8lbs.

I tend to pick up the furthest downwind/current string first, but don't be afraid to grab one end and drag it out of the way if you're drifting into the rest of the rig.

There is a learning curve for sure, but it aint rocket science!

-D
 
I always have used sash weights and drift from the top down, as most have here. I pick up by grabbing an end decoy and pulling it out of the way of the other strings as best we can. We usually try to set the strings in a "J," not straight lines. Sometimes the weights do not hold. Does anybody have a site to buy BIG mushroom molds from... like 8 or 10 pounders? I like the beer can mold idea, may have to try that....
 
Tim,

For big mushrooms I simply use the bottom of a lead pot. Melt or pour eight lb.s of lead in the bottom of the pot and suspend an eyebolt in the lead till it hardens. I have a double nutted washer on the submerged end to make sure the eyebolt doesn't ever pull out. I also hog ring an 18" length of shock cord to the eye to help absorb the jerk of the wave action. Helps a lot.

Scott
 
I used to use sash weights and got away from them. Changed over to small 2.5 lb bruce anchors at West Marine. Little bit of chain and they work great. We have 10ft tides up here and we stopped having to play games with the rig moving and the anchors are light in the boat. Longline clip right on to a small shackle at the end of the chain and your ready to go. We lay an anchor and then power back as needed. If you have sleds lay them up side down on the gunnel of the boat, snap on the full bodies then start snapping on the sleds one at a time and flip them off the gunnel. Works really well. depending on the tide and wind we will use a second anchor on the down wind end of the line. Good luck. Hank
 
jeff, if you have to deal with tide, then do the drift with the direction of the tide-it is always good to have wind and tide together, btw! hehheh--small mushrooms, with a bit of chain are probably going to be fine if you do not have much of a tidal swing---
ALWAYS remember, when you are feeding the line from your longlines into a bucket, always clip each line to the next one, and clip the last clip to the handle of the bucket, then put the lid on---no matter what happens, those lines will NOT tangle up on you!!!!!!
when we layout shot, we set the boat, then worked the dekes around the boat, usally making a pos with lines going away--gave the divers a string to follow.
First time is usually best done before you are actually gunning, so you can work out the logistics==even so, there are always little glitches here and there.
Enjoy, and have fun!
 
George I am going to try the bucket. I have been using electric cord reels. For weights I use 64oz juice bottles filled with concrete. Cut off the top, fill with concrete and put in a eye hook. Down wind side quart bottles filled with concrete.
 
My Broadbill are permanently attached to the main line, no droppers, stacked or placed in a fish tote or bucket they deploy easily with no tangles, use a fairly stiff and heavy mainline, or tar it. Also use a different color line on the anchor "ends", so when you go to anchor you grab the right one. I use 8# sash weights with a ring through the "eye" to snap on to, I unsnap the anchors and store them separate, then you can always add a heavier anchor or another sash weight.
It's been awhile since I've used this rig, so I might have temporarily forgotten the finer points, we don't get enough Broadbill here to fill a tooth anymore.
 
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