Layout boat with Visqueen.....
- Thread starter Bob B
- Start date
Lou Tisch
Well-known member
Yup, that's one of my photos. It's our South Bay Scooter, painted in our brown camo pattern (pic attached) and covered with Visqueen. It's clear (translucent), 6 mil, construction plastic. It's available by the roll from about 6' wide to 24' and probably wider too. Harker probably carries it.
Lou
A lot of guys here use in layout hunting. I don't hunt that way. The way I have used visqueen is to lay it out in a dove field. On a hot day it looks like water and the doves will come in for a drink. Another thing I've done is lay it out in a corn field and place some decoys on it. Works the same way. You have to have a big layout though. We would typically have an area say 200' sq
Ed L.
Ed L.
Michael R Braun
Well-known member
Very cool! I have heard of this be for but never seen it till know. I would imagine you need to be near some type of water to fool the birds in the area to come into that pond.
Mike
Mike
You mean like this? Okay
Click "Browse" below Markup window.
Select Picture from your harddrive by clicking on "Browse".
Click in the box in front of "Inline"
Click "Upload Attachment" This uploads your picture to the server.
Now place your curser in the "Markup" window as you would to begin typing. You should have a flashing curser.
Click on the picture frame on the far right of the word "Post" in the tool bar. A frame comes up called Insert Image Window.
Click on the circle in front of the jpg you want to show up with your text.
Hope this helps.
Ed
![goose_car[1].jpg](https://duckboats.net/community/data/attachments/2/2782-b0abe44ae798370a0ca66b293d6302ca.jpg?hash=sKvkSueYNw "goose_car[1].jpg")
![goose_car[1].jpg](https://duckboats.net/community/data/attachments/2/2783-b0abe44ae798370a0ca66b293d6302ca.jpg?hash=sKvkSueYNw "goose_car[1].jpg")
Lou Tisch
Well-known member
Dani,
Here's the "whole picture" of that visqueened boat. It helps the boat vanish but.......Notice how the shadow under the boat is also shown as shadows under the waves. Shadows are a natural part of the lake.
This is hunting right out in front of our lake house which is the middle house way.........in the background out in front of the boat.
Lou
Here's the "whole picture" of that visqueened boat. It helps the boat vanish but.......Notice how the shadow under the boat is also shown as shadows under the waves. Shadows are a natural part of the lake.
This is hunting right out in front of our lake house which is the middle house way.........in the background out in front of the boat.
Lou
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Michael R Braun
Well-known member
LOL! Trojan Goose From He_ _
all I can think of is that movie dumb and dumber with that dog mobile.
all I can think of is that movie dumb and dumber with that dog mobile.
Todd Langston
Active member
Lou,
How did you secure the Viqueen to the layout. I have built a Busick and have tried to put burlap on it befor to simulate milfoil but it seems to be more trouble than it is worth.
How did you secure the Viqueen to the layout. I have built a Busick and have tried to put burlap on it befor to simulate milfoil but it seems to be more trouble than it is worth.
george wilson
Active member
lew -- looking at the picture and noticing your set-up ---- the layout looks perpendicular to the dekes - not parallel like most set-ups i've seen
is that how you normally do it???
is that how you normally do it???
Lou Tisch
Well-known member
To anchor the visqueen, we will tie decoy line along the edge of the visqueen and put a decoy anchor on it and it will hold the edge down into the water. We use clips on the inside to hold it and will also put it under the curtain of the Whistler when using that. Do whatever it takes to secure it. If it moves in the wind............no big deal.....so does the water.
I'm attaching my layout outline and our set up diagram.
Lou
Layout-Set ups & Rigging
Here's the set up we use. There are a few things to note:
1. We use 200-250 decoys but you can typically do a good job getting started with about 4-6 dozen. I'd go with BlueBills & Cans as my first purchase......along with at least ONE Goldeneye Drake and at least ONE Buffy Drake. One of each is truly "magic".
2. Notice that I've shown the "shore". This is critical if you want Buffy & GE. We did a lot of work for 3 months with the USFWS and this is what we observed 100% of the time. The Buffy were always on the "shore side" of the rig of Bluebills & Redheads and the Goldeneye were always on the "lake side" of the Bluebill & Redhead. Why........I don't know but I know that's the way they are. Both BFY & GE will come right down the center of the rig and then swing to "their own", giving you a nice coming in shot and a crossing shot.
3. Also, be aware that these divers come in Low to the Deck and will almost always "lift" up and you'll think they are flaring. What they're doing is checking for landing zone. If you let them, they will come in, lift up and then drop right into the rig.
4. Definitely use a call for divers. It will work wonders and it's the only way to draw them in to you if it's foggy.
5. Note that we have open spaces around the boat and behind it. These are passage zones for the tender boat so the tender can come in on either side of the layout and escape whichever way is necessary out the back.
6. We use a "blocker" line of big scoters and eiders. We get these birds into Lake St. Clair so it makes sense to use them but they are also there to "tell" the birds to "drop down". It's kind of the "end of the line".
7. We use 125' mother lines (1/4” Black, New England Line) with heavy duty carabeener clips on the end with the upwind clipped to an 8 lb. mushroom and the downwind clipped to a sash weight. We put 12-14 decoys on a mother line, clipped to loops in the line. We will often clip two lines together. The decoys have a 3' dropper of 1/8" military parachute chord. Tie a bowline to the deke and a bowline to the 5" lobster line clip and the clip goes onto the loop in the mother line. This keeps the mother line about 3' below the surface and away from you prop. Prop caught in a mother line will kill you.
If you are hunting deep water, merely keep "deep extender lines" (Loop on end and carabeener the other end) available to merely clip on when needed.
I never use single dekes. We lost a lot of single rigged dekes in a storm. It was so dark at 1pm in the afternoon that we had to use a spotlight to find the dekes. Mother lines were easy to find but the individual dekes were lost to the storm (all hand painted E. Allens)
8. We put all our decoys (still rigged) into 55 Gal. Plastic Drums with holes drilled in bottom for drainage and 2 fold down, carriage handles (home depot) riveted onto the drum. When retrieving, we set the sash weight into the bottom (still clipped to mother line) and start feeding all the decoys down into the drum. You don’t have to worry much about order.......it takes care of itself for the most part. When you get to the end of the line, remove the upwind 8# mushroom anchor, place the anchor in a milk crate with other anchors and clip the carabeener to the handle. Voila.
When setting decoys, unclip the carabeener and clip on the mushroom anchor and drop at the uppermost, upwind end for the set. As you drift down, you can set the dekes. As you remove the dekes from the drum..........do NOT grab the decoys and pull them from the drum. Grab ONLY the mother line...and the decoys will follow and not get tangled. If you lift the decoys out, they will not be in sequence and you will tangle. When you’ve set the entire rig, hold the sash weight for a bit to stretch the mother line (it will also right any decoys that are upside down) and then drop the weight.
Now, move upwind again to set the next line..............etc.
9. Don't set your rig in the dark. That's a sure way to get tangled in your mother lines and then you're in big trouble.....it can kill you. Divers move all day long. Wait to see where they want to be and then set up there or at least "pre scout" and set up as early as you have light to safely set the rig.
10. Carry a true Ship to Shore radio in every boat and have a backup if necessary. The coast guard doesn't like cell phones though they are better than nothing. A ship to shore radio can be triangulated by the Coast Guard and they can find you in an instant and that matter of minutes can be the difference between life and death.
11. Use a large Danforth anchor for your upwind boat anchor and a mushroom or small navy anchor as your downwind anchor. The Danforth will keep your layout boat in the proper place in the rig. The smaller downwind anchor can be pulled in and reset to adjust to a changing wind.
12. Be safe out there.....most duck hunters (especially layout shooters) don't realize how close to dying we are out there all the time. We're in a harsh environment and at a harsh time of year. Nature is unforgiving.......be safe.