Rigging Blue Bill Decoys?

Great picture Carl!

Charlie pretty much nailed it. Longlines are easy to make. All you need is some #120 tarred line and some stainless longline clips. It all comes down to the quantity you're making.

If you're only making enough for a few dozen decoys you're better off buying them already pre-made due to the fact that you have to buy in bulk and will have a mile of chord left over. If you're making enough for a hundred decoys or so you can justify the bulk purchase.

Let us know if you have more questions.

Good Luck,
Kirk
 
here about the "HOW TO" of longlining as little can be added to it....I would like to say that as a longtime member of this board I'd like to encourage Cam, and anyone else here that needs "longline supplies" to at least check out Kirk's website for the items that they need before they rush off to Doctari or Atagulf......Indeed you might find the items you're looking for on those sites for a couple of pennies less than on Kirk's site, (I haven't actually compared prices so that might, in fact, NOT be the case), but please consider the following before you spend your money at those locations rather than Kirk's.

First Kirk is a Platinum Sponser of this website....that means he's contributed funds, at the highest level other tan "unlimited" to the site. The donation was UNSOLICITED which makes it possible for people to ask questions and benefit from the answers that are offered without any contribution on their part. Some might say that he benefits as a result. I won't argue that but would state that there are MANY here who benefit financially who have never contributed a dime to the site yet still are welcome to sell their products here. (If you doubt this take a look at the names of the people that you know sell things here and see if they have "SPONSER" or "CONTRIBUTOR" next to their names).

Kirk is currently involved in a YOUTH RAFFLE contirbuting a prize to someones kid on this site. I've never seen Doctai or Atgulf offer even a discount much less a gift here.

Kirk has taken his time to offer written descriptions of "his style" of longlining in response to a question. Again he might benefit from that with a sale but did anyone see Doctari or Atgulf answer the question here, (or any question in the past)?

Nothing against Doctari, I don't know them other than I see them as Contributiong Sponsers on several other sites but not here, and have no issues with them, but I do think that if someone on this site is going to benefit financially it should be someone who participates here, with both his time and money, and not people who are just commercial interests or who choose to spend their time and money on support of other sites....

The fact that this site remains FREE to anyone who is registered relies, in part, on small companies like Kirk's, and its my sincere belief that we should support them, even if they might be a couple of cents higher than "the cheapest place".....

Steve
 
Thanks Steve,

I appreciate the comments, however my purpose of answering the question wasn't to spam or make a sale. I don't think anybody's comments we're out of line either. Heck, I make about $3.50 per longline, so it's not like anybody's taking food out of my kids mouths by making their own!!

I think I summed it up when I said that if you're making a lot it's cheaper to buy in bulk. But if you're not then you're better off getting the stuff from me or another guy. Actually the first few longlines that I sold came from a 10# spool of line that had been sitting in my garage for probably 5 years since I made my 3 longlines. I think that first order from Memphis cost me enough to buy 5-6 longlines from the guy out of Wildfowl. That said, I like to make my own stuff like Cam does so it was worth it to me.

As far as supporting site sponsors, I'm all for it. It goes without saying that we should support those that support us. However I've learned a TON from Lou Tisch, Mark Rongers, and Dave Clark about how to be respectful, honest, FRIENDLY and professional when running a small business. These guys have been as supportive as anybody, when they just as easily could have been spiteful. One thing I'd really like to avoid here on DHBP is this "corporate" culture where the sponsor's items are gold and everybody's elses stuff is junk. I've seen it on the MAJORITY of other sites on the web. It eventually hits a point where there's no use asking a question there because you know you won't get an honest opinion.

Anyhow, I appreciate your support of our company, as well as everything you do here for the duckboat page.

Thanks,
Kirk
 
Steve,

I very much appreciate your position on this, and it is abundantly clear.

I suppose from the perspective you've posted in the past, I have violated some great trust by posting other external sites that are not sponsors. I don't think that is fair.

However, and this is clearly just my opinion, I think a consumer should be given the choices and be allowed to make the decision they want with their hard earned money.

I do not always agree that sponsorship of this site should be the trump card. If the Duck Comander started sponsoring this site, would we have to abandon the other call makers and not post information about them or pruchase their goods and services?

Some members paint their duck boats and gear with house paint, rustoleum or krylon from the local harware store, Home Depot or Walmart. Should that be disallowed since they aren't sponsors and Lou is? Lou makes the best paint going, but are we forced into that decision because he sponsors the site?

No, rather should FME stand on it's own merits, the testimonials from users and Lou's contibutions to the site.

Ultimately I think we should be allowed to make the decisions that is best for us as consumers. Sometimes that is simply to get the best deal going so we do what we love without going broke.

Personally I think it is fair of people to post other sources for goods and services. It find it a bit offensive to suggest that I shouldn't buy products from other vendors, simply because someone pays a few bucks to support this site (or any other). If a sponsor has the best product, best customer service, bet price, best whatever, then let them stand on their own merits.

We have all benefitted from the information sharing here, and sometimes it is to get a deal from someone other than a sponsor.

Charlie
 
I didn't say "you had to" buy from anyone....I merely encourage the people who post here to "consider" those who support the site before making a purchase.....

As Kirk responded he's not going to feed the family dog, much less his fmaily, on what he makes from selling longline clips....to me though longline clips are longline clips, (way different than paint), and in those cases I'm all about supporting the guy that supports the site and not the guy that is selling THE EXACT SAME PRODUCT for perhaps a few cents less.....

We're clearly different people....you're the Champion of the Consumer and want eveyone to have the most options possible for the decision process......I'm 180 degrees from that in that I'll support a Sponser, (when he's selling a GENERIC product), everyday of the week....and especially so when he takes the time to answer a posters questions.....

Again I never said that anyone here HAD TO buy from someone because they were a Sponser, or even that those that sell a product here HAD TO BE a SPONSER. I merely encouraged the people here to support those people who are Sponsers when they can.....

Steve
 
Sorry, didn't mean to bring up a heated conversation. I tend to agree with everyone here. I consider myself a newcomer to this site and feel that my years of hunting, though not many as some, my benefit someone like they have done me. I have gotten some really good ideas from this site and have been trying to evaluate it for a couple of months to see if it is really worth coming to, and boy is it. If someone has a good, fair priced product i'm going to look into it if I can't make it, no matter who it is but I may be more inclined to purchase something from someone here also. I feel that people should support this site in any way they can if they are able to. Myself, I now feel that its time for me to contribute also. Thanks for the inspiration and the info guys. This is kinda like having hundreds of hunting buddies to get info from.
 
topic, or the exchange.....on any site peoples "opinions" are going to differ, as mine and Charlies do here.....that doesn't mean that "opposing" opinions are anything other than "opposing".....Charlies opinion to Charlie is "correct"....just as my "opinion" is right to me.....all I ask is that Sponsers products be researched and if "equal" that they be give consideration over non-sponsers.....notice the "if equal"....again I'm not saying tha SPonsers should be used to the exclusion of those offering "superior" products nor did I state that "options to Sponsers" shouuldn't be posted.......

For the answer to your specific question on getting the graphics on the site check the HELP FORUM....its at the VERY BOTTOM of the Main Index page.......click on that and read the entries that concern posting photos..its a little tricky at first but easy oce you get the hang of it......

Welcome to the site......

Steve
 
Carl,

This is nothing. We just have fun disagreeing. :-)

It is all in the spirit of comraderie though. It isn't a pissing match.

I'm glad you decided to stick around. There is a wealth of info here and sometimes some drivel (like my recent post abou electrical wiring - who cares about how to wire my garage!). Even the off topic stuff has a lot of good info in it, in my opinion. Most people here are willing to share somethign, even if it is just an opinion.

Some of these topics are fun in another way - when this longline topic came up three or four years ago I was a new guy, now I get to be a semi experineced rookie. By the time this rolls around the 10 or 12th time, I'll be an old salt at it...

Oh, and Steve, I agree with what you're saying, but as a free market economist, I felt compeled to share another perspective. :-)

Let the invisible hand of the free market rule!!!

Charlie
 
I prefer drops no longer than 24"....less tangling IMO...They're enough for the dog to get through, and I try and make it a habit to keep the boat out of the lines. I don't use clips on my drops either. They're 400lb mono that are crimped to the decoy, and to a 4/0 swivel that is threaded onto the tarred line, and held in place by an overhand knot on either side of it.

-D
 
I wonder if Lou is around... If I recall correclty, he rigs his and keeps them attached to the motherline. He throws them in drums in a certain way and is able to deploy and retrieve without rerigging each time. I imagine this works better if you have a big boat to store the drums in.

I think someone (Steve) has a handy way to coil line in a bucket with separators. I think it is supposed to work better with the swordfish line though.

We had bad luck trying the Cabelas (can I mention them here?) longline setup with the brass clips attached. The line was a small size and tangled very easily.

Tarred lines seem to work okay, but if I ever get more into it, I'd like to try the heavy guage swordfish line.

I am not a big fan of throwing the decoys and line into the bottom of the boat and dealing with it later since I've had a pain in the neck doing that in the past. One time we had to get out of dodge in a hurry because of the arrival of bad weather, so we just tossed the dekes and line in the boat and dealt with it later. It was a tangled icy mess. Probably would've been better if we had a heated garage to de-tangle in...

Lots of different ideas and they all have merit.

Charlie
 
I use the drake stand up bags and as long as I'm the one to haul them, or at least help haul them, they're generally good to go on the next hunt. When the bags get knocked over, or turned upside down in a rough sea, or by a fellow hunter, they can make a mess. It just takes patience to get them untangled, and once you've done it a bunch, it's quite easy.

-D
 
I use MS Paint to draw them & then save them as JPG files.
Then, I use the Attachment utility that shows up on the bottom of the Reply or Post Message Screen. It's pretty easy.
 
It's easy once you use Paint enough. Took me about 5 minutes to draw up the longline one. The others were easy once I drew the designs for each decoys and a base with the boat & ranges lines.
 
so its not practical for me to keep decoys attached to the longlines.....Since I switch between a rig specific to Scoters, another for Goldeneyes, one for Harlequins, one for Brant, one for Old Squaws, one for Divers and occassionally longline my puddle duck rig to keep them all rigged on longlines would require about a bazillion miles of ground line....

Since thats obviously not practical I use the same ground lines for all of the rigs and detach the decoys from the line each time, either stacking them on the floor, (in the case of the big Scoters or the Brant, and bagging the rest in (12) or (6) pocket bags. With the exception of the Scoters, some of which are E.Allens, all of the rigs are cork so sticking them in bulk bags doens't work for me.....

Using the same ground lines for all the rigs I can get away with (9) 100' main lines.....all of those are 3/8" swordfish line which has a significantly softer "hand", (flexibility), than tarred net line has. (7) of these lines will fit in a 5 gallon bucket which is loaded by feeding the line into the bucket hand over hand with NO ATTEMPT to coil it.....if you try to coil it it will tangle....if you hand over hand it it will deploy with no tnagles. I use a long line clip on the end of each line which connects to either the anchors, or to another line which is sometimes done when the water depth is deeper than average.....lines are seperated in the bucket by a simple plastic disc which also makes a nifty "FLAG".......the remaining (2) 100' lines that aren't in the bucket are used as extenders and are only rarely used. They are a stiffer "hand" than the swordfish line and can be "coiled" cowboy loop style with "some" success in avoiding tangles.

I like the heavier 3/8's line because the longline clips I use, (the heavy duty TRUE Swordfish clip with the big ass offshore swivel on them that will accept the 102# tarred net line I use for droppers), have a bigger throat and will slip on the smaller stuff that many people use, plus, its easier of your hands when you pull it, particularly when its cold.......

I don't use loops on the long lines for several reasons. First it takes up length in the line to tie in the loops, (tie a dozen loops in a 100 foot line and you end up with about 80 feet of line). Second its makes the lines too uniform for my tastes....in some places I want to cram as many decoys on as little line as possible and in others I want to stagger the spacing.....you could still do that with loops but whats the point when the clip does the same thing?--(personal taste here).....and last you cannot coil the line, or feed it into a bucket, with loops and not expect to have tangles.....for those reasons my lines are "clean" and I rely on the clips to give me my spacing....

I vary the length of my droppers and use a heavy 102# tarred net line for the same reason that I use the 3/8's line for my ground lines.....easier on the hands and the thicker the droppers are the less they tangle.....my dropper lengths are from 24" to 36" on all rigs but the divers, which are 6' and the puddle ducks which are from 6' to 9', (with droppers that long I can rig them singly using the longline clip to attach a single anchor of appropriate wt. to the conditions which I prefer over longlining when practical).

Since I never run my longlines downwind or downtide varying the length of the droppers breaks up the quack quack waddle waddle straight line look of a longline rig where all the decoys have the same dropper lengths....run across tide or wind the variable droppers breaks that up nicely....likely not worth consideration from the ducks viewpoint but I like the look better.....

With the stiff tarred net line droppers I don't have to worry about wrapping lines on any except the puddle duck decoys....on the decoys I stack on the floor I run the first layer by dropping the clip on the floor and then setting the decoys down with the lines and clips between the keels....the second row stacks like you would firewood with the clip dropped onto the backs of the first row of decoys and the decoy set on top....add rows until complete....do it right, and then re-rig fom the top row down without dropping down a row untilo the upper row is completed and you never get a tangle......bagged decoys just drop the clip into the pocket and then follow that with the decoy....no wrapping....saves HUGE amounts of time....puddle ducks with over 6' lines I do wrap.....

Thats it for me.....BIG CLIPS with swivels large enough for 102# droppers, 3/8" ground lines that are soft enogh to feed into a bucket so they don't tangle, and a specific regimen for stacking or bagging decoys.....I won't say I never have a tangle but its rare...and based on the other "methods" that I've seen in other longline setups I'd be hard pressed not to want to bet that with an experienced team that I couldn't lay out my rig as fast as even those guys that leave their lines attached to the decoys....

Steve
 
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