Capt. John's Spread Setup Guide
How Capt. John King set up his boat. His standard two-person summer spread was 3 downriggers and 2 divers, adding 300' of copper or lead core when boat traffic allowed.
Downriggers
- The 100' rule: rigger depth + lead length = 100 (60' down/40' back, 70' down/30' back). Best for spooky Kings in clear water.
- Deep spread (80–120' down): deepest rigger 10–15' lead, middle 20–25', highest 30–40'. Keep 15' between rigger depths.
- Very deep (150–200'): tighten all leads to 10–12'.
- What to pull: the deepest rigger runs meat (12" flasher + 3-fly meat rig). "The deep rigger with meat is always the most productive."
- Releases: Black's style release with latex rubber bands that break at 4.3–4.4 lb and stretch 18–30", keeping the hook set. Double the bands past 100' and set the release arm to at least 4 lb.
- When a rigger fires: leave the rod in the holder and reel up slack. Let the fish break the band.
Wire Dipsy divers
- Setting 1.5–2.5 with a big ring, 100–250' out, 5–6' leader to the flasher.
- Line: 30# 7-strand stainless wire. Buy 1,000' spools so you can cut out bad spots and keep fishing.
- Use larger-frame line counter reels for wire.
- Add a Super Snubber between diver and lure. No-stretch wire tears hooks free without one.
- Pull 10" BTI flashers: port (left-turning) on the port diver and starboard (right-turning) on the starboard diver.
- Magnum Dipsys run deep and close to the boat and tangle with rigger fish.
Braid and Slide Divers
- Thin 35# braid (.010") gets divers past 100'. Thicker braid means less depth.
- Back the reel with mono; you'll never reach the bottom of the spool.
- Add 15–30' of 30# mono leader for Slide Divers.
- Never run braid straight to a rotating flasher. It twists and breaks.
Copper and lead core
- 300' of 45# copper fishes about 60' at 2 mph.
- Lead core: 3- and 5-color in spring; 10-color (300') of 27# in summer.
- Run both off big planer boards with long rods.
- Best mid-day and when boat traffic is light; great for spooky Kings far from the boat.
Planer boards and surface lines
- Big board leads: 150' in flat water, 125' with a ripple, 100' in a chop. Inline boards: 70–100'.
- 3–4 lines per side. Keep lead lengths equal so turns don't tangle.
- 200# planer board line; small Offshore releases pressed hard.
- 20# main line, 15# leader, with a bead chain keel weight 5'+ ahead of the lure on a plain snap.
- Keel weight depths: 3/8 oz = 3–4', 1/2 oz = 4–6', 5/8 oz = 5–7', 1 oz = 5–10'.
- Let the fish drift back after the hit, and clear weeds from every line every 20–30 minutes.
- Best for April Browns, June offshore temperature breaks, and fall Steelhead.
Terminal tackle
- Fly leaders: 2.5× the attractor length (John ran about 2×). 10" BTI: 16" for spring Coho, 20–25" for summer Kings. 12" flasher: 36–42". Stiff 40–50# leader.
- Hooks: double snelled VMC trebles on flies and meat rigs for short strikers. Sharpen every hook, new ones included.
- Whole bait: must roll, not twirl. Pull a slight bend at 2.2 mph and slower.
Shop the spread
Trolling, Downrigger & Diver Supplies · Super Snubbers & Dipsy Supplies · Flashers · Meat Rigs · Spoons
