Open-Water Walleye Magic

The title “Dixie Divers” was being bandied about to describe the Professional Walleye Trail event held on Bull Shoals, Arkansas, in 2005. Dipsy Divers were on everybody’s mind, as the one angler using them built a 10-pound lead going into Day Three. Unfortunately, the man who introduced Dixie to divers faded on the final day and wound up in second place.

Bill Ortiz won the tournament trolling Rapala Shad Raps in 10 feet of water. Most pros were trolling leadcore, because it seemed most of the active walleyes in Bull Shoals were hovering 40 to 60 feet down in the tops of submerged forests rooted in 100 to 160 feet of water. To get down there required 8 colors, or 80 yards of leadcore, and a bunch of backing.

The PWT veteran that Ortiz had to chase was Todd Frank, who was pulling Bomber 15A minnowbaits behind a spread of black Dipsy Divers on 20-pound FireLine. “The Bomber 15A is famous for having a slow, wide wobble at slow speed, and I was trolling 1.5 to 1.8 mph,” he says. “Another bait that worked well was the Rapala #10 X-Rap, which has a slightly tighter roll. It worked almost as well, and some days it worked better than the Bomber.”

But other pros had Bombers and X-Raps. In fact, they all did. What they didn’t have was the ability to turn, stall, or otherwise manipulate those baits precisely over key spots. “A number 3 setting on a Dipsy takes you way off to the side, but you can fish it on a 0 setting right under the boat,” Frank says. “That was the key presentation at Bull Shoals, where I lost by a smidgen to Bill Ortiz, because I could fish just 60 feet back and I knew the lure was swimming real close to every key treetop I identified. In order to take the lure to the same depth with leadcore, you need a mile of it out there. With a Dipsy on thin, braided line, I could turn 60 feet past a specific treetop, knowing my lures were accelerating or stalling right on the critical spots. Precision depth control and better vertical proximity to the boat provide a decided edge on small, key spots—like specific tree tops that rise higher than the rest.”

But something about a Dipsy Diver makes the average walleye fisherman’s eyes glaze over. Maybe it’s the extra rigging, like the extra knot needed to tie a leader to the thing. Maybe it’s the specialized rods and reels required. Or maybe walleye fishermen are just the laziest things since cowbells hanging from bank rods on forked sticks. For whatever reason, divers are not the hottest selling items in walleye country. Which is too bad. Some walleyes suspend all summer in most systems, even in small lakes. And all the divers are manufactured in a variety of sizes. The smallest versions balance perfectly with rods and reels you already own.

Depth is in the Details

Divers fall into two categories: plain divers and directional divers. Luhr Jensen Dipsy Divers and all subsequent copies are directional divers that have a dial with various settings. The dial is nothing more than lead encased in plastic, throwing the balance of the diver left or right, depending on which way you turn it. On the 0 setting, a Dipsy dives straight down. On a 3 setting, it can take a lure 50 feet or more off to the side, depending on how much line you let out. This creates room for leadcore, downrigger, or longline rigs with snapweights to go straight back behind the boat without tangling. But, more importantly, walleyes often move away, off to the side, when a boat passes overhead. Dipsy Divers intercept those fish.