# Diver Spread



## hoss711 (Dec 27, 2009)

This was my second year of waterfowl hunting and am looking to expand my decoy spread for next year. Thinking of adding divers only shot a few over a puddler spreads this year and would like to try to improve. Wondering how many decoys and how you rig them with long lines looking at buying 24 blue bill any advice would be great.


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## Aythya (Oct 23, 2004)

Welcome to the wonderful world of diver hunting! Here is what I typically use for divers unless I am hunting really big water.

I most often use a J set. I string 12 canvasbacks on a long line which makes up the arm of the J. On the outside of the cans I set 3-4 bufflehead decoys which keeps the decoying birds on the inside of the arm. For the hook part of the J, I set a dozen bluebills or a dozen cans, or mix them and some mallards. I also set up about six Canada goose decoys and a few swans, especially if these species are in the area. Goose and swan decoys work great as confidence decoys especially on mallards and I often hunt divers where there are good numbers of mallard.

I like cans as they really show up well on the water especially for the arm of the J. I set the long line up so that the farthest decoy is in range as sometimes divers will land out at the end of the string.

If you aren't hunting huge water, 24 decoys should be plenty especially if you are combining them with your puddle ducks. I would recommend putting 10-12 on a long line and using the rest in the hook part of the J. Of course there are other setups besides the J formation but that one has worked well for me for decades.

Where are you hunting? My spread works great in ND on the water I hunt. But when I lived in northern Minnesota years ago, we used to set huge spreads of diver decoys. Had to compete with hundreds of real divers on the lakes I hunted so needed lots of decoys.


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## carp_killer (Nov 24, 2006)

i had a spread of 5dz dekes this year and struggled to kill many diver limits on my own. hunted with a friend and we ran over 200 dekes and shot limits every time we hunted. had a line about 100yds going towards the main part of the lake and a group of about 50 on each side of the line about 30yds from shore. spread was snows, canadas, bluebill, ringneck, cans, goldys, and buffleheads. from my experience divers will flare to puddle duck dekes but i was also hunting on large water bodies. for the 2010 season i plan to run 8dz cans 2dz goldys, 2dz buffleheads, 2dz bills, 2dz snows and a dz canadas with the cans and geese on a mother line and the rest on single lines. my opinion is if its bluebills you want to kill buy bluebill dekes but they do not show up as well on the water as the white does on other species. divers key in on their own species when they are landing especially goldeneye and buffleheads


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## hoss711 (Dec 27, 2009)

So far I like the advice I am mostly hunting in the La Crosse area between to refuges on the Mississippi. I would like to try to hunt both divers and puddle ducks at the same time. There are two parts about this area that make it difficult. There is lots of competition and duck for the most part stay within the refuges.


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## carp_killer (Nov 24, 2006)

if there is lots of competition then go big or go home. especially with a refuge close by you are gunna be competing with large rafts of live birds. puddle ducks over water will decoy to anything most of the time with a little calling


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## Aythya (Oct 23, 2004)

I agree that in your situation you need a big spread. I get away with a small spread in ND because nobody hunts divers over here, or at least not very many hunt divers. Big water and lots of competition, from large rafts of divers or other hunters, dictate a large decoy set up IMO.


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## hoss711 (Dec 27, 2009)

Thanks for the information so far. A few more things I was wondering how should the main line be set is it with the J set the hook would be up wind of the line correct and also what would you use for line and weights on the long lines. Also if you were setting up for both puddlers and divers how would it be done?


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## carp_killer (Nov 24, 2006)

DO NOT let the wind control were you hunt. you only put one anchor on a long line though so yes the whole thing would go how its spose to in a line then you just make your hook at the end with non gang rigged decoys. rig em right makes a kit for doing it.


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## Aythya (Oct 23, 2004)

This is what I do for my long lines. First, I buy one of those metal fish stringers with the big clip-like hooks and attach one to each decoy using standard decoy anchor cord. Second, I lay out a length of Tangle-Free decoy cord as long as need for a particular long line. Some of mine are relatively short, e.g. 30 yards, some are longer. Third, I tie overhand knots in the Tangle-Free and make big loops and space the loops 3- 6 ft apart. The terminal end of the line has a loop at the end for the last decoy. The proximal end (one that goes close to shore) has an anchor. Just clip on the decoys and let them out like a kite string and the wind will pull them out into a line. Of course if you hunt from a boat you can pull them out with the boat.

My anchor is made from 1/2 inch PVC and is designed to let me use it to quickly roll up the cord. It is shaped like and H but at the upper left and lower right of the H is put on extra pieces for the "cranks". I fill it with sand and seal it with end caps. Paint it black and you are ready to go.

You can use the J set in almost any wind. Of course the best is having the wind behind you but if it isn't, place the J so that the long arm will move away from the hook part and keep the hook open. If you have a cross wind, place the J sideways with the long shank on the outside so that the hook part is closest to your blind. When I set up like this I have found over the years that putting out some other species on the outside of the long arm really helps to keep the ducks landing inside the hook vs. outside the long arm.

For more information on decoy sets pick up a copy of _Duck Decoys and How to Rig Them_ by Ralf Coykendahll. There are other references out there too but I really like this one.


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