lower columbia decoy help

[goosegunner]

I am getting ready for a lower columbia duck hunt, never hunted their before and was wondering what the norm is for how much weight to use,cord length and how big of a spread i should.Any other helpful suggestions would be helpful to

[duckboy]

Check the tides, but in general, If the water is 5 feet deep, I'll tie a 10 foot cord.

If you are hunting divers, then just bring 8-10 good drake blocks and long lines.




Be super careful if you are in a boat. the river is running high and there is a ton of junk. Watch the tide swings and if the @!&* hits the fan, just hang tight for the incoming tide and the water will smooth out.

ps, bring a buddy if you can.

[Capin' Dan]

You will find down there it could be anything. I have about 12 to 18 feet of cord. Sometimes I really hate having that much but it is not uncommon to have 10 foot tide swings or more with that said it depends on if you set up in a cut, field at what tide you are hunting. Ect.
I'd play it safe and set up with 12 feet of cord with at least 6 onces on lead. Of corse with the divers as said above.

[Swamp Puppy]

10' of cord is what i use with 4oz weights. works good for most places. like Dan said..for the really high tides 12-16' of cord is the way to go.

double what Duckboy said about watching yourself if the river. when it gets running high lots of junk comes down and creates even more of a hazard than you normally have from the usual deadheads.

[steelheadslayer]

One thing I do with my diver ducks is put them on a long gang rig line. I take about 50-75' of tangle free cord and attach it to either a 20 oz pyramid or a 3 or 4 lb weight. I attach 24-26" of cord to my decoys and then attach a GHG gang snap to that line. Then 1 by 1, i let out some line with my decoys snapped on that every 2-5 feet. It works great for your decoys staying anchored and is pretty easy to pick up when you're done. For puddle ducks I use longer cords with 6 or 8 oz weights.

[Teton]

Together with the sage advice above, please file a float plan with someone, have a VHF radio, some survival gear, and carry your cell phone to call buddies if you get stuck. That water is unforgiving. I love the challenge, and that is what keeps me going back, but prepare for the unexpected, and do not leave the dock in a small boat if the whitewater is out.

[Splash]

Beware the wakes of passing ships.

[Hunt'nFish]

Goosegunner......just want to welcome ya aboard!

Atten: DA Meeting Wed 12/20 @ the Decoy.
Come join us! And get your name on the DA Roster. Good to have the LC help list #'s when things go wrong.
Hunt'nFish