Storage Tip for Divers, Tadpoles, Bottom Bouncers & More!
During diver season, it can be a pain to store rods with bulky dipsy divers on them. Taking them off each time you are done fishing isn't efficient and it's just annoying. Taking them off and wrapping them up adds wear to the Diver Leaders and is just kind of messy. We did it for years, but it got old. We have tried removing them and storing them in our Board Stor Caddies, baggies, boxes and other storage devices. We also used velcro strips for a few years, which worked alright but simply didn't have the holding power of the gear ties. The best method we have found after years of trial error for containing dipsy divers and other divers when left attached to the rod are 6" Gear Ties. You can reuse them many, many times. Without an exact number, it could be guessed that 1 gear tie lasts a few seasons before getting wore out. To use, you just wrap around the rod and each end of the dipsy diver. For tadpoles, one Gear tie works pefect. For bottom bouncers, we use two. One on the top side of the weight and one below. Not only do these gear ties keep the divers/bouncers contained and reduce the odds of tangling, they also keep the flex and weight off the tip of the rod. Divers bounding around create a lot of swing and pressure on rods. The gear tie "glues" them to the rod and takes all of the pressure out of the rod, allowing you to store your rod with no bend or load. After wrapping the diver to the rod, you can actually pull a little line out and have almost slack line between the diver and rod tip, allowing it to completely relax. These are flexible silicone rubber material with a wire inside that allows them to be bent in infanate ways. They are an easy on, easy off solution. They take up nearly no space either. Once you have them on the boat, you will find that they work for unlimited other things too. They also work great for perch fishing and drop shotting for bass. Wrap one around the line, just above the weight to keep it from swinging around or popping free from the snap. One of our nets started to tear in an area where the basket attaches to the hoop. Extend life by connecting with a gear tie! These are available in a variety of other sizes too. Once you start using these things, you will have your boat compartments full of them! An amazing little trick! We do not sell these, so you will have to find them somewhere online or at your local hardware style store. There are knock offs but we have found the original to be best. They are made by Nite-Ize. Hope it helps some other anglers out.
