Cheater line

[MarkD]

I know many guys use it to maximize the chances. I use it too, but never got anything on it. Does it really work and does it really worth to mess with it? I would appreciate shared experience!

[GeorgianBay MessageBoard]

[Seguin Fisher]

Quite often I’ll use a cheater, and I’ve caught some decent salmon and rainbows as well as a few lakers on it as well. Not really that hard to deal with, and if it means one more bait at another depth, might as well try it. Usually I’ll run a smaller spoon on the cheater, it seems to work better for me that way.

[John Kendell]

If I'm fishing 20' or deeper on the cannonball I always run a cheater...unless the fishing is hot (which is pretty rare on gbay rigging these days).  I use a 4-6 foot line normally.  I don't run a cheater if I'm running an sd or agitator on the main line behind the ball though - that creates a mess.  I also fix my cheater closer to the ball if fish are hugging bottom (use an elastic or planer board clip) - get two lures in the strike zone that way.  I would bet 25-30% of my hits come of the cheater.  Not as many on gbay (maybe 10-20%) except in low light.  Often get bows/coho on the cheaters in Lake O.  But when you break a main line it gets expensive really fast.

[MarkD]

Thanks a lot!
Just one question...

if I'm running an sd or agitator on the main line

Agitator I assume is sort of flasher but what is sd?
Thanks!

[Grandpa Jim]

SD is a spin doctor which usually has a fly attached.
Flashers, dodgers, Spin Doctors, etc. produce very effectively on Lake Ontario. However, on Georgian Bay,
I have found these go-to salmon rigs a lot less successful than cleanly run spoons and Lymans. I put it down (just guesswork really) to the water clarity on Georgian Bay. Too much razzle-dazzle and flashing has drawbacks in reducing hits and also results in negative fight quality with smaller salmon. I have tried to cut back the flash and roll by running small flashers with herring strips (meat rigs) but success doesn't come close to favourite spoons. I have actually had more success running "clean" herring strips with Jensen plastic heads that create a lazy roll (no flasher at all). Only problem with running clean herring strips is that the hit can be very subdued and you have to pay very close attention to spot the often slight burp or soft, short rise of the rod tip. I suppose that the salmon doesn't sense anything unusual about the taste and texture of the herring strip unless it bites down on the hook.
Having offered up the preceding information, I have to admit that my son runs at least one flasher meat or fly combo at all times and generally has very good luck. To each his own, I guess.

[Grandpa Jim]

Apologies from wandering off track on the original thread concerning "cheater" rigs. I run free sliders (not fixed) anytime I'm running spoons off the riggers. For what it's worth - I have found no difference whatsoever with the success of running short leader slider rigs (3 to 4 feet) than I have with longer leader lengths. The advantage is a marked reduction in tangles and snafus. One of the really exciting events when rigging is to watch the effect of your rod tip burying in the water when a large bow or salmon smashes the slider lure. Don't stop winding until you see your lures approaching the boat. A lot of novice anglers wrongly assume they have lost the fish taking the slider lure when everything goes slack. It takes quite a number of seconds for the main line lure to catch up with the swivel used to attach the slider to the main line itself.

[MarkD]

Thanks, Jim! Very useful info!
I'm totally convinced now to use cheaters.
I would guess on LO everything you use would produce nicely. Not the case for GB though..

[Meegs]

Only fish we landed last night was on a Cheater line!   When running single spoons on your mainline I always throw a cheater down.   Will pick up an additional 30% more fish as a general rule of thumb I’ve found over the years

[Krawler]

Flashers were great a few years ago, last year only one fish!

As for cheaters I normally don't run them in the top 50ft of water column, im usually doing long leads and like to bury my rod tip to ensure better hook set. But if you do decide to run them, do not use them with a flasher rig of any type.  Tangles like you wouldn't believe!

[Grandpa Jim]

As always - great posts from James and Kris!
Totally meaningless I guess but I have a problem with the term "cheater" as opposed to slider. Unless you exceed the regulation of a maximum of four hooks per line (trebles are classified as one hook) you are not "cheating" or guilty of any infraction to the regulations. Unlike salmon, rainbows have a very wide tolerance for preferred water temperatures and frequently slip into relatively warm water layers in search of food. Point being that slider rigs with silver flutter spoons of various sizes can produce rainbows despite being positioned well above the normally accepted water preferences.

[MarkD]

Jim, I know that "cheater line" does not mean we cheat regulation. But the name is used and I'm using it.
As for "slider" instead of 'cheater"... What if you fix that line at any specific depth you want with the clip? - then it's not a slider anymore as well...
But if I remember it correctly, the regs allow only three hooks, not four, as you mentioned. Am I wrong?

[Grandpa Jim]

Yep - you're wrong. The regs state that you cannot have more than four hooks per line. As to the slider being fixed to a specific position on the main line being rendered a non-slider - you're totally correct - until a salmon or 'bow whacks it and it definitely reverts to being a very fast slider once again, at least until the slider swivel makes contact with the main line lure.
Here's a little tip for storing cheater/slider leaders and swivels. Take a short section of pool noodle, insert the swivel end firmly into the foam, wind the leader around the noodle until you reach the second swivel and insert it into the foam. Repeat the process and you can get four or five slider rigs neatly accessible as required. I use fluorocarbon for sliders but probably no better than any quality monofilament.
With any luck, my dock lines and dock cleats made it through the blow we had last night and I can break loose from the gardening chores and spend a little time in an effort to replenish fish fillets in the empty freezer.

[MarkD]

Yep, I was wrong! Just confirmed with the Regs. It is four.
Thanks for the tip with storing slider lines, Jim!