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Rigging Long Lines for Quick & Easy Deployment 

...David Rearick

Being efficient in the field is always of top priority when it comes to setting and picking up decoys. Having all the necessary components (and some good help) are all key aspects of making things quick and painless, while keeping things neat and organized for your next trip afield.

Long lines are always a point of interest amongst diver hunter because deploying hundreds of decoys as “singles,” just isn’t an option. Some ways of rigging and re-rigging, each day aren’t much better, as knots in the line and a mess in the boat always seems to strike at the worst time. For me, the easiest way to keep things nice and simple is the utilization of three main components: a 12 Slot Avery® Full Body Duck Decoy Bag, Avery® Gang Rig Clips, and a heavy 3/8” main line.

1) First and foremost always remember to have at least twice, preferably 3x, the depth of the water from your last decoy to the anchor. (ie. 15' water uses 30-45' of anchor line) This will create enough “scoop” to hold the decoys in place even with a light weight in the roughest conditions.

2) The next step is to use a heavy main line and tying it to your anchors. I use a 3/8” for 2 reasons; 1- it doesn’t knot easy when you wind the end of the line up for storage, and 2- it is easy to see and will allow for quick pick up and visibility when you are running the boat around the lines.

3) After you have your main line set with about 60’ of spacing left for a dozen decoys start by rigging your decoys to a dropper varied from 12-24” depending on how you hunt. If you use a dog, utilize at least an 18” dropped to avoid snagging your dog as he goes for a retrieve, or if you run a boat through the decoys use 24” at a minimum.

4) After your droppers are rigged to your decoys, install the Avery® Gang Rig clip to the bottom. The reason I use the Avery® clips is they have a ball swivel at the bottom to allow motion without twisting or knotting, they are stainless and do not rust, and on top of that, they are large enough to unsnap even with the biggest of gloves on. This is important when it gets cold, if I have to change on the fly from day to day or morning to afternoon.

5) After everything is rigged, it is time for assembly. Start by spacing your decoys at approximately 5’ intervals on the main line. I typically like to go 6’ then 4’ or some other random spacing, but that is just me. After they are all on the main line place the anchor and all the cord up to the first decoy in the first slot and put the decoy on top of it, next put the line between the decoys in the second pocket and the decoy on top. Repeat until all decoys are in the bag.

Not only is this 5 step process easy to so, it will save you hours of untangling, fixing, and everything short of having a nervous break down in the field. In this situation setting out and picking up decoys is almost foul proof for even the most inexperienced guys that go with me. It takes my attention away from them rigging decoys wrong and focuses it more on safety on the water. It may cost a little more at the beginning to rig the decoys this way, but it works wonders when you are hunting a three day set and don’t feel like messing with decoys every night after a long cold day on the water.