Getting Your Ducks in a Row

For many hunters the thought of using many dozens of decoys can be challenging to say the least. While the average puddle duck hunter may use a dozen or two decoys in their spread, the diver duck hunter however uses 5 or more dozen decoys and needs to keep them organized at the same time. At first, the prospect of using 10 dozen or more decoys can seem like a daunting task, until you consider the long line.

Long lining decoys is a method of stringing up to several dozen blocks onto a single line. By using this method, hunters can deploy a surprising number of decoys in a relatively short period of time. Simply put, the decoys are attached to a single length of tarred line that can be well over 100 feet in length. While there are many ways of doing this, I’ll share a way that is simple and relatively quick to put out large spreads of decoys.

The first step is the long line itself. For this, I recommend #120 tarred line that is used for trotlines etc. At one end attach a heavy weight and then measure twice the maximum water depth you wish to hunt in. At this point, you want to tie a small loop in the main line. This is where the first decoy will be clipped on. Continue tying small loops in the long line at intervals from 6 to twelve feet apart until you reach the desired length. After tying the last loop, again measure off twice the maximum water depth and attach another heavy weight on this end. You should now have a continuous length of line with anchors at each end and loops in the middle.

The next step is to make “droppers” that attach to your decoys. These droppers are short lengths of cord with one end attached to your decoy and another end attached to a “long line clip”. The clip will be how we attach each decoy to the loops in the main line. I prefer to make my droppers very short to prevent tangling when many decoys are in a tub or decoy bag. If you are hunting with a dog, you will want to make your droppers long enough to sink the line at least 2 feet. This way the dog can swim between the decoys to make a retrieve without being tangled up.

For more duck hunting tips look for our new Coastal Waterfowl Hunting DVD coming soon.