What The Heck Is A SWR?
By Captain Jim Hirt 
I received this e-mail recently and thought it was a good question that more anglers would be interested in. Should you have a question please e-mail me from my Website contact us page http://www.bluemaxcharters.com I will be pleased to answer. My charter season is under way and it may take a while to back to you.
Hello Capt. Jim Hirt:
I really liked your informative article on using SWR’s on the http://www.badgertackle.com web site!!! I am asking for some additional info on using the SWR. I only have one year of trolling under my belt having gone out 12 times last year. I am rigging up a larger boat with 4 riggers and other stuff and wondering how to incorporate SWRs into my set up using your format as I have been reading a lot of your instructions posted various places on line.
I am trying to switch over to the V-Spread pattern together with the three mini set patterns as you describe. These two patterns were not mentioned in the same article as each other but I just assume that you blend these two approaches together. Many people who run SWRs run two on opposite corners thinking it is far enough from each other that they won’t tangle. At the same time others claim they only run SWRs at the lowest position in the spread, or just one at the that position. If I ran two at the lowest position from the middle of the bottom of the V, then would they be too near to each other and apt to tangle since all my riggers are 50″s apart? Let me ask it this way: In the 3-minnie set V-Pattern where and how are the best spots to run 2 SWRs in the spread in relation to the other lures to prevent tangles as best as possible. In fact how many SWRs can I run in a spread? Thanks
Hello JC;
Thanks for reading my articles. I hope they add to your fishing enjoyment. The SWR is a long presentation for days when more conventional methods do not work. When I go to SWR’s one on each side of the boat will usually not get into trouble. As I set up downrigger leads (the distance from the ball to the spoon) the bottom or deepest lines are the shortest at 15 feet. Swr’s are then run on one or two of the highest lines. In a four downrigger set up the two center downriggers are the deepest. They are separated by no less than 25 feet. One of the corner downriggers are run 25 feet or more above the highest center rigger and the other corner rigger 25 feet above the other SWR. In low light situations short leads are the most efficient. Save the SWR for calm water and bright light conditions they are not practical to run in heavy seas. The thing to remember is placement and presentation is more important than quantity.
SWR Rigging?
SWR or secret weapon rig is a rod with two or three colors of leadcore line. The advantage to this set up is it runs 8 feet below the downrigger weight to offer a lure in an quiet environment 100 feet behind the boat. When loading this reel, start with 300 yards 50 pound Power Pro for a backing line then strip the lead out of the end of the leadcore and tie a Willis Knot to the leadcore. Finish with a Willis Knot and 30 feet of a 20-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon to a ball bearing cross lock snap. To run this rig, snap on your favorite lure I like Reaper or Vulcan Spoons by Badger Tackle. Come back to this Website often to read all my articles. Jim charters out of Milwaukee, WI. with Blue Max Charters. He can be reached at 414-828-1094. Summer I will be out on the lake fighting fish, however, I would appreciate a call over winter to chat about whatever questions you may have or just call and say hello. You may also visit my web site at http://www.bluemaxcharters.com Copyright© 2008, James J. Hirt, All Rights Reserved.