kai_bennett•1mo agoMost Upvoted

Twin screw vs ladder dredge debate on the Missouri River

I used to swear by ladder dredges for everything. Thought twin screws were just overengineered junk for guys with too much money. Then I worked a job near Sioux City last summer where the ladder kept clogging on clay balls. The owner swapped us to a twin screw and we moved 30% more material in a day. Anyone else change their mind on a piece of gear after actually running it?

3 comments

3 Comments

milar461mo ago

30% more in a day is a big number but it could also be a crew getting used to new gear and finally hitting their stride. Those clay balls sound rough though, that would make anyone switch teams. Still, one job in a specific spot isn't exactly proof for the whole river. Maybe the ladder was just the wrong setup for that particular bottom condition.

lily971mo ago

Those 30% numbers from @milar46's post actually got me thinking lol. I used to be pretty skeptical about ladder swaps making that big a difference, but seeing it laid out with the clay ball reasoning changed my mind a bit. Could be worth testing on a couple different bottom types before writing it off.

abbyc331mo ago

Oh man, that clay ball thing is wild, I remember when I was out on a buddy's boat and we hit a patch of the river that felt like we were dragging through wet concrete. The ladder just kept grabbing and we were losing time on every single cast. Swapped over to a different setup and it was night and day, like the bottom just let go. I bet @milar46 has a point about the crew getting used to gear though, I've seen guys swap rods and suddenly they're hot, but it could just be they finally figured out the rhythm. That said, I've been messing with ladder swaps on a few different bottoms, like sand and gravel, and the difference was real on the sticky stuff but barely noticeable on the clean bottom. So maybe it's not a 30% thing everywhere, just in those specific nasty conditions where the ladder is actually fighting you.