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Downriggers

The_Real_TCIII

By The_Real_TCIII,
in Fishing

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Pygmy Experienced

Pygmy

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Basic  downrigging is not rocket science..  Simply a method to present a trolling lure or bait to fish at controlled depths on relatively light tackle.   Lots of fun to had with them without getting too expensive or complicated.

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mlammerhirt Mentor

mlammerhirt

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Very simple method....if targeting walleye run at two different depths(more coverage of the area) simply tie a worm harness, spoon, floating stick bait, let out however much line you want behind your boat, then clip the line to the cannon ball via a down rigger clip and finally lower to a desired depth.
Don't lower the ball to close to the bottom.
I have heard of guys getting the cannon ball lodged in a rock and pulling the whole down rigger overboard.

Sometime the clips don't release with smaller fish so check and rebait every 20-30 minutes.
Another nice trick is to release the line from he clip by giving the line a quick tug...fish love to hit the bait when it is free from the weight and just fluttering


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robw Newbie

robw

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Just a couple things I would suggest....

Are the base mounts are on them?  Hard to tell from the pics, but you will need them, or trolling with a rod in one hand, the rigger in the other, gets tiring real fast  :)  Those tend to get left on the original boat

When you get the lead weights, I'd coat them with the rubber stuff you dip wrench and screwdriver handles in. I got a can of it from Harbor Freight. That way, when they hit the side of the boat, or the floor, or you, they won't scuff it up or mark it .  

 

With those pinch clip releases, I use a rubber band to hold the line in.  Very thin one for walleye harnesses, and a pretty heavy one for salmon.  Look on YouTube, lots of tips there for rigging.  FYI the Black's down rigger releases look like they should work well, but I've had nothing but problems with them.  Went back to rubber bands

 

Otherwise, very nice!  I use mine all the time.  Especially now when the eyes tend to be deeper and trolling 2 MPH trying to get 70 down with a bottom bouncer just aint happening.

 

Tight Lines

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Buckmaster7600 Mentor

Buckmaster7600

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Image1471487035.030609.thumb.jpg.09c105a

You have no idea what you just got yourself into! If you think hunting is expensive just wait!

Where are you planning on fishing and what are you going to target?

If you run into any questions setting them up shoot me a PM, I had those same riggers for a while so I'm pretty familiar with them.


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tuckersdaddy Newbie

tuckersdaddy

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Image1471487035.030609.jpg

You have no idea what you just got yourself into! If you think hunting is expensive just wait!

Where are you planning on fishing and what are you going to target?

If you run into any questions setting them up shoot me a PM, I had those same riggers for a while so I'm pretty familiar with them.


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ummmm yea.... the boat was the cheap part...

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Buckmaster7600 Mentor

Buckmaster7600

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Buy torpedo weights.  Guy on LOU sells them very reasonably.  Much less blowback than balls which means you will be more accurate with desired depth. 

Oh and have fun.




You will end up buying a few of each before you find one you like! I hate torpedos and only run balls. My buddy I fish with all the only runs pancakes.

On another note if your going to get serious about it I highly recommend a a fishhawk or some other brand of probe for speed at temp at the ball. Extremely expensive but an invaluable tool for consistently catching fish.


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moog5050 Mentor

moog5050

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Posted (edited)
6 minutes ago, Buckmaster7600 said:

 

 

 

 


You will end up buying a few of each before you find one you like! I hate torpedos and only run balls. My buddy I fish with all the only runs pancakes.

On another note if your going to get serious about it I highly recommend a a fishhawk or some other brand of probe for speed at temp at the ball. Extremely expensive but an invaluable tool for consistently catching fish.


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Probably depends on the depths you fish, but we use 16lb weights and balls don't cut it.  Pancakes are horrible for the heavy currents in Lake O.  To each his own.

What don't you like about torpedos?

Edited by moog5050
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Buckmaster7600 Mentor

Buckmaster7600

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Probably depends on the depths you fish, but we use 16lb weights and balls don't cut it.  Pancakes are horrible for the heavy currents in Lake O.  To each his own.

What don't you like about torpedos?




My reason for not liking them is I drag bottom for lakers a lot and got sick of carrying 2 sets of weights all the time. I have never saw more than a few ft of depth different on my fish hawk from balls to torpedos down to 130ft. I will run my sharks sometimes just because I have them tuned to run out if I'm going to run a thumper.


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moog5050 Mentor

moog5050

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Hmm, we bounce torpedos for lakers without issue - in fact hugely successful to the point of quitting when people are tired of reeling them in usually.  Like you said, I guess everyone has their own preference.  I don't really trust the depth on our fish hawk (although I love the unit).  It shows depth deeper than the rigger or FF at times.  I should really just park, test and calibrate it, but haven't done so.  Seems accurate down to 50' or so, then it becomes inconsistent with the other indicators.

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