downrigging *DELETED*

[b1gf1sh1]

Post deleted by b1gf1sh1

[ReelTimes]

I can't speak to the muskie or on river so may not be helpful but have used riggers successfully a fair amount on inland lakes for walleyes when they're suspended fairly deep or down deep on bottom instead of leadcore. I have done it alot on Mille Lacs off of the mud flats with spinner rigs tipped with a leach or crawler and set back 70-100 ft behind the ball. Have also done the same succesfully with bombers. I have found that you need to run them way back from the ball or fish seem to be spooked.

[Fisher_Johnson]

Downriggers work well in "shallow" areas. I use them on Cheq. Bay for all species including northerns and walleyes. I've found that somedays downriggers with spoons or shallow running baits will get more hits than deep diving baits running at the same depth. Not sure if somedays the extra turbulence from a deep running baits turns the fish off. I'll rig shallow running baits like Yozuris, Bombers, Rapalas on riggers as shallow as 10' down. Somedays it works better than diving baits. I usually use longer leads, at least 20'. Long leads might not be necessary for muskies. In a river though, you might be constantly cranking and lowering the rigger to follow the bottom.

[b1gf1sh1]

thanks for the info any little bit helps!!! seems finding river riggin' info is hard to find in any detail.

[Surface Tension]

b1gf1sh1, when I referred you to this forum I thought it would be a specific questions about downrigging.

Your question is a hard one to reply to. If you can be a little more detailed that will help. IMO being a river makes little difference. What the downrigger will do is give you precise depth control and or the ability to get you deep. The depths you mention ranging from 10'-70 are fine but you can't do that all at once. Pick a depth and target that using the downrigger if that best suits the situation.

[b1gf1sh1]

o.k. your right i tend to generalize and ramble sometimes. my question basicly just revolve's around the target species and i'm looking for advice on what techniques other people have used for this species in rivers as i don't like lakes much. so to be specific ... has anyone fished for muskie on rivers with a downrigger, and, if you have been successfull,would you be willing to share with me the patterns and techniques used? tyvm

[Fisher_Johnson]

You ask a challenging question. I've never thought of downrigging in a river. All I can say is give it a try! I do have a safety tip, keep some cutters handy in case the downrigger weight and cable gets hooked up on something.

[b1gf1sh1]

lol, seems so. i've tried everything to find extensive info but mainly i'm finding bit's and pieces. i guess on river's ya gotta stay deep relative to the river. got some nice 50 foot runs here that go for about 2 miles with minimal turns, they drop off of rocky shelves from about 20 so i'm thinking that's gonna be my best spot for the real brutes. next year should be a challenge. thanks for the tip. safety first, safety last and everywhere in between.

[Surface Tension]

b1gf1sh1. what river are you thinking of and whats the forage base.

[tunrevir]

I believe he is talking the St. Croix and I know the stretches he is talking about. I have contemplated the downriggers there as well.

Tunrevir~

[b1gf1sh1]

rivernut is on the nose. it's the croix. the forage base is mainly gizzard shad. there are whitefish and a relatively good mooneye population. plenty of shiners, and cisco. mostly what you might find in a deep, wide river fed by thousands of above and below cold water springs. iron tint, with a-lot of island run off that clouds the shallower areas. i know. forage. that's it in a nutshell. why you ask??

[Surface Tension]

I ask because when you know what the forage is and where they are at that time of year thats where you fish. Then you look for the best presentation. If they're deep and suspended then give the down riggers a try. I wouldn't think current wouldn't be an issue in deep water but it could be. So you'll be adjusting your trolling speed to current if there is any.

[b1gf1sh1]

yes they suspend over that area. i've marked them there in 40'ish fow. also i've got a LMS 339c sonar/gps from lowrance. because of the duel frequency transducer the high band has a narrower cone. as a result getting full arches is almost never possible. pretty much all half arches. what i thought was a hinderance actually became a very nice little helper. with smaller fish in a regular transducer they can stay in the cone and appear as big fish unless you look closely at the width. by experimenting i've found that it's much easier to tell the big from the little. mainly, i believe, because of the smaller size of the cone and the time a fish can spend in it. i never see skinny, long, half arches or fat, short, half arches. now that i've noticed that i've been watching for color differences in different schools of fish. i started this this year and so far i've not got enough data to make any determinations about it. anyway with that said i am marking what i believe are some very large fish feeding under schools of smaller fish(12'' shad, mooneye?). i can reach these fish with lead line or alot of weight, and i've tried but i have no confidence my bait is staying in or, even in their zone. so i give up fast and try other spots. i'm buying 2 downriggers this winter and will install them in the spring. might even get the one with the camera on it. that might help me with my sonar research, no? anyway i'm rambling. thanks for the tips, if you have more my eyes are open. anybody else's help is welcome too