Downrigger Question

[Mike Stark]

so i just bought a portable downrigger for my boat. i got a walker. it is very nice. all around high quality for a portable.

question is: with a 6lb ball going anywhere between 2-3mph how much depth am i losing with the ball swinging up?

thanks.

[Jim Almquist]

Mike I am pretty sure that you will be able to pick it up on your graph. I know that when I fish with a friend that use's downriggers we always see them if we are 45' or deeper.

[Mike Stark]

i was playing around with it on b-side today and didnt mark it once...made me wonder how far back it was.

[minnowdangler71]

Turn up the sensitivety on your graph or slow down and speed up, you should see it.

[Mike Stark]

i guess i could need to turn up the sensitivity. most of the time im fishing for eyes in 30fow or less.

i just checked my bird...the sensitivity is set at 12 of 20.

[Steve Foss]

A 6-lb ball at that speed will probably not be inside your transducer cone, because the light ones do blow back pretty significantly. I pulled 6-lbers the first couple years up here and rarely marked then except for turns. The and harder you load the rod, the more you pull up on a 6-lber and deflect it even more. You pretty quickly reach a point of diminishing returns with those smaller balls regarding blowback and rod load tension.

I've been running 10-lbers the last several years and like them much better. And they tend to stay in the cone even when they're down around 60+ feet.

You can also tilt your transducer back slightly, which tilts the cone toward the back and helps you pick up the ball on the graph, but I've got to use heavier balls because I put such a big bend in my rigger rods. Almost all the guys I see rigging on Bside don't load their rods as much as I think should happen. The more slack that can be pulled out of the setup upon release, the better.

I like to see the balls on the graph because it also allows me to see when fish come up and look the ball over and then drop back down. Gives me a sense of how they're acting that day.

[Mike Stark]

the portable downrigger is only rated for a 6lb ball. so if i let out 80 ft of wire going 2.5mph you think i would be fishing around 70ft?

[Steve Foss]

the portable downrigger is only rated for a 6lb ball. so if i let out 80 ft of wire going 2.5mph you think i would be fishing around 70ft?

Depends on how much resistance your line introduces, how heavy you load the rod and how much drag there is on the lure setup.

For example, 20 lb mono with a heavily loaded (bent) rod pulling a dodger or cowbells (these produce a LOT of drag behind the ball) and a lure will pull a 6 lb ball well out of vertical, so maybe you're only fishing 60 feet down with 80 feet of cable out. While a rod rigged with 24/8 superline, not loaded really heavy and pullilng a slim profile spoon or small-lipped Rapala might be fishing 70 feet down with 80 feet of cable.

[Mike Stark]

im using 30lb powerpro with small to medium sized spoons with the road loaded up pretty good.

[Northlander]

I doubt you will ever read 6lb balls at them speeds. Get some riggers that will handle at least 10# balls Mike. You can use the 6 until you get some riggers with 10-12# balls then you should be able to see them.

I run 12#ers and can see them to about 120' or so then lose them depending on speed and current.

[Mike Stark]

downriggers that can handel 10lb balls will come when i get a new boat..my little boat does not really have room for full size riggers.

[Surface Tension]

Not only does the ball blow back but you'll have a big belly in the downrigger cable. So you have to take both into consideration to determine your true running depth.

A 6 lb balls effective range is really about 40 ft tops. After that the blow back becomes greater.

Still you can go deeper and be somewhat manageable.

On inland lakes when your making tight turns on account of structure you'll stall out the ball. When you have all that extra cable out to make up for the blow back created from lighter balls, well if your hugging bottom already you'll drag on those turns. One positive of that is your lure speed and depth will have a more dramatically change on the turns and when speeding and slowing down.

Best way to tell is set your speed over flat bottom. Drop the ball down fairly quick till you hit bottom, lock it in. Note the readout or turns of the spool. After the ball has settled in on its tracking depth drop the ball to the bottom again. Note the amount of cable out. Let it settle and drop it again. Now you'll have an idea of the relation of speed, lure, depth, and cable to get there.

I would push that 6 lb rating to 8 lbs for sets deeper then 40' till you get a set of downriggers Just take it easy with the bouncing.

[Northlander]

downriggers that can handel 10lb balls will come when i get a new boat..my little boat does not really have room for full size riggers.

Ok then I guess your SOL on that one my man.

Im with Frank push that rigger to a 8# ball and see how it responds.

[Mike Stark]

thanks for the tip frank. ill try an 8lb ball. i think the walker can handel it...the thing seems bomb proof.

[Mike Stark]

hey foss....does red rock have downrigger balls?

[Steve Foss]

Yup. Bought my last two 10-lbers there.

[Mike Stark]

cool. looks like a trip to red rock and snowbank are in order.

[Steve Foss]

Don't forget Ojibway.

[Mike Stark]

well i took everyones advice. turned up the sensitivity, turned the angle of the ducer, and got an 8lb ball. the ball shows up on the graph 90% of the time. got one 5lber on the downrigger set at 70fow over 99fow.

[Steve Foss]

A perfect ending!

[Mike Stark]

how common is it to get hits but not fish when using a downrigger? i got 2 of 5 today and two other releases on the downrigger. not sure if i was doing something wrong.

[Steve Foss]

Sometimes you'll get a release when there's no fish there. Fine line between just the right tension on the downrigger release and not enough, or too much. Ideally, bouncing in waves won't trigger the release, but a fish will. If tension is close to right but too light, it'll work its way out and release for no reason, or big wave bounces will release it. If tension is too much, a hit won't release the line, and the rod just sits there bouncing in the holder and you have to give it a strong pull to get it to release.

The way I've been setting up pinch releases on my rigs, small fish don't trigger them and the rod bounces in the holder with the fish on. Larger fish will trigger the relase.

If you are getting releases but don't see a hit triggering the release, put your line a little deeper into the pinch release. It's just trial and error, and you'll get it dialed in after awhile. It always varies a bit based on resistance of lure, strength rating of the release, which line and rod used, how much the rod is loaded, etc.

[Mike Stark]

there were for sure three other hits on the downrigger...i would see the rod bounce a bit then release but no fish. both of the small fish that i did land did not release...i had to do it.

[Northlander]

#1 makes sure your hooks are sharp. Many times trout/salmon will slap at baits and can cause a release. I like my releases tight enough so small fish will just bounce the rod tip and bigger ones will release. You remember our Big Lake Trip Mike?

If your mono stick with the pinch releases and if power pro go with the ones ST mentioned before. Those are a bit better at not having line work its way out because you wrap the line a few times.

You may also have had a lure hit bottom? Like Steve said its a lot of trial and error. Keep at it and have fun!

[Mike Stark]

i do remember are trip but not the details...i wish i would have paid more attention. i am using power pro with a mono leader...the clip is on the mono. i was not hitting the bottom either.

[Northlander]

How long of a mono leader you using that its in the clip still? Sounds like you may be too long. I think if you are using a 25-50' leader (usual drop from ball for most spoons I use) than you might as well stick with mono all together. Anything you gain from Power Pro is lost with too long of a leader. I would only run a 6' to 15' lead if I was you. Still gives you shock absorbtion and no vis properties but I dont worry about that when trolling spoons/sticks that fast. Heck I catch a lot of fish on straight Power Pro.

[Surface Tension]

It happens sometimes Mike.

The fish has to set the hook itself against the weight of the ball when it strikes.

Things you can do to up that ratio of hookups.

Sticky sharp hooks are a must.

When a rigger pops there is a short time when there is slack in the line.

Increase the depth and that time gets longer.

Increase the line back (release to lure) and that time gets a lot longer.

So keep the set backs short, lake trout aren't ball shy. 30' back is plenty and I go with 10' a lot of the time.

Those shorter sets backs will get the rod loaded up sooner.

Something else to get into the habit of doing is as soon as the rigger pops get the rod out of the holder and start cranking up slack as fast as you can. In the same motion of taking the rod out of the holder and reeling you should be lifting the rod tip in a sweeping fashion till you get it loaded on the rod. Notice I said sweeping motion and not as in hook set.

If you see a rod tip bouncing with no release get to the rod and pop it(set) loose asap. Again start reeling in slack.

Proper release tension, you sort of have to experiment there.

You can be doing everything just right and your still going to have days when the hook up ratio is off.

We all have them.

Getting two lakers in one day on B-Side ain't all that bad

Good Luck!

[Mike Stark]

thanks for the advice. i was using a 25 foot leader of mono. sounds like i should shorten that up quite a bit or get a different release.

[Mike Stark]

so i just ordered a couple of blacks releases. i am using 30lb power pro. once i get the releases should i still use a mono leader?

[Northlander]

Its up to you. Some guys swear by mono leaders. Myself I only use them if Im in very clear water. I run all mono on my downrigger set up though. Run just the Power Pro for a bit and see if you think it matters. If you think it does go back to a mono leader. Myself I see no need for Power Pro on riggers inland. I dont use it on my riggers anymore and have no issues catching fish as deep as 160'.