downriggers

[bardfromedson]

well me and a buddy went in on a 23 ft sea ox and now its time to get it rigged for the chuck. i have a couple scotty hand cranks but want to upgrade to electrics. what are everyones opinions on the scotty's, cannons, and other makes? what do you suggest i get? don't want to spend more than 1200 for the whole set up. i see the cannons have power up and down as oposed to the scottys that free wheel down. also i like to use braid on both my reels and downriggers so the positive ion thing doesn't come into play.

[skidderman]

I have had four sets of scottys so far. Sold the first two with a boat. I sure like them. Do some research. Right or wrong I read that the Cannons use more battery power. You go up & down lots in a day so battery power should be a concern. When I see shows on TV seems they use cannons on the great lakes however with the time I've spent on the coast I've mostly seen scottys. I picked mine up from the Fishing Hole at the spring sale in Edmonton for $450 each. I think mine was the 1116 propack with with the swivel mounts. I have only used mine in fresh water & would like to switch to the braided line as well but I don't use enough to justify shipping. I'm no expert & I'm sure others will chime in.

[Teamprotz]

I have a couple of older Penn electric riggers. Power up and down is sure nice. They do use more power than my merc produces at idle though. Nothing like taking the cover off and pull starting your 150 over 225ft of water !

[cube]

After a lot of investigating I went with Walker downriggers and have been thus far very pleased. I got mine through the Fishing Hole but they are now available at Cabela's as well. The Cannons are nice but very expensive, at least the ones I was looking at. One of them might use up your entire proposed budget. At the end of the day I believe the Walker, Cannon, or Scotty will serve you well. As far as electrical drain I don’t think they use all that much if any on the way down and my little 9.9 mercury pro-kicker (has a small alternator in it) kept things charged up all day long with no loss of battery voltage after 14 hours of fishing with two downriggers.
You also might find some very good used ones out there as well, did not really find this out until after I purchased mine.
Good luck and enjoy

[Teamprotz]

Only paid $400 for the pair of Penns complete.

[Mudslide]

I have a pair of the Walker tournament electrics and have been very pleased with them. Great customer service and a solid product. I can fish all day with them on one isolated deep cycle battery. I hate the release they come with though and just use the Scotty ones. That said I'll probably get a set of the new high speed Scotty electrics when I get my next boat. Scotty is from Victoria and if you go anywhere on the west coast you will find lots of Scotty replacement parts at every little hole in the wall store you find. That could save a fishing trip all by itself.

[fish gunner]

you dont say what depth you will be targeting,if you go blue water deep there is only penn ,highest line capacity that we found a few years a go.mr mudslide is correct scotty rules the west,when u need parts at sand spit

[browning375]

Ran scotty for all my life, very reliable. If you look around on line you can find them on sale for a good price. Got my last set from Harbor Chandler out of Nanaimo, online for $1000.00 including shipping for the pair.

[Mike_W]

Scotty is the only choice when fishing the west coast of Canada.

I run 36"-60" extendable booms

[fish gunner]

Scotty is the only choice when fishing the west coast of Canada.

I run 36"-60" extendable booms

mho scotty is the choice of sportsmen on the west .penn is the choice the world over. if you fish over 300' scotty is out of its depth,op some what unclear as to how he is fishing. scotty wont even reach summer rainbow on big bc lakes

[EZM]

mho scotty is the choice of sportsmen on the west .penn is the choice the world over. if you fish over 300' scotty is out of its depth,op some what unclear as to how he is fishing. scotty wont even reach summer rainbow on big bc lakes

300' feet of wire for rainbows is not enough? I fish kootenay lake (over 400' deep) quite a bit in the summer and never needed to go down below 150' for rainbows. The bulls might be deeper, but I've never snagged a bow that deep. interesting read. I am curious about this. I snagged more (bigger) rainbows quite shallow on my surface rig which is targeting kokanee set up (apex and 4oz banana sinker type of thing) right in the middle of summer. Interesting.

I use Scotty's and love them - I'd say getting parts is a big benefit as every gas station has them out west. This is a big advantage in my opinion.

[Drewski Canuck]

Scotty is easy to get service, great warranty, and lots of parts available. Fishing VERY deep is rare on the coast, and even inland. Most guys never run there gear to 300 FOW, even for winter springs. Key is how quick can you get back in the game if a pulley or a belt breaks? Parts availability is key when you only have a week for your fishing holiday.
Next biggest issue is how much demand if you want to sell. Everyone knows and trusts Scotty.

Drewski

[fish gunner]

I had x65 lowwrance,in aug would mark fish at 225 - 300 'and figured at kootaney speed's I needed 300'+ of wire and 15lb plate to get the lure's in the strike zone.but I also kept a lure in 150' range, those big bows can cover a100' in seconds and purple lymans or hockey sticks worked best at those depth's I hope this info will only be used for c&r purpose's. fishing on the surface well into dark also produced fish. keep an eye on your sounder in the first hours of dark the big ones really start moving around.

[EZM]

mho scotty is the choice of sportsmen on the west .penn is the choice the world over. if you fish over 300' scotty is out of its depth,op some what unclear as to how he is fishing. scotty wont even reach summer rainbow on big bc lakes

I had x65 lowwrance,in aug would mark fish at 225 - 300 'and figured at kootaney speed's I needed 300'+ of wire and 15lb plate to get the lure's in the strike zone.but I also kept a lure in 150' range, those big bows can cover a100' in seconds and purple lymans or hockey sticks worked best at those depth's I hope this info will only be used for c&r purpose's. fishing on the surface well into dark also produced fish. keep an eye on your sounder in the first hours of dark the big ones really start moving around.

45908


My Scotty does the trick - Since my experience matches your comments - Attached is a typical snapshot of Kootenay in Summer. (This is Kootney last summer).

My Scotty would run, in this case, 180 feet of wire, with a 10lb ball, at 2.5-3MPH to track my lure at about 120 feet down or so.

I crank the gain up on my HDS 5 and see the ball as a line on the sonar and then re-set it down (as pictured here) so i can drag my gear thru the bulk of the fish and get fish in the boat.

I keep meticulous records of tempurature, thermoclines, locations, sonar patterns, locations etc... and record them so i can become more productive and, most importantly, downrigger settings.

I hardly ever mark fish much deeper and was quite curious. I have only nailed Bulls at the low light and low oxegen areas beyond 150ft or so. Never needed more wire.

I am also pullying Lymans or a Hoochie behind a flasher. I am nailing rainbows steady at less than 100 FOW.

Maybe my fish finder does not mark the fish you are seeing or catching. Any pictures? I'd be curious to see fish deeper than that.

I don't know - It seems to work for me.

[fish gunner]

I am not saying you are wrong ,but I marked enough big fish below 200'to want to get the penns and fish in a way no one else were targeting.we had some success,with 325',275'at 3.2 mph and 2.8 mph. and I stayed north of the power line 80% of the time.our biggest issue was keeping line in the clip and the fish on, we missed more than we landed,but boy were they screamers.

[EZM]

45909

I guess If you are getting some good ones real deep - I would'nt hurt to try - Here is one pic (out of my libarary) that shows one down 257' but it does not mark (on the fish ID by size) as a big fish. This return is in 420' of water holding at 257' (also this summer). I looked thru and did not see anything deeper than that of any size.

I did mark one fish at 330' (a huge return - like 200lbs in size based on the Fish ID bubble) in the middle of the lake but I am told there are sturgeon in and out of there occassionally. Not sure what to make of it. I did'nt snap a picture fast enough and coul'nt re-locate it. Maybe Ogopogo?

I tend to drag my gear at the bottom of the cluster and find bigger ones on the top and bottom it seems. Intersting - maybe I will let out all 300' and see what those single returns really are...... i will keep you posted.

I am not saying you are wrong ,but I marked enough big fish below 200'to want to get the penns and fish in a way no one else were targeting.we had some success,with 325',275'at 3.2 mph and 2.8 mph. and I stayed north of the power line 80% of the time.our biggest issue was keeping line in the clip and the fish on, we missed more than we landed,but boy were they screamers.

[Drewski Canuck]

Sorry to Hijack the thread from the issue, but if you are pulling that deep,l getting tripped out and not sticking fish, change over to 5/0 ++ circle hooks on your tackle. Once they trip out, regardless of slack on the strike, they are hooked.

PM me if you need some help understanding what I am talking about.

Drewski

[fish gunner]

i use owner for a reason not worried about the hooks it the pressure of a 20lb+ fish 250'+ down trolling at 3.5 mph. I have had a apex come up in 3 pieces after missing a fish.your surface temp tells me you are fishing june not aug.unless last year was cold

[sapper3]

I use WALKER CHINOOK TOUREMENT DOWN RIGGERS. Very Basic and have a pair from TFH for a good deal and the came with 2 Down Rigger Rods. No issue and used them all last year.

[bardfromedson]

how do the scottys like 15 lb balls? also what sort of battery life can you get out of a deep cycle thats lifting lead all day if you don't have an alternator on your kicker? the boat i bought is in mexico and i cant remember if the kicker has an alternator or not. might have to bring an extra battery or small generator or can you get an aftermarket alternator installed on a kicker? its a 15hp honda

[Sea Hawk]

If you are planning to go out on the ocean with your boat you may want to consider running dual batteries with a switch. I think it is called a Perko. This would allow you to run on one battery when you are trolling and always be able to switch to the other to start your big engine to get home. As far as your Honda kicker, I think the 15 has a charging circuit. I had an 8HP on my old boat and it had one.

[Bigdad013]

I have run canon, scotty and big jon. Always went back to scotty. Get the extendable arm for sure. Scotty has the quickest retrieval, and putting them down is no big deal unless you can't spare an extra 10 secs to get them down. If you have hummingbird fishfinder, it is compatable with the canon downriggers and you can control your downrigger from your fish finder.

[fish gunner]

any craft being used on salt water needs dual batt, dual bulge pumps,and an auxiliary propulsion unit (kiker)dual anchors,and if possible an secondary fuel supply. old proverb better to have and never need than to need and not have.mho

[Bigdad013]

45909

I guess If you are getting some good ones real deep - I would'nt hurt to try - Here is one pic (out of my libarary) that shows one down 257' but it does not mark (on the fish ID by size) as a big fish. This return is in 420' of water holding at 257' (also this summer). I looked thru and did not see anything deeper than that of any size.

I did mark one fish at 330' (a huge return - like 200lbs in size based on the Fish ID bubble) in the middle of the lake but I am told there are sturgeon in and out of there occassionally. Not sure what to make of it. I did'nt snap a picture fast enough and coul'nt re-locate it. Maybe Ogopogo?

I tend to drag my gear at the bottom of the cluster and find bigger ones on the top and bottom it seems. Intersting - maybe I will let out all 300' and see what those single returns really are...... i will keep you posted.



When the sounder is on Auto with the Fish thingy on its picking up fish farts, clumps of weeds, air bubbles, sticks and all the other assorted "stuff" that floats or sinks in a body of water. Next, turn the SENS to max, the Greyline to 16% or so, Surface Clarity to Lo, ASP off and your ready to mark fish! Oh, another thing, don't expect your markings on the screen to emulate those in the "demo" version of the sounder, ya, some may look just like that but unless your transponder is level to the bottom, they might not be perfect arches. No, you can't necessarily tell the size of the fish from the markings but, you can distinguish numbers of fish in a group and no, you won't know what species they are until you fish an area long enough and catch enough fish that your "seeing" to then reliably know what is down there. Heres a pic from one of my outings last spring, excellent markings all over the place and I know they were rainbows cause I was right on top of them and catching them.

[Bigdad013]

mho scotty is the choice of sportsmen on the west .penn is the choice the world over. if you fish over 300' scotty is out of its depth,op some what unclear as to how he is fishing. scotty wont even reach summer rainbow on big bc lakes


That is a big load of crap

[fish gunner]

That is a big load of crap

im a suggesting that with 300' of cable at 3 mph you will be lucky to reach 225' you are suggesting this is incorrect. mr ezm seems to find my suggestions fairly accurate he even shows his sounder with a 257' mark out or reach to a scotty loaded with wire.and on the shushwap I have marked fish deeper still you have your own oppinion if you would like to provide you in put I am more than willing to learn I spent 10 yrs on kootaney lake and am always willing to learn more.

[Serengeti Charters]

There's no reason you'll be fishing over 200ft for salmon...one brand is the best, SCOTTY.

[fish gunner]

There's no reason you'll be fishing over 200ft for salmon...one brand is the best, SCOTTY.

you. are correct sir but I think if you read the op a no time does he suggest he is fishing for salmon given this fact I feel that penn offers a fair challenge and at what depth would one find red snapper.I have ran scotty on a fair few craft they are an outstanding product and with out question rule the west ,parts are freely available allover the west coast. how ever if the op wanted to chase tuna penn would be a better choice.mho

[Serengeti Charters]

you. are correct sir but I think if you read the op a no time does he suggest he is fishing for salmon given this fact I feel that penn offers a fair challenge and at what depth would one find red snapper.I have ran scotty on a fair few craft they are an outstanding product and with out question rule the west ,parts are freely available allover the west coast. how ever if the op wanted to chase tuna penn would be a better choice.mho

Fair enough, but if youre fishing snapper shouldnt be using downriggers. Either way, I'm a Scotty man...obviously :lol: Their customer service is amazing too...great people that want you to leave happy

[EZM]

When the sounder is on Auto with the Fish thingy on its picking up fish farts, clumps of weeds, air bubbles, sticks and all the other assorted "stuff" that floats or sinks in a body of water. Next, turn the SENS to max, the Greyline to 16% or so, Surface Clarity to Lo, ASP off and your ready to mark fish! Oh, another thing, don't expect your markings on the screen to emulate those in the "demo" version of the sounder, ya, some may look just like that but unless your transponder is level to the bottom, they might not be perfect arches. No, you can't necessarily tell the size of the fish from the markings but, you can distinguish numbers of fish in a group and no, you won't know what species they are until you fish an area long enough and catch enough fish that your "seeing" to then reliably know what is down there. Heres a pic from one of my outings last spring, excellent markings all over the place and I know they were rainbows cause I was right on top of them and catching them.

Bigdad - If you re-read my post I basically do what you are suggesting - I crank up the sensitivity to see all the "fish farts", bait fish, where my gear is running etc.... and then switch modes over and bring the sensitivity down to show me where the "mass" of the fish are holding. I drag my gear thru that depth. It seems to work well and eliminate too much clutter as im moving the gear, steering the boat and fighting fish etc... I found turining the sensitivity way down helped me stay at target depth as i wasn't as temped to move stuff and tinker too much. That way I can quickly glance over, steer the boat, etc....

I have been able to consitently land good fish on the lake - so my comment about rainbows shallower than bulls (on that lake in that time of year) coencides with the fish that end up on my boat .... so you are correct .... my fish finder does not distinguish between species. I spent a week out there last summer (as I do every year) and landed good numbers of fish everyday and my comments are based on actual results (bulls were deeper than bows).

I do offer a differnt opinion on your comment indicating you can't tell size but you can tell quantities of fish - that is actually, at least as I understand it, a contridiction. These are both functions of target seperation (returns). If I'm understanding the manufacturer's claim's correctly, the size of the symbol, given the target seperation, should, in most cases, indicate the size of the fish (generally). I know the arch does the same, but I like the fishy things. If you were to insinuate anyone who uses the fishy symbols may be using the equipment incorrectly, might be innacurate. Maybe I'm wrong.

I understand two fish can return on one hit, but generally, the target seperation (noted at 1/4") should be pretty good. I agree with the manufacturer. This too, seems to match what I'm seeing.

This is consistent, from what I've seem so far, when I'm on different lakes after perch (small bubbles); walleyes (meduim) etc......

I guess the ultimate test is - are you landing more fish using electronics - so far, so good. I guess we have derailed this thread - so please accept my appologies.

I like scotty - easy to find parts if you need them, excellent quality, and much cooler looking than other brands lol.

[fish gunner]

Fair enough, but if youre fishing snapper shouldnt be using downriggers. Either way, I'm a Scotty man...obviously :lol: Their customer service is amazing too...great people that want you to leave happy

if you can find the right spot downriggers work just fine for red snapper.my father and I had no preconceved notion's of how to fish on the west coast,you probably jig hali in a tide rip we learned to back troll with down riggers. different ways to solve the same problem. I was using flys in the prop wash for coho in 1980 5 years before we ever found the technique in print not saying we were first.just how not having any idea of how things are supposed to be done.let us fish in unconventional manners some worked some did not.

[Bigdad013]

Bigdad - If you re-read my post I basically do what you are suggesting - I crank up the sensitivity to see all the "fish farts", bait fish, where my gear is running etc.... and then switch modes over and bring the sensitivity down to show me where the "mass" of the fish are holding. I drag my gear thru that depth. It seems to work well and eliminate too much clutter as im moving the gear, steering the boat and fighting fish etc... I found turining the sensitivity way down helped me stay at target depth as i wasn't as temped to move stuff and tinker too much. That way I can quickly glance over, steer the boat, etc....

I have been able to consitently land good fish on the lake - so my comment about rainbows shallower than bulls (on that lake in that time of year) coencides with the fish that end up on my boat .... so you are correct .... my fish finder does not distinguish between species. I spent a week out there last summer (as I do every year) and landed good numbers of fish everyday and my comments are based on actual results (bulls were deeper than bows).

I do offer a differnt opinion on your comment indicating you can't tell size but you can tell quantities of fish - that is actually, at least as I understand it, a contridiction. These are both functions of target seperation (returns). If I'm understanding the manufacturer's claim's correctly, the size of the symbol, given the target seperation, should, in most cases, indicate the size of the fish (generally). I know the arch does the same, but I like the fishy things. If you were to insinuate anyone who uses the fishy symbols may be using the equipment incorrectly, might be innacurate. Maybe I'm wrong.

I understand two fish can return on one hit, but generally, the target seperation (noted at 1/4") should be pretty good. I agree with the manufacturer. This too, seems to match what I'm seeing.

This is consistent, from what I've seem so far, when I'm on different lakes after perch (small bubbles); walleyes (meduim) etc......

I guess the ultimate test is - are you landing more fish using electronics - so far, so good. I guess we have derailed this thread - so please accept my appologies.

I like scotty - easy to find parts if you need them, excellent quality, and much cooler looking than other brands lol.

I agree with your findings on bull trout being deeper. With the arches being diff size as to size of fish, yes that can be true except for the fact if a fish marks in the outer range of the transducer it will be a smaller arc, that same fish directly under the boat will come in as a larger arc. It's all interpretation and alot of guess work with whats marking. In no way was I suggesting you were not a good angler, and I apologize if it came across that way. I was just surprised that having a top of the line finder with all it's power and tech that you would be using the fish id. I use to think it was a pretty cool option 15 years ago, but I personally have found I have caught many more fish turning that off and going with the arches cause i know they are fish. Just my take on it. Sorry for any misunderstanding

[Bigdad013]

im a suggesting that with 300' of cable at 3 mph you will be lucky to reach 225' you are suggesting this is incorrect. mr ezm seems to find my suggestions fairly accurate he even shows his sounder with a 257' mark out or reach to a scotty loaded with wire.and on the shushwap I have marked fish deeper still you have your own oppinion if you would like to provide you in put I am more than willing to learn I spent 10 yrs on kootaney lake and am always willing to learn more.

What I was refering too was the comment about reaching the summer rainbows with a scotty. Maybe I am misunderstanding what you meant with that.

As for the depth diff. Are you using canon balls or the fish shaped weights? I use a 8lb fish weight, glides through the water better. I don't fish at 300 or ever been down that deep, but will get to 175 185 ft. And my weight is usually right at the level shown on the downrigger, if I get a fast troll going 3-3.5 the weight might come up a couple of feet. That is from my personal experience.

[Mudslide]

I have to say I was a little surprised to see the fish ID on myself. Usually the number one thing an experienced sonar user does is turn that off because they know what a fish return looks like and because using it is a little like having someone translate Italian into English for you. There is often something lost in the translation. That said: the HDS is probably the best of the best as far as sonar goes and in a situation where you are marking single large fish perhaps it would be fine. My experience is that in many cases, fish ID lies, but hey, a fish in the boat says otherwise.

[Mudslide]

I never pay much attention to the depth meter on the downrigger because I can see it on my sonar and know exactly what depth it's running at. It's that straight line on the graph that only moves when you raise or lower the ball. The deeper you run the more drag there is on both the canon ball and the line. Therefore it runs back at an angle and rides higher in the water column. The deeper you run the more weight you need. Tides have even more effect and require more weight to run and be seen within the sonar cone.

[fish gunner]

What I was refering too was the comment about reaching the summer rainbows with a scotty. Maybe I am misunderstanding what you meant with that.

As for the depth diff. Are you using canon balls or the fish shaped weights? I use a 8lb fish weight, glides through the water better. I don't fish at 300 or ever been down that deep, but will get to 175 185 ft. And my weight is usually right at the level shown on the downrigger, if I get a fast troll going 3-3.5 the weight might come up a couple of feet. That is from my personal experience.

you will note I said big bc lakes this includes. arrow, shuswap ,slocan not just. kootaney I used 15 lb plates. I am sure you do fine on good rainbows but they are not the fish I am after.you wont believe this but I have seen fish approaching 50 lb on all of these lakes monstrous rainbows.these are the fish I want. our best was 26 lb this is not a bad fish but when you spend a full year on the lake you will understand. live on the lake then you to will buy penns to reach this deep. one of my close friends in the area is a top fisheries biologists in the kootaney river system. he has information the average angler will never see.the key to our system is giant rainbows eat little rainbows so if one day when you are landing a nice 10lbr and moby grabs him you will want a bigger downrigger.mho.

[Speckle55]

I have used Scotty electric in 1984 on Lake Ontario and experimented abit with the graph paper sonar then in 86 at Port Alberni China Creek both were with guides . 2009 Kootenay and 2011 Kootenay and hand scotties Maligne .. the electric are awesome and i enjoyed using and had no problems we got good enough to call that we would catch that one and poof Fish On!!! :thinking-006: would give a thumbs up for Scotty.. i think that 200 ft is enough for depth too i was in the 80 to 120 ft most of time and you could see the thermocline on the graphs if you fine tuned but now i just watch the average depth of percentage of fish i see.:character0053:

Food for Thought
David

[EZM]

I have to say I was a little surprised to see the fish ID on myself. Usually the number one thing an experienced sonar user does is turn that off because they know what a fish return looks like and because using it is a little like having someone translate Italian into English for you. There is often something lost in the translation. That said: the HDS is probably the best of the best as far as sonar goes and in a situation where you are marking single large fish perhaps it would be fine. My experience is that in many cases, fish ID lies, but hey, a fish in the boat says otherwise.

I hear what you are saying regarding reading the arches versus the fish id feature. There are a number of problems the "old fish ID technology" created such as misrepresentation of fish vs debris; time it took in ping return and conversion; target seperation etc.. etc... Lowrance has admitted it and taken some corrective action in thier finders a few years ago.

BUT .... According to the manufacturer alot of that has changed with the new sonars - it will convert your arches - realtime and allow you to "clean up" alot of noise. The issue I had (have) with the HDS unit is when I start out at a high sensitivity setting I get arches; my prop wash; my cable and ball and any fish fart and clutter showing up. I ussually set up this way to see what going on; where my ball is tracking; where the bait fish are; where the temp is changing etc.... then - in order to eliminate distraction - turn the Fish ID on to signal only on strong returns that are definitely (most likely) fish.

Simply turning down the sensitivity (in arch mode) does not clean it up enough. It seems (to me) that turning this on further turns down the noise ....???

On another note - they have a new side scan image that does not look like a line down the middle of the screen allowing a better "interpretation" of the structure up to 500 feet to each side of the boat. This too, will be a benefit for people like me who get easily distracted trying to desiminate the information on thier screen. It's not that unusual to have me put my rod down and spend an hour fidling with the sonar ..... perfect for A.D.D. people like me.

I also pay way more attention, more prominently when in shallower lakes, to structure, weeds, etc... and less to fish on the sonar.

Thanks for your thoughts - Maybe someone has lived thru this as well (getting a new sexy sonar/gps) and trying to "optimize" all the "data overload" to turn it into "useful information". That's my issue.

Now - I am a 6 time thread de-railer - so my sixth vote goes to SCOTTY. lol.

[EZM]

I agree with your findings on bull trout being deeper. With the arches being diff size as to size of fish, yes that can be true except for the fact if a fish marks in the outer range of the transducer it will be a smaller arc, that same fish directly under the boat will come in as a larger arc. It's all interpretation and alot of guess work with whats marking. In no way was I suggesting you were not a good angler, and I apologize if it came across that way. I was just surprised that having a top of the line finder with all it's power and tech that you would be using the fish id. I use to think it was a pretty cool option 15 years ago, but I personally have found I have caught many more fish turning that off and going with the arches cause i know they are fish. Just my take on it. Sorry for any misunderstanding

No big deal, I did'nt take any offence to it at all. Just did'nt explain myself well I guess. Really - after I get set up - it's easier to look over my shoulder and see the "average" depth of the gamefish after I crank the sensitivity down (default mode one touch). The reality is .... (see my last post to Mudslinger) .... the technology for fish ID has improved alot in the newer models. I have found it to be pretty good actually. Maybe I'm not maximizing it's potential. Not sure. Seems to work for me anyways.

This why I post on the forumn - to get info and share some of mine. All is Kosher ....

[Mudslide]

I'll be getting the Strucurescan module this spring. I'm also thinking pretty seriously of upgrading to the Gen-2 HDS at the same time. I do like the simplicity of having the depths read out per individual fish but I usu sally don't have a problem knowing the depth. Thanks for your input. Interesting discussion.

[chubbdarter]

Interesting thread.
my 2 cents
I fish Koot, Pend oreille, Flathead and Arrow fairly often during peak seasons.
I personally ignore marks deeper than 130 feet, I feel that watching feed lines and thermal breaks in stratified water you can find active fish not so deep.
I always use a 17lb fish shaped cannonball, I believe it is less resistant.
If running a flasher and hoochie or kelp cutter and hair, I will always use a OR1 release. If if set it deep in the pads it will hold even the Superlines.
If im running Billies or Water Dawgs i set less deep
Mooching rods do a great job to show Shakers that dont release from the clip.
I stay away from hockey sticks and conventional plugs because the speed needed to pull them properly works against my desire to stay deep, even a wide apex requires speeds far greater than a Billie or a Water Dawg. Also both the billy and Dawg tuned properly dive 14 feet past the ball on a 75 foot set back from the ball. Both these lures tuned correctly have a non random swimming action with a inconsistant kick out.


If you really want to enjoy your downrigger, set it up with a camera. Cant think of anything more fun than watching a fish try to atttack the lures on a short set back.

I used to use downriggers for my eye fishing but now have learned the calculations for my favorite cranks and now snap wgt. and lead line for my Ab. fishing.

Ive run Cannon, Big Jon and Walker. My favorite is Scotty Electrics for downrigging and my planer boards masts.

Good luck with whatever you choose

[Bigdad013]

you will note I said big bc lakes this includes. arrow, shuswap ,slocan not just. kootaney I used 15 lb plates. I am sure you do fine on good rainbows but they are not the fish I am after.you wont believe this but I have seen fish approaching 50 lb on all of these lakes monstrous rainbows.these are the fish I want. our best was 26 lb this is not a bad fish but when you spend a full year on the lake you will understand. live on the lake then you to will buy penns to reach this deep. one of my close friends in the area is a top fisheries biologists in the kootaney river system. he has information the average angler will never see.the key to our system is giant rainbows eat little rainbows so if one day when you are landing a nice 10lbr and moby grabs him you will want a bigger downrigger.mho.

I know there are the big fish in Kootney, no disputing that. I have fished the shuswap for 35 years, and not just a couple of weekends a year. There are very few people I have met with the success I/we have out there.

Questions: How do you see 50lb fish on these lakes?
Tell me please how catching a large fish requires a bigger downrigger, unless your reeling them in with the downrigger?

[fish gunner]

on kootaney lake wilst reeling in I est a 6 lb bow smashed 10- 15' from the boat by a massive rainbow.2 witness who have both landed bows 25+our feelings were it was over 40.in the lardau river a fish weighing 40+ lbs was confiscated from a poacher.on the upper arrow when we first got a chance to use ion control,a rainbow with an adipose fin larger than my fist rolled in front of the boat just a guess but it was the largest rainbow I have ever seen. I know you feel this is b/s but ask mr wasic (excuse my spelling)if you know who that is.i have my birchgrove trophy. and on the slocan a friend was reeling in a nice 4 lb bull that was engulfed by a fish of unknown size but it had a big red stripe too far to see properly but it was huge. and the best method to separate these fish is fishing very deep in august . and even with a 15 lb plate at 2.5 or faster you lose roughly one third indicated depth with wire.and just look up the green wood rainbow claimed 56lbs out of a lake smaller than gull.

[EZM]

Definitely big bows in there. I would believe a 40lber exsists somewhere in there.

The nieghbor in Balfour, an oldtimer, landed a 35lb rainbow, a few years ago. I have seen the pictures and, to my surprise, she looks legitimately like a 35lb fish. I asked him why he would'nt enter a fish like that in the books (I was thinking, but not sure, it might be a BC record Gerhard).

He said (and I can't blame him), "then more of you Albertans will be swarming over here", "what good is my picture posted everywhere", "I retired out here to get away and to enjoy my time at a quiet lake without too many people".

He does not use a downrigger at all most months. (Sometimes in summer but very rarely). This silly bugger drags a giant (maybe 6-8oz) banana sinker, flasher, home made snubber and hoochie. He says big Rainbows are near the surface - max. 50 feet in his opinion. He drags his gear at something like 3.5mph and kicks it down to about 2mph and does it over and over.

Since he catches more big bows than me, I trust the ol' bugger. I ended up raising my rigger to run 60 down (trailing at 45 feet or so) and went with a flasher (green oil slick) trailed by a green tiger pattern hoochie only 30' behind the ball. Hit some bigger bows. The ol' bugger was right.

I also caught my largest bows even shallower on a 4oz banana sinker, beaded swivel front and back, with a ford fender and small hot pink apex. The intent was to hit Kokanees and I landed as many bows actually. They seemed to get bigger the shallower I pulled.

I lost a real nice one close to 20 (from my guestimate) skipping a black/silver beaded fly right on the surface in some chop at close to 4mph. That too, was a tip from the crusty ol' bugger.

Riggers are good to have - no doubt in August - but most of the time, good ol' crusty does'nt bother.

To respond to an above comment - I too, like the cannon ball type. For whatever reason the disks seem to flop when you come up over 3 mph and I find you get more twisting (even with swivels) it seems. I have seen no huge descernable difference in diving depth either. Not sure if disks are a gimick or actually dive much deeper - I can say, at least for me, they certainly don't track better.

I also, instead of using planners, run a dipsy magmun cranked all the way left or right sometimes instead of, or right beside, the rigger. This has been pretty easy to manage when it's me in the boat and I got to steer, adjust and work with 2 lines (which you are allowed to do in BC).

Stacking 2 on one rigger can be trouble if you need to turn, are fighting a fish or need to kick the boat down - I have had my share of doing the "untangle the lines whilst bobbing up and down not fishing for 20 minutes thing" too many times.

Riggers are the way to go if you have a pilot on board and more than a guy or two. Nothing like fighting (and feeling) a fish without a dipsy adding to the fight or a giant sinker to pull.

[fish gunner]

oh dont get me wrong, hair is the only way to go, some crazy days.we just fig the true giants would almost lurk away end of july mid aug or later, and after our limited results the ferocity of the strikes down deep blew my mind. hay who knows maybe we were pulling our plugs past sturgeon and fish carts.:sHa_shakeshout:

[Bigdad013]

I have the scotty electrics, 30" boom on them. Last year with a good wind it turned my boat quite quickly and had to do some real quick manouvers to stop the boat kicker from getting into the one line. So with this thread, it was making me think,I called scotty and have ordered the 30-60" telescopic booms. Apparently a real easy conversion. Alot cheaper solution than buying new downriggers. Not sure if other manufactutrers are able to do that.

[bardfromedson]

Do you have a guard around your kicker prop? Might also help you out. I have the scotty electrics, 30" boom on them. Last year with a good wind it turned my boat quite quickly and had to do some real quick manouvers to stop the boat kicker from getting into the one line. So with this thread, it was making me think,I called scotty and have ordered the 30-60" telescopic booms. Apparently a real easy conversion. Alot cheaper solution than buying new downriggers. Not sure if other manufactutrers are able to do that.

[Bigdad013]

Do you have a guard around your kicker prop? Might also help you out.

Now you tell me....
Seriously though, I was looking for a little more separation to run some surface lines behind, and I think with 19' separation between the downriggers it will give me a few more options of running extra surface gear

[bardfromedson]

Or a third downrigger out the back.

Now you tell me....
Seriously though, I was looking for a little more separation to run some surface lines behind, and I think with 19' separation between the downriggers it will give me a few more options of running extra surface gear

[Bigdad013]

Now your going to get the wife mad. That is an awesome idea. Nothing says I love you on Valentines day like a new electric downrigger

[BeeGuy]

How feasible is it to put a manual DR on my canoe?

[fish gunner]

How feasible is it to put a manual DR on my canoe?

totaly as long as you have a motor of some kind, no reason you cant paddle.would get puffed fair quick draging 5lbs of lead down 50'. I have in in the past put a 1lb lead down on an other rod to make a mini down rigger??

[EZM]

How feasible is it to put a manual DR on my canoe?

I saw a guy put one of the small Scotty's (I think it's called a lake troller) on his canoe using a scotty clamp clip. These are about $80 or so.

He was running a 3lb ball and doing just fine. I probably would'nt run any more weight than that - you just have to compensate a bit for the reduced weight (meaning the ball will track at a higher angle a bit so you have let out a little more cable).

But down to 50-70 feet it should be fine.

Have at it.

[Sea Hawk]

I would be very cautious putting a downfigger on a canoe. If you hang up on the bottom you would tip or have the canoe pulled under very quickly.You might get away with it if you set your slip clutch very low.

[fish gunner]

I would be very cautious putting a downfigger on a canoe. If you hang up on the bottom you would tip or have the canoe pulled under very quickly.You might get away with it if you set your slip clutch very low.

well said,that could go wrong fast. a hang up in a wind could get ugly.

[Bigdad013]

Needed a part for my scotty, just called them and they found me a dealer in BC who will ship to me in 3 days. Awesome service