cannon ball size for downriggers?

[goose]

Hello all, I have purchased two downriggers but have no idea on what size of lead balls to use. I have a 12' boat with a 9.9 motor and am going to BC this spring to fish aound 40-100 feet in depth. Any help would be appreciated.
thanks
Goose :sHa_shakeshout:

[BPman]

The appropriate weight depends on depth and trolling speed. Slow trolling for lake trout is different than moving fast for salmon. In my experience with trout, a 6 lb ball will suffice to about 60' but you will need 8lb for deeper trolling and some would argue for a 10 lb ball at 100' depth. For trolling at faster speeds, go to 10 or even 12 lb balls. With electric downriggers, ball size doesn't matter but cranking 10 and 12 lb balls all day on a manual downrigger can be a real workout.

[The Reel Deal]

I have a 7 and 8 pound ball, both work fine at 100'

[Jamie]

Hello all, I have purchased two downriggers but have no idea on what size of lead balls to use. I have a 12' boat with a 9.9 motor and am going to BC this spring to fish aound 40-100 feet in depth. Any help would be appreciated.
thanks
Goose :sHa_shakeshout:

What are you fishing for?

Jamie

[gary 1976]

I used 10lb pancake in lake ontario for salmon. Worked very well very little drag

[huntsfurfish]

Downriggers in a 12 foot boat can/are/will be dangerous. Make sure you have a good set of wire cutters handy!

2 downriggers will be even more so. 12 foot boat is 2 small for 2 DR, heck it is probably 2 small for 1.:) Especially if you are fishing alone.

[Bluetick Coonhound]

I have both 8 and 10 pound and I find the blow back significantly lessoned with the ten. If your side rails and mounts are fine why not have the 10 pounders with zero regrets?

[EZM]

I'd suggest going with a weight that your boat can handle - I wouldn't run anything over an 8 lb ball if you are in a standard tinner with the rigger clamped or secured onto the gunnels. Your 12 footer with the 9.9 probably is a single sheet of tin with a top rail on the gunnel and not made for a rigger.

There is a risk in bending the gunnels in heavy chop and at higher speeds - they put alot of torque onto the base.

For a full size tinner with heavier gunnels - the 10-12lb weight is an ideal all around weight.

[EZM]

One more thought - I saw an old guy build an ingenious set up, at Kootenay Lake, for down riggers using a 2 x 6 that ran the entire width of this boat. his boat was similar to how you described yours - a 12 footer with a smaller outboard.

He mounted both riggers to this 2 x 6 on top and framed out the bottom of another (at 90 degrees) with another 2x6 to rest on the the inside of the boat and secured it with large eye bolts and oversized wing nuts through the underside of the gunnel (above the waterline of course).

He also had a few Scotty rod holders and a tool rest on it as well.

He was dragging 2 10 or 12 lb balls - no problems.

It looked solid and, more importantly, looked like it could be quickly and easily removed.

Old folks are full of ingenuity. Gotta love em'.

found a few pics on the net for some ideas ....

http://ontariofishingcommunity.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=45603

http://www.spoonpullers.com/index.php?topic=18498.0

[Mark]

Downriggers in a 12 foot boat can/are/will be dangerous. Make sure you have a good set of wire cutters handy!

2 downriggers will be even more so. 12 foot boat is 2 small for 2 DR, heck it is probably 2 small for 1.:) Especially if you are fishing alone.I

I agree completely. Please be careful, especially if you're out there in the tides and surf with DRs and a small boat.

What size is your DR. I think the small laker troller would be the largest you could use on a 12ft boat. The small lake trollers can probably only handle 5 or 6Lbs would be absolute max. Small 3 or 4lbs ball would probably be better. I think the larger DR would just be too dangerous, especially in the ocean with tides and currents.

Just my opinion....

[Pike fisher]

I bought a used 16' Lund SSV last spring that had the same basic set up what EZM described above. My boat has a fairly large well at the back, so the guy bolted a 2x8" to the rim of the well, braced it down to the seat and mounted his downriggers on the board. I mounted my downriggers and rod holders on it, and it works sweet. The best part is that it makes your well 2" deeper, doesn't put any pressure on the gunnels and you don't put any holes in your boat to mount anything.

[Pike fisher]

One clarification - Because the board is bolted to the well rim, it is below the level of the gunnels. It does not interfere with my boat tarp or stick outside of the boat.

[crazyfish]

I have and use a 12 ft tinner ! Run a 1080 Scotty dr. I never trusted the side to support the weight. So I built a better way ! The best way I found to mount it as to build a 3 sided box that slips down onto the middle seat , secures under with a strap ! Done , covers about half the seat , never moves , not issues , the base mounts on super easy , and I put a small bracket for my portable fish finder . Removes from boat in seconds when not needed .Mount it on the opposite side of you when driving the boat and you have a great set up , can watch the water ahead , rod tip in holder and screen all at the same time .

I've used this set up for cold lake ! Not sure how it would work in the ocean. I also watch the weather and go elsewhere when it's too rough ! Good luck

[jednastka]

A place to start is with the specifications for the downrigger itself. All the Scotty's state a maximum ball weight. This is because of the strength of the arm. You do not want to imagine the mayhem when one of these arms breaks! I've seen it, and it ain't pretty, especially when the wire lands up in the propeller!

Vic

[cube]

A place to start is with the specifications for the downrigger itself. All the Scotty's state a maximum ball weight. This is because of the strength of the arm. You do not want to imagine the mayhem when one of these arms breaks! I've seen it, and it ain't pretty, especially when the wire lands up in the propeller!

Vic

I don't believe scotty has a max ball weight except for the small manual Lake Troller (2-3 pounds). Any ball weight would be insignificant compared to hanging up on kelp or the bottom. Scotty manuals all say that a "7 to 12 lb. is adequate for most fishing conditions."