Down rigger Rods

[-JR-]

Looking into buying a second spin casting down rigger rod.
Want one with back bone ,but still be able to have a nice bend in it when clipped into the down rigger.
Using a Shimano FX 8000 right now.
What else is out there in a sin casting rod.

[Willowtrail]

I use Casting but I run with a Shimano Clarus. Medium Fast, gets a nice bend

[EZM]

I have a few downrigger rods and I would say, at the medium price point ( $80-$90) a Shimano Talora Downrigger rod is hard to beat.

I just bought another one recently and put on a Okuma Cold water line counter level wind (which is a better reel in my opinion for downrigging compared to a spinning reel). I'm not sure if they make a model suitable for spinning reels. It's not that common to use a spinning reel for downrigging.

The Shimano Talora Downrigger rod has a spine and action that are specifically designed for downriggers with a stiff parabolic base and a fast action return on the tip. If you flex the rod next to others it's quite a bit different in how it loads up and returns.

[RavYak]

If you really want a spin casting setup, one of the best reels for the money is a zebco 20/20 but I am pretty sure you are talking about a spinning setup ;).

Imo baitcasters work way better with downriggers then a spinning setup. They are much easier to control when releasing your line and you can also thumb the line to aid in breaking free of the release and in setting the hook.

This weekend we had 3 different types reels going, a spinning reel, a low profile baitcaster and a conventional style baitcaster. The low profile baitcasters were best, some people automatically think they don't have enough line but if you use power pro you will probably have over 300 ft of line so even if you break off can most likely keep fishing. For example my Curado 200G7 holds over 500 ft of 30 lb pp.

The conventional baitcasters work but usually have a slow retrieval rate which is detrimental when you are trying to make up the free line after it pops free from the release. The guy using his conventional baitcaster soon switched to a low profile after losing a few fish because of this. The guy using the spinning reel eventually figured out to stop releasing line before at the depth he wanted then lower the ball the rest of the way with the bail closed to take up the line slack but it was a pain and he wants to buy a baitcaster now after watching us with ours.

As for a rod, I know 2 people that use Shimano Clarus 8'6 or 9' steelhead rods(Willowtrail above being one of them). They make awesome downrigging rods and if I ever buy a downrigger specific rod it will be what I get. I would recommend the MH instead of the M though. The MH still has a ton of flex but offers that extra backbone/comfort when it is bent over.

[Mike_W]

I run mooching rods and single action Islander MR3's on my downriggers.
After tying a few different rods I have settled on Fenwick HMX 10'6" Medium rod it is the perfect rod for me just enough back bone to pop a rigger 180 ft down and handles monster spring salmon perfectly......for a $100 rod you cannot go wrong and like it mire than a few $200+ rods I have tried.

They offer the hmx in spinning and would highly reccomend you check them out!!

[TROLLER]

7 1/2 Ugly Stick.

Never gonna break and if it does take it back for a free one.

[Stally77]

7 1/2 Ugly Stick.

Never gonna break and if it does take it back for a free one.

X2. Doesn't hurt to go with 9' + though more whip when they pull the clip off to set the hook. Use braid with Flouro leader.

Also level wind reels are easier to downrig with. They have a release that's easy to let the line out when u drop your Ball.

[EZM]

If you really want a spin casting setup, one of the best reels for the money is a zebco 20/20 but I am pretty sure you are talking about a spinning setup ;).

Imo baitcasters work way better with downriggers then a spinning setup. They are much easier to control when releasing your line and you can also thumb the line to aid in breaking free of the release and in setting the hook.

This weekend we had 3 different types reels going, a spinning reel, a low profile baitcaster and a conventional style baitcaster. The low profile baitcasters were best, some people automatically think they don't have enough line but if you use power pro you will probably have over 300 ft of line so even if you break off can most likely keep fishing. For example my Curado 200G7 holds over 500 ft of 30 lb pp.

The conventional baitcasters work but usually have a slow retrieval rate which is detrimental when you are trying to make up the free line after it pops free from the release. The guy using his conventional baitcaster soon switched to a low profile after losing a few fish because of this. The guy using the spinning reel eventually figured out to stop releasing line before at the depth he wanted then lower the ball the rest of the way with the bail closed to take up the line slack but it was a pain and he wants to buy a baitcaster now after watching us with ours.

As for a rod, I know 2 people that use Shimano Clarus 8'6 or 9' steelhead rods(Willowtrail above being one of them). They make awesome downrigging rods and if I ever buy a downrigger specific rod it will be what I get. I would recommend the MH instead of the M though. The MH still has a ton of flex but offers that extra backbone/comfort when it is bent over.

Although you are correct that a low profile bait caster has a similar design to the level wind - the line capacity is an issue in some cases - if you are rigging 160 down and 40 back you only have 100 feet of line left (using your example of a low profile bait caster as a suitable alternative).

So ..... you are down 160 and 40 back and you hook into a 30lb Laker, Salmon or Gerhard. What happens when he runs more than 100 feet and/or the boat needs to continue forward to ensure the other lines don't get tangled - a low profile does not leave me confident in this scenario.

If you are only 40 down and 20-30 back - you are probably fine with a low profile reel. Probably.

The other thing is drag - most baitcaster have a max drag at a much lower rating compared to a level wind - which could also be an advantage.

In a pinch, you are correct, it would work - but it's a level wind or a center pin for me when on a rigger. There's a reason these are the two types of reels that are commonly used. They are just "better suited" for that application.

I'm sure, for the OP, a good quality spinning reel would work, but you won't find a specifically designed downrigger flex rod with progressive eyes and reel seat for a spinning reel on those rods.

You can also use and ugly stick (as some mentioned) OR a rope and paperclip attached to a 2 x 4 if you like .... which would also work I guess.

[RavYak]

Ezm, 300 ft is about min for a low profile. Like i said my curado 200 series holds over 500 ft of 30 lb pp(190 yards, almost 600 feet) and there are plenty of higher capacity low profile reels. Especially if you pinch your barbs you will lose fish with a slower conventional reel.

[EZM]

Fair enough - I'm sure you are correct - I'm thinking I packed over 150 yards on my Revo STX low profile bait caster ..... which should be plenty. But ....The rods I use for my low profiles are definitely not suited for downrigging - the rod blank is wrong and the handle configuration isn't ideal either. I wouldn't use either of my baitcasters this way - they simply aren't the best tool for the job - nor are they designed to be.

Alternately casting my level wind down rigging rod would suck too - but it would work.

Down-rigging, dipsy Diver and planner board rods are longer, thicker and have longer handles as well. Typically 8.5 ft - 10 ft which is much longer than the typical bait caster at 6'-7'.

These rods have a heavier parabolic base which loads evenly throughout the blank with a variable action tip (in some cases fast action tip) - it's a compound flex/action design that makes it work nicely.

A good salmon rod will bend all the way down to the handle - which isn't typical of a bait casting rod. I'm guessing this would give you a little more overall forgiveness maybe.

As far as retrieve speed - the level winds will likely pick up line faster as the gear ratio is similar but the arbour is generally larger .......... so I'm not sure there a big difference there that way.....

The center pin and mooching reels are 1:1 (no gear pickup) but salmon guys seem to like them - and salmon are pretty fast and quite agile. I have only one of these set ups - but I still go to my level wind as I'm more comfortable with it.

Either way ..... Let's agree to disagree ............. I haven't seen you out there in while .... my i-pilot can't wait to try running you over .... lol .... fishing been awesome out there at the scene of the crime.

[Rockjockey]

I've used an Okuma set up on the coast.

Rod: Okuma Connoisseur Graphite (CQ-S-862MH-1); $55Cdn on Amazon.ca
Reel: Okuma RAWII-40; $145Cdn on Amazon.ca

Handled a 20lbs chinook out of the clip and a couple coho. Was the third rod out the back. I have it loaded with 30lbs braid and 30lbs fluoro leader (braid doesn't seem to like to stay in the clip).

RJ

[Stally77]

You can also use and ugly stick (as some mentioned) OR a rope and paperclip attached to a 2 x 4 if you like .... which would also work I guess.[/QUOTE]

Yeah............OK.

[RavYak]

Ha! I have only fished wab out of the kayak once this year. Been too busy chasing other species and trying new lakes, so far have tried 22 different bodies of water, still got a bunch more to go too!

As for rods, my current one is a crappy trolling rod that looks like a floppy pool cue and looks very strange with a low profile on it, it gets the job done though. The clarus rods are more streamlined but do have a long handle, buddy found his revo worked better then levelwind but it is his sturgeon reel so might have a low gear ratio even for a conventional reel.

[Lund rebel]

Yeah I was having issues keeping fish on after the bite, was using barbless hooks but could never seem to run the fish down after I got the bite and off the clip. I switched over to the low profile and never lost a single fish running the line down. It was my first time ever fishing with a downrigger so the first few hours of frusturation could have been a learning curve.

[Kurt505]

7 1/2 Ugly Stick.

Never gonna break and if it does take it back for a free one.

I blew one up trying to pop my deep six, brought it back to wholesale in kamloops, they wanted $45 for shipping. A tuff rod for the money, and I own 5 of them, but I only use them for rigging in the river.

I run Shimano Technium 10'6 mooching rods and G.Loomis 8'6 bait casting rods when I'm down rigging.

[Sea Hawk]

I have used 10'6 Loomis rods on my downriggers but have decided to downsize this year. I find it somewhat of a hassle dealing with the long rods in the boat.It is also tougher to net a fish with a long rod, especially when you have a double header and only two people in the boat.you end up having to net your own fish. even with a long net handle it is a challenge with a long rod. The other reason is my wife finds it very hard to fight a larger salmon on a long rod. I have two 8'6 rods,a clarus and a loomis hot shot that I will be trying.I prefer levelwind reels because even a greenhorn has no problem fighting a salmon. I use a Abu 7000 and a Penn 975 international. It is all stuff that I used when we did lots of river fishing.I plan to take the long rods along just in case.