http://www.luhrjensen.com/techreport...keTrolling.pdf
Here's a link to some info from Luhr Jensen on trolling for lake trout.
On the little I know about downriggers. Switch to electrics
, one flick of the switch and they are on their own leaving you to handle the fish.
When you run the ball out, have the drag set on the reel so that it bows the rod slightly as line peels out. When the ball has stopped, the line playout should stop. You want to minimize the belly in the line from rodtip to the clip,this will get you to hook up faster.
Change to circle hooks, although they don't look formidible, they are.
Pay attention to the themocline, you should be able to see that on the fish finder and fix your lure depth at least 10ft above the fish. They see better up than down.
usually you get a bump on the downrigger ball when it hits bottom, the 'rigger line will go slack and and then slam down on the boom pulley. If you're fast you may be able to reel in some line before it hooks up. The best bet here is to make sure that the brake allows line to peel out until you stop the boat from moving forward, althewhile, you're retrieving your fishing lines and trying to hold the boat in position. Multitasking, a lot easier said than done.
Above all else, it's called fishing, not catching.