Wow nice job! nice phat cutt keep up the good work thanks for the report!

Braided DR cable. Yes... Absolutely. The biggest benefit to me is just that think about how your cable likes to jump off the DR, and then it gets wrapped around underneath the DR spool. Not at all with the braid.

I believe that one of the fish we picked up last weekend was a sea run. It was much more silver in color, had less speckling, was more streamlined looking and fought much harder than the others. I think that the larger, chunky fish are residents of the lake.
I've had braid on my downriggers for over 4 years and love it. No broken strands to poke you, no kinks to worry about and when you fish with gear close to the ball you don't have to worry about the charge it causes.

G-Man .. I tend to agree with you.
I don't harvest too many of the bigger Cutt's as I always thought they were Sea-run ... Yet, some are Bright and Shinny with very RED firm flesh with Sea Lice scars and some are not so bright, pale meat and soft, no scars. Residents I'm guessing. What "test strength" on the braided DR braid do you use? I run at the very most, 12# balls in the salt, and in the Lake. I was looking On-Line and there are some better prices out there ... Might try Outdoor Emporium also. I get so tired of the "Wire Hum" with cable. It's got to transmit for miles !!! :-( Plus the electrical discharge thing. I'm also curious as to the comparative diameters, as that tends to create the most drag. I don't think I need 200# test down-rigger string. So a little more research, before I spend the bucks I think.

I use 60# Braided line like you would put on a reel. $15 for 100 yards. Cheap enough for me. Hope this helps.

""I use 60# Braided line like you would put on a reel. $15 for 100 yards. Cheap enough for me. Hope this helps.""

See .... That's what I was thinking as well. You can get "Olde Skol" braided up to 100# .. Sturgeon type line in 100-200 yards CHEAP. Why wouldn't that work? Too thin and maybe not the same life cycle? I don't want to have to replace it every year. Lot's of questions.

Nice fish!

Hmmmmm... I use stainless I have no prob. with it , but I have thought of going to braided .So I did a little research and found some pro V.S. cons check it out might help you a little ! http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=268284

I run the 130lb Tufline. It is thick enough so that it is easy to handle and will hold a stacker clip in place. You can get a 300yd spool of 130 to 200lb Tufline for around $35.00. That's enough to put 450' of line on 2 riggers which will handle those times when you fish Chelan. What you end up doing is replacing the first few feet every year or so as it shows signs of wear. If you have the Scotty Electrics, use several of the rubber bumpers to prevent line cut in the event that the bead stops fail to trip the motor. If you have the manuals or a different brand of rigger, you should be fine with just the one bumper. I double over the line when I tie up to my extra large coastlock snap swivel, which I use to connect to the ball.

G-Man ..... See ......That's what I was thinking as well. I looked at the NEW Braided lines today, and they are thin .. thin... thin! In fact the guy said be careful, as they will cut your hands. Plus re-do the terminal end regularly ... Like every couple of trips. It was 500' for $46 bucks. And 200# TuffLine is still thinner then Cable, and those spools are huge. Actually that is the line I use from the Ball to the clip. So ... I need to think about this a bit more. They (Outdoor Emporium) are blowing out the older Braids, as they are about twice the diameter as the new stuff. I do have Double Bumpers already, and was also thinking along the line of doubling over on my knots. I don't use the Rubber 'Shock Absorbers" on my riggers as I try to control the descent, and stoppage. However they were pitching those to me as well.

Thanks guys for the info. It helps a lot.

I clip directly to the ball and see no need for the "shock absorbers" they try and hock. Also, unless you are dragging your gear over sharp rocks and through sunken ships your line won't fray and should be fine for a least a year.

I use braided line on my cannons and I love it! Never had a problem.