Northwest Fishing Reports

was wondering about everyones input on Fishing lakes with a down rigger and a lil fishin buddy fish finder

fox9068 wrote:was wondering about everyones input on Fishing lakes with a down rigger and a lil fishin buddy fish finder

Do it. Do it.
Downriggers are great because they can keep you at a constant depth straight off the back. Even if your only wanting to get down 10ft it will work great.


fishnislife

Down riggers are the way to go. My Scotty lake trolls work great. I use a hummingbird fish finder that shows the tthermalcline pretty well.

Downriggers work. No doubt about it.


But they also take some of the romance out of the sport.

Now you have a bunch more things to fiddle with.


Always going to have to fiddle with the rod and reel and the motor or the oars.

When you are downrigging you now have to fiddle with the downrigger, the release mechanism, a big lead ball, and the depthfinder.


Unfortunately, if you need to get down deep and you also need to cover a lot of territory there aren't many other options.

Deep sixes and dipsy diver kinds of things will work but they take almost as much fiddling as the downriggers and then you're never really sure what depth they are running at.




If you know how to drag crankbaits you can get down to 40 or 50 feet and have a pretty good idea what depth you are running but you are limited in regards to presentation. If the fish are hitting cranks you're gonna catch fish. If they want something else you are out of luck.



But still, I've gotten so I prefer dragging the crankbaits. I've got a bunch of them calibrated so I know how deep they're running and you eventually come to learn the places to go and the species to target so you catch some fish. When you get really good you don't even need the depthfinder anymore because you've mapped out the trolling routes in your head.

It adds a new dimension to trout fishing. Rapalas and downriggers work on bigger trout during the summer.

I have always wanted to get down riggers for my boat. Not only can they get you way deeper than any other lead weight or diver on the market, you know exactly where you are as far a depth wise while fishing.Another good thing about them is while fighting the fish its just you and the fish no 6oz wight to fight a long with your salmon. Fish finders are a must for some species. Try locating 12ft sandy bottom in murky water targeting walleye or 150 feet of water with bait fish while targeting salmon, its doable what you either have to get lucky or instead of finding what you are looking for on day 1 plan on finding that sandy bottom or 150 ft of water on day 2 or 3.

The down side is that the down riggers are very expensive (for me anyway). So I either have to get a Manuel down rigger or save my money for an electric. While salmon fishing when someone gets a fish on I make everyone fishing clear their lines, you know, real in so your line dosnt interfere with them catching their fish. This is kind of tough w/ a 6oz weight, dodger plus cranking in 100ft of line. So with a maul down rigger, imagine cranking in that 3 -10lb ball as well. And with electric thats just one more thing to run to your battery, or just a reason to buy another battery. With the fish finder the only real problem that I have found is the battery thing. And the other day my battery died, so my fish finder went out, after trolling for 6 hours with it, we almost felt naked for the last couple hours of trolling w/o it.

It really kind of depends on what you are fishing for. Open water species are great targets for Downriggers, but beware of fishing close to rough cover, like boulder fields, snags, etc.

For Salmon, Lake Trout, Trout, Walleyes sometimes, they can be a great tool. But remember, they are just a tool, not a cure all or a sure bet.

Bought and tried my first down rigger tonight,a mini pro troll from cannon, i had sucess with my first catch,but how do you get the humming out of your cable while your trolling

Cannon has a downrigger that plugs into a bottom line sonar and will keep the weight 10' off the bottom for Chinook and Mackinaw. The downrigger will move up and down as it is automated by the fish finder.

fox9068 wrote:Bought and tried my first down rigger tonight,a mini pro troll from cannon, i had sucess with my first catch,but how do you get the humming out of your cable while your trolling

humming does drive the fisherperson nuts but doesn't seem to bother the fish. I ignore it. A damper on the cable to silence it would only get in the way when reeling the cable back in.

I was out this morning using a downrigger and caught a 4# cut and had a King that stripped out line until it snapped my leader. Felt like it was over 20#s. Downriggers work.

The humming just reminds me of good times - almost like a dog salivating at the sound of the dinner bell.

Thanks for everyones input,i went out this morning in the pouring rain and caught 3 nice triploids with my new downrigger at 10', with the water being warm i"m catching and seeing more fish with parasites on them, I was the only one on the lake this morning from 10:40-2:30 i had a blast at Lk McMuurray

I have a set of downriggers that opperate through my huminbird fishfinder..they will track the bottom or cycle at pre set depths. or you can just send them down or park them up..All through the fish finder..By far the best investment i ever made

What would be the lightest down rigger for an inflatable boat? I use to have the Scotty's on my 420 Zodiac RIB, but I'm looking for something small, compact, and lightweight. When the cutts go deep, I need something to get down there. Lead core only goes down around 50 feet usually. Any ideas? I prefer Scotty, do they have some sort of lake version. The mounting would be the issue because I don't want to buy that bracket again...ah...the joys of inflatable boats!

Rutt wrote:...

Check out either Scotty's site or download their new catalogue. I was checking it out a couple nights ago, they do have some small compact downriggers, both electric and manual. Not sure what size your looking at, but may be worth looking at. There wasn't any mention of dimensions on the downriggers themselves that I saw...but that doesn't mean it's not there.

[edit] - Found one on Cabela's site...not too bad with regards to price...

downrigger linky

http://www.scotty.com/scotty_fishing.html


Chad

I use a Scotty on my South Fork, not as a downrigger, but an anchor system. This is the one I use:

http://www.scotty.com/marine/products/p ... /1073.html

It is easily mounted on a tube and can be removed and stored with ease also:

I used the Scotty mini shown two posts above. I had a problem with the twist brake in the center. It kept coming loose on me and letting the ball slip. I've switched to the 1050 with the portable mount for cartopper boats. It has the same lever brake that's on the bigger downriggers. The handle also is further out giving more leverage to retrieving wire and the ball. Cost a little more but should remove some of my aggravation.

zen leecher aka Bill W wrote:...

Thanks for the input and heads up, may have to check out the other model. :thumright


Chad

Yep another vote for the 1050 with the clamp mout...Sweeeeet deal and it's got a great brake and it's got a good depth counter....I haul 8lb balls with it just fine...

I just started using a Scotty # 1050 last summer & would like to hear about what type of
trolling flashers , dodgers & lures that you use for Trout & Kokanee. Any tips ?