Northwest Fishing Reports

I don't own a boat, so I don't have a downrigger, but when I rent a boat I want to be able to troll deep. How much weight do I need to use to get down to some deeper fish? I'd like to be able to troll at 10ft, 20ft, or 30ft. Is it possible without a downrigger? I appreciate any pointers.

Thank you!

Buy a portable, clamp on downrigger. The little lake trolls should be less than $100 for everything. Or you may be able to find a used one.


And yes, you can troll without a downrigger. You might get those sinkers with the rubber cores and twist them on your line or a three way swivel with a dropper on the bottom and hang you sinker there. This is how we did it before downriggers were invented.

I have a clamp on plastic cannon downrigger I'll give away free. never used, not sure how much cable is on it. Downrigger only. Lake Tapps area.UPDATE: Sorry it's gone

There are general charts out there to give you basic ideas on depth based on weight, how much line you have out, and speed. I do use rubber cored weights, and keep multiple sizes up to 1oz. I have doubled up on 2 - 1oz weights before to get close to 30ft.

Clamp on downrigger would work well too. Dont need much more than a 4lb ball for those depths. If you do go the downrigger route, replace the wire cable with braid. Much less drag and blowback with a small ball.

--try torpedodivers ... due to their shape you can get down deep with less weight.
--lead line another older method for trolling usually with a mooching style reel...length is colour coded so you have an idea of what depth you are at.
--I also use peetz slip weights 1-3 oz depending on speed.
--For sure get a lake chart if you don't have the electronics even using a clamp on style downrigger which is probably only going to get you down to 35 ft... it is not pleasant if you hang up on bottom.
--various diver style like trade name dipsy divers work... again most have a release so when you get a fish on you are not pulling against the diver. You would need a stiffer rod for these if using direct... it can be used in combination with your clamp on downrigger to get some extra depth

Deep six divers usually have variable settings to allow for diving to different depths at set speeds. I used them before I got a small clamp on Scotty downrigger. Worked well.

Before downriggers and cannon balls folks used leaded line granted at some point it fails to go deeper but a easy fix it to add weight at the head end. But it's tried and true for a lot of years.

I found a great article online...including a section on fishing without a downrigger.

http://www.fishwithgary.com/kokanee_uni ... part1.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

There are 3 parts to the article, and this particular subject is in Part 2.

I'd suggest using snap weights. Have a look at the Offshore Tackle site http://www.offshoretackle.com/snapweights.html and either get a kit or just buy the snaps and add your own weights. I like them as you can get the weight quite bit away from your lure, which helps with fish that are spooked. You need to experiment a bit to get the feel for how deep the various weights will take your gear relative to your trolling speed. When trolling without a downrigger, knowing how much line you have out really helps. The expensive method is to get yourself a line counter reel. Before I picked up a couple of those, I used braided line and marked off 50' sections using a black magic marker.

Thank you for all the advice!