Downrigger Ball Weight?

[Hunter]

Recently bought 2 brand new Scotty 1106's.   These are my first electrics.   What are the preferred DR ball weights that you guys are running and why?    12 or 15 lb?    Thanks. 

[Hydroman]

I use 12 Lb,,  most of my trolling in less that 120" deep at speeds of 1.3-1.5 mph.  Guess I don't know any better, I have only used 12 lb balls because that's the mold that I have.

Jim

[Diablo]

12 lbs.
15 lbs. for 2100 series

[BayWolf]

Round vs shaped (pancake)  The weight is all about depth control. Kinda like drag on an airplane, drag=blowback which in turn makes accurate depth control difficult.  I use 1106's with pancake 15lb weights for salt salmon. Lighter weights at reduces speeds for Sockeye and Kokes.  I also changed from cable to fiber to further reduce "drag".  In a ideal situation you want your rigger weight to be straight down, the closer to that the better.  :twocents:

[blue heron]

I've never tried a 15# Downrigger ball.  When I had manual DR's, I used 10# but moved up to 12# with the electric.  My 72 year old arms have a tough enough time handling the 12#ers.
Don

[Salmon King]

BW...
Where did you find 15# pancake weights?

[Chasin Baitman]

12# is pretty much standard.

[BayWolf]

BW...
Where did you find 15# pancake weights?

I got them at G.I. Joes before they went under.  I think I've seen them at SportCo in Fife.  They had a nice vinyl coating on them when I first got them, but bouncing bottom over the years got rid of that!

[BestBoats]

We take a 2 1/2 in stainless pipe 12-15" long , fill it with lead and set a loop in the lead on top. It cuts nice and will drag on the bottom with less chance of hanging up. Works pretty slick. We also polish it and hope it attracts fish :bowdown:.

[Salmon King]

Interesting BB

[Markshoreline]

BB,
I'm sure someone has a formula about diameter equaling pi x R squared or something but how much do your dr tubes weigh?

[BayWolf]

I read about those pipe weights.  I'd sure like to try them out. Sounds like a great idea.   

[wedocq]

Uh oh...I am foreseeing a problem here.  :whistle: Most of the DR ball I pre-poured for tomorrow are 15 lbers, because I thought that was the standard.
Here is why I exclusively use 15 lbers: (I have 10 year old Scotty 1106's)
1) Less line angle when fishing deep. I have fished as deep as 260' down on the wire!
2) I can increase my speed without messing up the line angle so easily. I no longer subscribe to the "slow is best" for Kings method. Unless I am fishing bait, I am usually running between 2.5-3.5 mph.
3) I hate carrying multiple sizes of DR balls on the boat, so I just use the 15's even if I am very shallow.
4) It's simple math, 15 is 3 better than 12. :biggrin:
-Shawn

[BayWolf]

Of course...you could always melt some down and make some Pipe weights!    I've got to go pick up my new  kicker tomorrow, but I would interested in getting a couple pipes!

[Salmon King]

I did a coke can full once...it was a hair under 10.

[Kyle]

I use 12's when fishing less than 150ft and 15's when I am fishing deeper. Thinking of upgrading my 1116's to the 2106's so I can use 20lb balls this year at Neah Bay. The last two years the Kings have been running really deep and the 15's worked but 20's would of worked better.

[BestBoats]

BB,
I'm sure someone has a formula about diameter equaling pi x R squared or something but how much do your dr tubes weigh?

9-12 lbs. it's 1/8" wall pipe.

[Vancouvertechie]

I mainly use 12lbs. Most of the time.

VT

[strokersquid]

Last year most of the time the salmon outside the Golden Gate were in 65-85 feet of water. I was fishing free lines ( not on downriggers ) and we were running 6-8 lb weights then. What would you use in a downrigger at those depths ?

[Hydro-Therapy]

Man those pipe weights made me remember my first down rigger type system . It was a old steel window weight tide off with cord and a piece of surgical tubing with a barrel swivel stuffed in it for a release. Very simple and very cheap. But it worked. Total cost was about $1 and most of it was for the cord.

  H-T

[GutZ]

Whatever size you use, make sure to get some snubbers. Less wear and tear on YOU and your tackle.

[Salmon King]

Man those pipe weights made me remember my first down rigger type system . It was a old steel window weight tide off with cord and a piece of surgical tubing with a barrel swivel stuffed in it for a release. Very simple and very cheap. But it worked. Total cost was about $1 and most of it was for the cord.

  H-T

My 1st was close to the same but I used an old PENN 209 with Parachord on it for line.  I clamped it to a broomstick and then screwed it to a flat board which I then was able to clamp across the gunnel just forward of the engine.  1 on each side and I had 2 DR's on the cheap.
I kept track of the depth by knowing how many passes the level wind made.  Each 1-way pass was ~10'.

[Rokefin]

A pipe weight I saw was made from a cut axle shaft... I like the idea of the lead filled SST pipe.
I have plenty of 10 lb weights, lead, and access to SST pipe so it looks like yet another project in the near future.

BB,
do you put the bottom loop on the very bottom or did you fasten a loop a number of inches up from the bottom?

[BestBoats]

A pipe weight I saw was made from a cut axle shaft... I like the idea of the lead filled SST pipe.
I have plenty of 10 lb weights, lead, and access to SST pipe so it looks like yet another project in the near future.

BB,
do you put the bottom loop on the very bottom or did you fasten a loop a number of inches up from the bottom?

The release loop is at the top

[wedocq]

Hunter,
I really enjoyed meeting you today, you struck me as a good guy! If you ever decide to fish Westport, let me know, I got you covered! Man! I wanted that Big Buddy heater, but had very little time to contemplate it because Al snatched it up quick.
-Shawn