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Downrigger cable Braid VS Cable ????

Started by Rangerman, December 08, 2016, 05:08:15 PM

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Rangerman

So I had Braid installed on my last set of Downriggers, I put 400' of low drag braid and loved it!
When I bought new Down riggers it came with cable, so I used it and I am not sure but it seems to catch more fish.
I did not run one side cable and one side braid so its not a scientific study by any means. Last weekend the cable finally broke :(
total I lost 4, 15 lb balls and all gear, the cable was 1 year old.
I emailed Scotty to see if they have any data that gives either an advantage catching Salmon. They got back the next day (great customer support) and did not have any data that gives either an advantage but they did stop making and supporting their voltage regulator black box...hhhmmm interesting.
When I check online, the outdoor line and Salt Patrol both discuss the issue and say cable beats braid 10-1
The outdoor line Nelly "the braid was absolutely DOMINATED by voltage controlled stainless wire".
So I ask, Do you have a preference or have you noticed a difference good or bad when trolling for Salmon with either Braid or Cable?

Salmon King

I have always used cable (voltage controlled).  I catch my fair share and then some...considering the comparatively small amount of time I am on the water.  This I steadfastly refuse to switch to Braid.

As for the black box....IMO Scotty stop making them because the floor fell out of sales since people discovered they did not need it with braid  and that the stray voltages would no longer affect their catch ratio.
Not to mention that there are several knockoffs available at less cost.

The debate really comes down to personal preference.
I think Rory (chasinbaitman) prefers braid.  He catches about 10 times the fish I do but he's also on the water 10 times more than I am...
PLEASE...Fly your flag Proudly, and remember to thank a Vet!
2011 14' Sterling
9' Pontoon (Bismarck)
8' Pontoon (Hood)

Markshoreline

My wife got me new Scotties for my birthday 2 years ago and my catch rate plummeted.  I'm replacing the cable with braid.  Never had a voltage regulator on the cable, though.  If you make the switch from cable you much replace the roller so it doesn't shred the braid.
2002 Sea Ranger HT 21, Yamaha 150, Yamaha 9.9

Rangerman

Mark, the roller needs to be replaced if changing over to braid? I did not have a problem on my old set when I changed over.
I just find it hard to believe that Nelly from the OUTDOOR line and John Kiezer of Salt Patrol give a 10-1 ratio......
You would think with that kind of ratio everyone would have a similar experience.

Markshoreline

My understanding is that the rolller gets scored by the steel cable and that is abrasive to the braid and causes it to fail.  May be an old wive's tale but when I switched my old downriggers I replaced them and never had a problem.  There are folks here that know a lot more than me who can speak to this...
What is the 10:1 ratio they referred to?
2002 Sea Ranger HT 21, Yamaha 150, Yamaha 9.9

Dbobby23

Quote from: markshoreline on December 08, 2016, 07:34:54 PM
My wife got me new Scotties for my birthday 2 years ago and my catch rate plummeted.  I'm replacing the cable with braid.  Never had a voltage regulator on the cable, though.  If you make the switch from cable you much replace the roller so it doesn't shred the braid.

What roller are you talking about Mark? I purchased 2 brand new 1106s  almost 1 year ago, I put braid on 1 and left cable on the other to run a test for myself. After many many many fishing and catching trips I can't tell a difference as far as catching. I didn't switch out any roller and my braid looks new. What should I be looking for?  The difference I do see and like is I switched from a 10lb stick weight to a 8lb to achieve the same line angle on my 1106 with braid. Less work for the downrigger is almost good right? All around I like dealing with the braided downrigger better. My field of testing was primarily done on chelan and Roosevelt for Kokanee and mackinaw with a few trips in area 11 and 13 mixed in with little success on both downriggers.
1983 seahunter
2004 yamaha f8
2007 yamaha f60 efi

Dbobby23

Ok I see what your talking about, that does make sense. I replaced my wire to braid when the downrigger was brand new so I shouldn't have to worry.


Quote from: markshoreline on December 08, 2016, 09:05:18 PM
My understanding is that the rolller gets scored by the steel cable and that is abrasive to the braid and causes it to fail.  May be an old wive's tale but when I switched my old downriggers I replaced them and never had a problem.  There are folks here that know a lot more than me who can speak to this...
What is the 10:1 ratio they referred to?
1983 seahunter
2004 yamaha f8
2007 yamaha f60 efi

StreamFixer

If any doubt at all, replace the shiv on the boom.  They are very cheap when compared to losing a downrigger weight, a bunch of braid and the other gear on the DR...

StreamFixer
'01 Hewes Sportsman 18
'14 Yamaha 90
'01 T8 w/ solas 4 blade
'19 Minn Kota 80# (Alterra)
'97 19SC w/ Salt Boss Top


"By the grace of God we travel upon the rivers and sea..
They, like He, are mightier than me."  Mike Jesperson aka 'Nalu

AP

You lost 4 balls in one day?!  If that is the case, I suspect the cable is seriously compromised by running up over reefs or otherwise having way too much cable out for the depth.  Braid won't help that and is probably more likely to break than cable in those situations. 

As far as fish catching, I switched from cable to braid for no particular reason.  I've never used voltage control. I don't think I necessarily do better or worse with braid.  I tend to not post reports (Area 7 Fight Club rules) but I salmon fish A LOT in my boat and consistently get into fish.  The most significant factor in catching fish is knowing where the fish are feeding at a given tide cycle.  With few exceptions, you don't need bait or to spend time overthinking the braid/cable.

Threeweight

Cable goes bad and needs to be replaced every few years.  Kinks, saltwater corrosion, weakened crimps, etc...

Call me a cynic, but I wonder if Salt Patrol's recommendation has anything to do with their sponsors selling stainless cable and hardware.  I don't use downrigger's much, but it is my understanding that two of the key advantages of braid are 1) it lasts longer, and when it begins to get beat you you can just reverse it on the spool, and 2) it is non-conductive, so no need for expensive voltage control systems.

Former Sea Chaser 17 owner
Defiance 250 Admiral, twin Yamaha 150's and T9.9

"Never turn your back on fear. It should always be in front of you, like a thing that might have to be killed."
       --- Hunter S. Thompson

J Chaser

I went from cable to braid on my Scotty's years ago and I've never had a problem. I just cut off a few feet per year where the clip is attached, and I'm good to go.

I seem to catch a few fish......

John
Sea Chaser 1511, Yamaha F70, Yamaha F6 kicker

jamaica

I switched to braid mainly because I didn't like the loud humming noise that my cables made. The braid is quiet.
1994 19' Sea Ranger 150hp Merc 2stk 9.9hp Yam

Salmon King

Nice fish John...

Oh and....Personally I like the hum.
PLEASE...Fly your flag Proudly, and remember to thank a Vet!
2011 14' Sterling
9' Pontoon (Bismarck)
8' Pontoon (Hood)

BigSid

Bought two new 1106's last spring for my new Ranger, went with braid. I prefer braid because of less blowback, runs through the water with less resistance. Lasts longer, too.
2016 SR19 Honda 135 & 9.9

First Cabin

Let me say this softly. :jester: :jester: :jester:

Scotty wire is inconsistent and sometimes crap.  The entire switch to braid is because Scotty wire is made in China crap.  If you run Cannon wire you won't have a problem.

Don't believe me?  Look at the wire under a microscope and look closely.  Look at the quality of the wire and count the strands per inch.  Wonder why you have so many frays with Scotty wire?  It's crap!!!

I started with Cannon downriggers for 5 years and never had issues.  I then moved to brand new Scotty downriggers and proceeded to lose a number of downrigger balls.  I moaned and complained and eventually I brightened up and put Cannon wire(more expensive) on my Scotty downriggers.  Problem solved.
First:  1982 15' SeaHunter, Yamaha 70 2-stroke, Yamaha F6
Second:  1987 17' SeaRanger, Merc 90 2-stroke, Yamaha F8
Current:  2002 17' SeaChaser, Yamaha F100, Yamaha T8

StreamFixer

Hmmmmmm   I wonder if Chinese quality control had anything to do with that problem???   :stirthepot:

StreamFixer
'01 Hewes Sportsman 18
'14 Yamaha 90
'01 T8 w/ solas 4 blade
'19 Minn Kota 80# (Alterra)
'97 19SC w/ Salt Boss Top


"By the grace of God we travel upon the rivers and sea..
They, like He, are mightier than me."  Mike Jesperson aka 'Nalu

DevMah

#16
I had cable with the black box but switched to Spectra  Power Pro braid and would never go back.

http://www.powerpro.com/publish/content/global_fish/en/us/power_pro_v2/products/powerpro_downrigger.html

The braid is thinner so you get less angle then the cable ( blowback ) :twocents:

On the ends I use the No. 374 Sure Stop Downrigger Stopper Kit to attach the clips and downrigger balls.

http://www.scotty.com/fishing-gear-equipment/downrigger-accessories/images/374_SureStop.gif


Dev
2015 21' Sea Ranger w 150 Yammy  (Tight lines) Sold
2012 Lund 1650SS  w 2012 60HP Mercury-Sold

Salmon King

Quote from: First Cabin on December 09, 2016, 05:11:48 PM
Let me say this softly. :jester: :jester: :jester:

Scotty wire is inconsistent and sometimes crap.  The entire switch to braid is because Scotty wire is made in China crap.  If you run Cannon wire you won't have a problem.

Don't believe me?  Look at the wire under a microscope and look closely.  Look at the quality of the wire and count the strands per inch.  Wonder why you have so many frays with Scotty wire?  It's crap!!!

I started with Cannon downriggers for 5 years and never had issues.  I then moved to brand new Scotty downriggers and proceeded to lose a number of downrigger balls.  I moaned and complained and eventually I brightened up and put Cannon wire(more expensive) on my Scotty downriggers.  Problem solved.

I did the same thing for the same reason....
PLEASE...Fly your flag Proudly, and remember to thank a Vet!
2011 14' Sterling
9' Pontoon (Bismarck)
8' Pontoon (Hood)

Tj805

Braid all the way.
It really makes a difference if your boat is hot with power.
It's basically like the fish is biting tin foil.
2000 sea chaser 19
Honda 130
2014 yamaha f8

Seachaser9

Cannon Downriggers will fix your issue  :stirthepot: Positive Ion Control built in, Gear Driven, High quality cable that enables auto-stop at the water line.

jamaica

Quote from: Seachaser9 on December 10, 2016, 07:00:18 AM
Cannon Downriggers will fix your issue  :stirthepot: Positive Ion Control built in, Gear Driven, High quality cable that enables auto-stop at the water line.
Unless you use braid. When I put braid on my Cannons I lost the auto-stop at the water line. Does anybody know a way to get the auto-stop back while still using braid? I really don't like the hum noise of the wire.
1994 19' Sea Ranger 150hp Merc 2stk 9.9hp Yam

StreamFixer

I put bobber stops on the line and that seems to work for me

StreamFixer
'01 Hewes Sportsman 18
'14 Yamaha 90
'01 T8 w/ solas 4 blade
'19 Minn Kota 80# (Alterra)
'97 19SC w/ Salt Boss Top


"By the grace of God we travel upon the rivers and sea..
They, like He, are mightier than me."  Mike Jesperson aka 'Nalu

Vancouvertechie

I think this has been discussed before in great detail.  I like them both and I think they both perform the same in my humble experience.  Plus, like Salmon King mentioned, I like the hum when fishing alone.  When the tone changes or starts to bounce you get tell if you've got a hit or a shaker on.

VT
2003 15' SeaHunter 50HP Suzuki (FI4Strk)
1991 16' SeaChaser 50HP Johnson (Keith)
1995 19' SeaRanger 115 Yamaha (FI4Strk)
1992 Zodiac Hurricane Honda 135HP
1987 44' Tollycraft Motoryacht

Rokefin

Thanks for the info on cannon/scotty wire as I need to rewire one downrigger - I took off with a weight still in the water and when I reached my destination I turned and saw a foot of broken wire sticking out of the rigger - ouch! 299 feet of wire gone!! I wished I would have known about the quality difference as I always prefer quality over price so I think I will rewire both units with cannon- although I can't blame the scotty wire for leaving my weight in the water!!!

2 years ago I put on new scotty wire on my riggers and had a horrible salmon year but the season overall was not good in the Bodega area.....I started to question the wire verse braid but left everything the same this past season and I hammered the salmon every single day out. Ok, hammered may be stretching it but I caught salmon every day I was on the water. So go figure, I think it would be hard to get an accurate tests on the water fishing different days with braid or wire - you could use the same bait/lure braid/wire for 7 days straight and one day you could hammer them and the next day notta so testing in my opinion would be difficult to achieve.
With my good fortunes I had this past season if I would have switched to braid last year I would be on this post screaming how great braid is.....I'm slow to change I guess, I prefer wire and prefer mono on my reels....

HemiGTX

 :yeahthat:

Countless times I've put out two seemingly identical rigs and had one of them catch 4-5x as many fish as the other one.  Infinite variables constantly at play make it impossible to replicate results. That's why we generally fish in accordance with  principles vice checklists or a set of rules.

Hmmm....pretty analogous to life in general, isn't it?
AKA: "The guy who fishes with Nicole"