Downrigger question- Cannon digitroll?

[cwpinoy2017]

Need another Downrigger. I already got one cannon mag 10 i bought 2nd hand never used. So pretty sure for the 2nd im going cannon but anyone got any expierence with the digitrolls? I got a Hummingbird 999ci. To fork out the extra money or not? Thanks

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[Markshoreline]

They're pretty fancy but you have to run steel cable-not braid.

[Rokefin]

Would be great to here from cannon users, I have run Scotty's but would love to hear experiences with the cannons for future reference.

I'm slow to change I guess, running wire would not bother me, I run wire and am sticking with wire - wire is catching  a lot of salmon for me.

[mustang65fbk]

We had cannon downriggers on my uncles old boat until they stopped working. We bought Scotty's and haven't had any issues with them. They came with wire and we had pretty much only used wire up until I was convinced to go with braid because the wire kept getting tangled and kept breaking. The braid works quite well and would probably buy braided line again if I were to buy new downriggers. I like how the Scotty's use a brake handle to lower down the ball whereas I believe the cannon's use the motor to lower the ball, which will make it go out that much more quickly. I see Scotty's probably 9 times out of 10 compared to cannon or penn or whatever else.

[Peddler]

I've had both Cannon and Scotty, but never a DigiTroll.  I prefer Cannon.  The Scotty is just kind of "Clunky," with the brake handle bouncing back and fourth.  I learned to downrigger fish with Cannon, so maybe that's why I prefer them.  It's not necessary to "Power Down," but you can.  The manual and quicker method is to slowly back-off the brake knob on the side of the spool, then tighten when you hit your depth.  It'd be akin to backing off the drag on a level-wind reel to drop you bait.  It's been a few years since I last fished with a Cannon, but I believe the brake knob is reverse-thread, the knob is on the right side of the spool, so forward/clockwise to lower, backward/counter-clockwise to tighten.

Cannon electrics with steel wire have Positive Ion Control (similar to running a "Black Box), and an auto-stop feature based on the electrical conductivity of the cable in the water.  Units using polymer braided "wire" auto-stop based on the depth counter.  Just have to make sure the counter is properly "Zereo'd" before dropping your ball.

One of my goals, when discretionary budget allows, is to buy some Cannon Mag 10's, build an adapter plate to mount Cannon downriggers to my existing Scotty base plates, so I do not have to drill new holes in the boat. 

[58Johnson]

I run DigiTrolls.
They are great for fishing solo. They have digital keyboards that can run to preset depths. There is a bottom follow feature that can keep your weights a set distance above the bottom. That feature can require an additional transducer. They can jig your lures.
Minusses are expense. They are costly. Also they race up when encountering bait balls on the bottom when following the bottom. (They think the bait is bottom structure)(you just hit an up or down button to stop the racing). They draw a lot of power when retrieving both riggers at the same time.

Overall I think they are great. Once you learn the features it is hard to ever go back to traditional riggers.

[Mooch]

I run DigiTrolls.
.....There is a bottom follow feature that can keep your weights a set distance above the bottom.

As nice as that feature would be for blackmouth season coming up here soon, I'll just have to keep slumming it with my Scottys.

[cwpinoy2017]

Thanks for the info. Thats what im thinking. Ill be fishing with my daughter or a gf. So they really put more salmon on the deck? Tracking bottom sounds nice for blackmouth and kings. What the best bet for good blackmouth fishing in the sound? Admiralty bay in jan. Heard its where the bait is.

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[58Johnson]

In my case, they are more of a convenience than a total count improver. My Fish Hawk speed/depth probe is the item that I believe has improved my catch count the most.