Downrigger's from Definace

[xplorz]

That's a good point Al. A little off subject, but the old school train of thought of going slow for kings has been changing in recent years. But I think that's because so many people don't use bait as much anymore. I have talked to some guys that will troll at 3-3.5 mph with certain gear for kings. That was unheard of 25 years ago.
-Shawn

That's the low end of commercial troll speed for chinook slamon and has been even when I was in the single digits age wise (late 60's) on my dads old double ended troller.

[yellowlab]

Use the orange bead stops if you're using braid, which I highly recommend. Tie them with a double palomar knot and use 3 stops with a dab of super glue to keep them from sliding. Braid is quiet, doesn't give off any current, and doesn't splinter like cable. I also use a snubber (Goldstar Green), 12# finned balls, good Sampo ball bearing swivels on flashers. I do not like the Scotty releases. I'd never found them to be the correct tension, either too loose or too tight, even with adjusting the clip or swapping out the pads. I highly recommend the heavy off shore release that John's Sporting Goods makes. I also use a small gaff and have marks on the wooden handle with intervals marks at 16", 22", 24" and 36", you'll never need a tape to fumble around while determining if a fish is worthy of the box. Oh, and I use a little surgical tubing on the release clip holds to keep them from sliding up or down the braid. Someone mentioned having a spare belt on board, I found this to be of wise info. Last summer we were 30 miles out and one belt failed and wouldn't you know it, the fishing was HOT. It took more time having to swap the belt from one rigger to the other as we had to filter through wild Coho after Coho trying to get our legal limits. Now, I carry spare parts aboard and make sure the riggers are working properly. 

[wedocq]

That's a good point Al. A little off subject, but the old school train of thought of going slow for kings has been changing in recent years. But I think that's because so many people don't use bait as much anymore. I have talked to some guys that will troll at 3-3.5 mph with certain gear for kings. That was unheard of 25 years ago.
-Shawn

That's the low end of commercial troll speed for chinook slamon and has been even when I was in the single digits age wise (late 60's) on my dads old double ended troller.

Yup! My Grandfather was a sport troller, and he trolled fast as well. I think it was because he fished plugs, and they needed the speed. But anytime we sport fished, it was with herring, and very slow.
-Shawn

[Markshoreline]

yellowlab,
That is great advice!  I've been frustrated by the stops slipping but never thought about tying them into place and gluing them too!  Also like your measurement marks on the gaff to easily ID short fish and release them.
I prefer the blue Scotty snubber because it is shorter and our hulls are so low...
In 20 years I've never had a belt fail but always carry a spare anyway.
I've had great luck with the Scotty releases with the yellow lips.  The trick is with high drag gear, such as flashers is to pull the clip back to that it gets in to super-hold range.

I've heard that trollers routinely run at 6 mph.

[StreamFixer]

That's tuna speed.  The blow back must be HUGE 

StreamFixer

[GoodDays]

25 pound cannon balls... or even 30's   

GoodDays Greg

[GutZ]

SFF, your right,  talking to the scotty reps before I spend over 100 bucks for 2, 15lb ball's  makes good sense.

Check Outdoor Emporium for DR weights. I think you might get 4x 12# for $100

[baddawg]

I have run 15lb for years, no problems.  I like the blowback being less, especially when fishing at 150' plus. Keep an eye on craigslist for downrigger balls, usually $25 to $30 each for 15lb balls.

[First Cabin]

I always place two stops on the wire side by side.  They are less likely to slide out of position or fall off.  I set the stops at a spot on the wire where the downrigger ball remains just under the surface of the water and doesn't swing around while I'm checking the bait.  I also place the stop at the correct spot on the wire so I can lift the boom on the downrigger and the ball swings right to me and I can put it down inside the boat.

Mixed feelings on the snubbers.  I had a snubber break once which left me wondering if I was just adding another link to fail.  My wire breaks have usually been from frays further up the line and not at the ball itself so the snubber hasn't saved me.  I do really like grabbing onto it to pull the ball in though!  Much more comfortable than grabbing the wire!

Of course since I put Cannon wire on my Scottys I haven't lost any gear.  That was  a few years ago now and I haven't changed the Cannon wire yet.    Far fewer frays...little corrosion....  I'm convinced the Scotty wire is junk in comparison.  Put the wire side by side and look at it with a magnifying glass.  You'll notice the Cannon wire is wrapped 30% tighter(meaning more wire strands per foot, more flexibility and less work hardening), not to mention the anti-corrosion coating.

In short, if I were to buy a Scotty downrigger, the first time I needed to change the wire, I'd go with Cannon wire.  Lose a ball or two and the wire is cheap!

[GregE]

Good points Eric.

[PNW Pride]

LOL!  So many opinions and preferences.  I run Cannon D R's with Scotty high speed wire and Cannon terminal gear attached to the blue snubbers.  I have had gear wrapped around crab trap line at Westport numerous times and have always recovered with this setup.  The blue snubbers stretch but have not failed, the Scotty high speed is cheap and has a higher test lb rating than the normal stuff.  When I ran Cannon wire I lost a lot of gear, granted that wire was a few years old and I didn't re rig terminal gear every season.  Now I re rig terminal gear every year after I cut about 4-5' of wire off.  That last 4-5' of wire really takes a lot of abuse pulling 15lb weights in out of the water, I believe it creates weak points.