Downrigger Outriggers
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Using a Downrigger
Using a downrigger when trolling is one of the most effective ways to catch fish when fishing deeper water. Trolling with a downrigger gives you many advantages, by keeping the bait at the precise depth of the fish.
Technology such as fishfinders and depth counters combine to give you a no-fail fishing method. The downriggers consist of a braided wire hung off the end of your boat, and a heavy weight on the end of this braided wire. With the aid of a fishfinder, you will know the exact depth the fish are. The downrigger is lowered to this depth; with a fishing line hooked to the release mechanism. When a fish bites, the line releases from the downrigger so you can fight your fish. The more expensive downriggers are equipped with precise counters assuring you of the depth of the weight.
The proper technique to using a downrigger is getting the right amount of tension on the line. As you lower the downrigger from your boat, the fishing line will tend to balloon slightly as it is pulled through the water. This is normal; just do not let it become excessive. You want to have just enough slack to avoid the tension pulling the line from the release, but having enough tension to know when you get a strike.
Since the line balloons while trolling, when a fish bites there is momentary slack in the line. This can be compensated for by using a very light rod, and making a bend in it while the line is attached to the release. When there is a bite, the rod springs up, and you know right away that you’ve caught something. A Scotty release system is helpful when down rigging. When attached, and tension is placed on the line as just mentioned, the release snap is pointed upwards, but when released it points down and causes the rod tip to wiggle. This is also helpful if a small fish not strong enough to trigger the release mechanism is caught on your line.
You want your leader line close enough to the weight so that when it passes the fish, they don’t lose interest by the time your lure gets there. A good rule of thumb is not to fish more then 15 ft. behind your weight.
Six to eight pounds for the weight is typical for freshwater fishing with moderate depth, while a ten pound weight on the downrigger is used for salt water fishing. Although this weight may look impressive, you must remember that there is never any weight on the actual rod, so don’t be afraid to use a larger weight to get you down to the depth you want. When picking out a weight, there are several types and shapes. Lead or cast iron is the most popular material, and there are shapes ranging from simple round weights to fish shaped and torpedo shaped with fins. If you are attaching the line to the release mechanism built into the wire downrigger, get a weight with fins so it will not spin and tangle your line.
You want your leader line close enough to the weight so that when it passes the fish, they don’t lose interest by the time your lure gets there. A good rule of thumb is not to fish more then 15 ft. behind your weight.
Six to eight pounds for the weight is typical for freshwater fishing with moderate depth, while a ten pound weight on the downrigger is used for salt water fishing. Although this weight may look impressive, you must remember that there is never any weight on the actual rod, so don’t be afraid to use a larger weight to get you down to the depth you want. When picking out a weight, there are several types and shapes. Lead or cast iron is the most popular material, and there are shapes ranging from simple round weights to fish shaped and torpedo shaped with fins. If you are attaching the line to the release mechanism built into the wire downrigger, get a weight with fins so it will not spin and tangle your line.
