[14offshore]

ok guys i have a cuddy cabin 23 w/a i have bought a down rigger. and want to know a few things and ideas. where do you mount this contrapion. and what or how do you use it, well i know how to use it but- what speed , how far back should ur bait be from release and any other tips i can squeeze for you it is a penn 625

 

[bonita dan]

Gunwale or rodholder mount. 2to7knots. Let out between 35 to 50ft. of line before the connection to the snap,don't want the fish to see the ball so make adjustments by water clarity. What are ya targeting? Would help to know.

 

[duckhuntinsailor]

Don't listen to Dan he don't know nothing. Actually those downriggers are worthless. The mounts just end up messing the lines up on your boat. I'm getting a collection of the things for a junk trip. Give me a shout and I'll come take it off your hands before any damage is done.

 

[Bill Me]

Here is what I have learded. Take it for what its worth. They are a lot of work. Require much tending. I think less problematic for slow trolling live baits, but I prefer fishing 6-8 knots and they are tough to manage at that speed. I've tried planers rather than downrigger weights and like them better. Also, I prefer outrigger style clips on the cable as opposed to the downrigger clips with the pads as its tough to haul a bait with any resistance like a Braid or Yo Zuri with those padded clips. Might be ok with a more aqua dynamic lure like a tuna bait.

It can be a challenge to manage the bow in the line between line tip and downrigger clip, but I try to keep that ar a minimum and run the baits back about 30 feet behind the cable. You have to watch regularly for weed buid up on the cable or trolled bait.

 

[Magic236]

Often the downrigger is 50% or more of my trolling catch. We slow troll (barely over idle)w/ dead or live bait. We use a rodholder mount for the downrigger. I attach a swivel w/ 2' of mono or sevenstrand leader to the ball and use rubber bands to connect the line to the swivel. Test the breaking strength of your rubber bands. Keep good tension on the fishing line as this helps keep the line from wrapping around the downrigger cable.

 

[The Maintenance Shoppe]

Mounting downriggers on a gimbal rodholder mount stops you from drilling permanent holes and the ability to remove your equipment to indoors for storage, long corrosion free life. We custom make these setups for our customers which also include weight holders for easy portability and transport. Take a look at the attachments if you would like some fresh ideas for your boat.

 

[reelfinatical]

We have 2 Penn Downriggers we use for trolling mostly during the warm months. They are bothpermanently mounted on theboat, and we also use rubber bands like Magic abovedoes. We've had these same downriggers mounted on our boats for YEARS with no problems or corrosion to date. Ours are spooled with braided line, not cable.

Your fishfinder willtell you how far down togo. Williamson ribbonfish work really well on downriggers! There have alsobeen many days during the summer whenthe only Kings we catch are on lines attached to the downriggers.

Oh and p.s., get you a swivel mount if you mountit to the boat - it will make life easier.