Downrigger recommendations

[KC]

I've decided this is the year to get an electric downrigger. Any input as to brand, boom length and features will be appreciated. Thanks.

[bill]

I myself use bigjons. They are a great product and I have had great luck with them. The only thing was I use the rubber band release and a 6lb walleye would not break the small rubber band.You had to watch for the rod tip to start banging and then you had to break the rubber band by pulling up hard on the rod. I had talked to brian @ big jon he set me up with small childrens hair rubber bands. I will give them a try this year. lot of luck!! bill

[Captn Ric]

I use the Walker downrigger release.. It is adjustable and works great. You can have a stron up pull, and only needs a fracton of this pull on horizontal direction to release it due to angle of release

[Sparky]

You can catch fish with any downrigger but, try to work with different brands before buying to see how they work and which you prefer. I chose 4 Big Jon captains pak riggers for my boat. I like the tilt up feature, adjustable boom length, and the flexibility of the solid aircraft aluminum boom. One person told me that the boom would bounce around in rough water and tear things up. Well, I've in rougher water than I care to reapeat and they were no problem at all. I also have the swivel mounts on the base. The BJ riggers are basic and easy to work on if the need arises. I fish for Salmon in Ludington when I'm not after walleye on Lake Erie and the BJ factory is located in Traverse City. I had a problem with one of the clutches and I took a short trip up to the plant where they repaired it as I waited. Great service department! They showed me what the proper setup was so that any future problem could be repaired by me. It hasn't been necessary but, I'm ready. In hind sight the damage was probably self inflicted when I was initially fiddling with that rigger. I had they automatic retrieve system installed but, removed it in favor of putting on retrieves to pull the ball to the boat. I adjust the clutch with just enough tension to hold whatever weight ball I'm pulling. I use the offshore downrigger releases in different tensions depending on what fish I'm after at the time. I ended up with four by purchasing two at a time. I felt that if I didn't like them it would be easier to get rid of two than four. If you intend on purchasing more than two of any brand you may want to try that if you aren't too sure about your choice. The downside was they weren't any cheaper when I bough the second set two years later. I also had to re-rig the boat due to rigger placement. The first year with four riggers Salmon fishing was a little comical but, we did catch a lot of fish. The second year was uneventful after moving things around. Time spent on the boat at home going through the motions can save you a lot of work! Good luck with whatever brand you choose and you will be happy with the new options that rigger will give you!

Sparky

[FreeByrd]

I would take a hard look at Penn. I've used Big Jon, Cannons, Proos and the Penns - Manuals and Electrics from them all. My experience has shown the Penn to be the most bulletproof. Friends have and really like the Walkers. Penn's new swivel mount is nice because you can lock it in place every 10 degrees - most others I've used lock in place every 45 degrees. I do like the tipup boom feature on the Big Jon's and they would be my second choice.
Whatever brand you go with take plenty of time deciding how you are most likely to fish before drilling any holes! Take netting fish, running additional lines whether they are dipseys, flatlines, lead, planar boards, etc into account and make sure your setup allows you to fish as many ways as realistic but also make it the most productive for the way you will fish MOST of the time. You may want to consider one of the track mounting systems from the manufacturer's or Bert's Custom Tackle that will allow you to adjust positions of riggers and/or rod holders to accomodate your fishing style on any given day.

[dmeyers]

I have 2 Big John captain packs Brought them tis year work great also have 2 older Luher Jennsons (sp) I don't think they make them any more but they work great to.

[KC]

Thanks guys. Does anyone have any experience with Walkers?

[Swat1]

Yes I have run Walkers for years with absolutely flawless performance. I have used both manual and electric from Walker and was pleased with both. I went to all electrics on the Salmon charter boat but still have 2 manuals for my walleye rig.

Any of the major players in the down rigger market will provide you with a quality unit. The question you have to ask yourself is "what design do I like the most." Big Jon, Cannon, Walker, Penn are probably the best known names with some good products also available from manufatures like Riviera and Proos as well.

The thing you need to look at is what you are going to do with them and what features you think you really need to have ande what ones are just added on to make the unit sound better to the buyer. For example a lot of press was given to a thing called Positive Ion Control a few years back. I got to run a boat a few times that had Cannons riggers with this feature on it and couldn't tell any difference at all with the catch rate/success when using it or not. When I studied it a bit more I found that the Positive Ions were probably disapating at the surface due to the natural grounding effect of the water. This pretty much told me that it was a feature more designed to catch the fisherman than the fish. One thing I do find valuable though is the stop at the waterline feature on some of the electrics. This will stop the retrieve when the ball gets to the water line and helps to keep from burning up a motor or dropping the ball off the end of the cable when it gets all the way to the boom.

Just some food for thought & I hope it helps.

And Yes if I had to buy new riggers again I would still go with Walkers.

Dan
Swat 1

[cisco]

I've put in a lot of years trolling Lake Michigan with four Walker electrics. No problems, no complaints. I've used others on other boats, but like Walkers best. One vote here -- hand counted.