Downrigger buying guide.

[EricCO]

This site has always been the place to get information on buying stuff, so i was hoping someone would have what questions I should be asking myself when buying a downrigger for my boat. I've never used them, but have had times when needing to get deeper than leadcore would let me.


Do I need a telescopic boom?

Manual or electric?

What brand?

How much do they typically weigh?

I'm leaning toward the Cannon Uni-Troll with an 8 lb. weight.

[RANGER]

Eric,

You're going to get a TON of answers on this, I think!

Me, personally? I have the Penn 650's (?) or 620's, not sure on the numbers right now. They are manual, 4 ft boom, 200ft of stainless cable (the dacron cable DROVE ME CRAZY!!), 10 lb balls with off-shore straight releases (mixed) and "stackers".

There are a lot of good ones out there. The Penns are Bullit-proof, built like cranes, easy to use and operate. What ever you choose to do I HIGHLY recommend going the extra step and buy the swivel bases from the get-go along with the ball storage cradles. You will end up regretting it if you don't buy the swivels and cradles, trust me on this!

Finally, when you go to install them:

1) Get someone who fishes them, often, to help you make placement in your boat.

2) Consider a "rigging board" across your transom area.

3) Sit in your boat with the person helping you and/or your fishing partner and think long and hard as to where you want them. Then play with your idea as though you were really fishing them, including, but not limited too - baiting and dropping the balls, recovering the balls, boat movement, dockage, fueling and high speed running.

The swivel bases on my Penns' have a 180 degree swing. When deployed they are perpendicular to the side of the boat, like wings. When stowed, they turn inwards towards each other exactly opposite to deployment and locked down by their cable swivel pins that hold the balls. They go NOWHERE no matter the conditions.

Downriggers, at least these, weigh about 8-9 lbs. apiece. Swivel base, about 2. I could not justify the extra money for the electrical ones but there are times I wish I had - not too often, though.

Welcome to a whole new phase of fishing!! It's A LOT of fun, too!

[FreeByrd]

Ranger has given you some good info. A LOT of the answers to what you should buy depend on: How many DRs are you getting? Where are you fishing and how deep do you anticipate fishing? How often do you expect to run the DRs? Your boat setup comes into play when considering telescopic and/or lifing booms as well as swivel mounts.

The swivel mounts are nice but if you are only putting on 1 or two riggers may not be necessary. Longer Booms really are only needed to get clearance of either your swimplatform/motor or to get additional distance away from the boat if mounted out the sides, which if you mount them out the sides will require a swivel mount of some type.

I've got 4 manual penn riggers mounted on my boat. I've got the swivel mounts on all of them. The newer swivel mounts from Penn lock in position every 10 degrees - much more functional than the older ones Ranger has that only rotate 180 degrees. I also have mine mounted on "gimbal" mounts that slide in to built in rod holders on my boat. Most manufacturers make this gimbal mount - although I'd recommend getting the Universal mount from Cabelas so if you change brands you can reuse the mounts. The Universal mount is predrilled for most of the popular brands. The only time I use all 4 riggers is a couple weeks of the year salmon fishing on Lake Ontario or Lake Michigan. Most of my fishing is on Erie for Walleye and some limited steelhead. I'd guess we only use the riggers maybe 10-15% of the time and then usually only one of them or maybe two if we are after the steelhead. (Our typical walleye setup is to run 3 or 4 dipseys from each side of the boat and 3 or 4 rods off each side of the boat using big mast & ski planar boards) No doubt the electrics would be nice but I couldn't justify the expense compared to how much use they get - but I sure would like to have them during those couple weeks of salmon fishing...

Brands... I've used just about all the major brands (Penn, Big Jon, Walker, Cannon, Proos, Vector) and setup my current boat with the Penn's. They are EASY to use, and built VERY tough. The cost was reasonable too. I My dad has a manual set of Penn's over 15 years old and another friend has an electric set of Penn's the same age. My next choice would be Vector. These are built like a tank. I've heard of many people having problems with the Cannon electric units. Big Jon's are a quality rigger. Their tipup boom is nice. Most people that have Walker's seem to like them. Other one that looks good that I have not used is Scotty. I felt the Penn's were the best combination of quality, functionality (esp with the new swivel mount), and cost when I set my boat up.

Weights... Unless you are trolling very slow and very shallow I'd recommend against an 8 pound weight. An eight pound weight will drag back quite a bit so you won't be as deep as you think you are. I use nothing less than 12 pounds and prefer 14-15 pounds. One of the main reasons to use downriggers is to know exactly how deep you are. If you use light weights you won't know how deep you are.

Biggest thing when setting up the boat is to take the rigger through the motions and anticipate where you will have rods placed when using the riggers. What else will you be using while you use the riggers? You don't want dipsey rods in the way. It is nice to be able to keep the center of the boat open in the back to net fish and to set rods so avoid cluttering this space if possible. Also take a look at the track mounting systems. They are versatile.
Good luck,
Steve

[Bob]

I have a 20 ft. center console with a Cannon Uni-Trol mounted on swivel bases on each rear corner of the boat. The bases allow a complete 360 degrees of rotation with automatic "stops" at each 90 degrees. I, too, strongly recommend you install the swivel bases. Use a stainless plate under each base to support them.

My Cannons have 25 inch booms of a heavy gauge one inch aluminum tube. They work very well on my boat. I cannot imagine that you will need telescoping booms. I use the 10 pound weights only, either round or bullet shape, and I tie a short piece (12 to 15 inches)of 40 or 50 lb. mono with a heavy gauge stainless snap clip to the eyelet. I prefer to use a light weight rubber band looped over the snap clip and tied to the line of the downrigger pole. It will break when you get a fish on. I prefer this to any of the releases. My downriggers are equipped with 135 lb. stainless woven wire. Each has one "Roemer".

I prefer the Cannon for the internal clutch that will save you when the weight gets hung up, as it will sometimes do. It is also good when setting the depth of the weight. You simply secure the rubber band to your line at whatever distance you want it to follow the weight and then loop it over the clip. Next hold the Roemer and lower the weight by gradually backing the crank handle. Watch your counter and when you reach the desired depth, crank the handle to hold the weight. At that point you can set your second pole, locking the Roemer. Then continue dropping the weight to its final depth and crank the handle to set it. This one-handed operation is not available in all downriggers. You will love it over others.

There will be times when you do not want to use your downriggers, and the swivel bases make it extra easy to remove them temporarily.

Mostly I use mine to troll for stripers but I have used them for salmon and lake trout in Lake Michigan. I always keep 12 or 15 feet between the top and bottom rods so they don't tangle and run them different distances back. I can follow the action with my Lowrance
X-70-A on both downriggers.

This is a fun way to fish. Just don't troll very close to others who may be anchored and fishing structure with your big motor.

[vetspet(ind)]

have had four manual big jons captains pak i think they are called...four foot booms....have mounted on cannon swivels which were designed to fit most downriggers...they have four stops, each at 90 degrees and one stop at a 45 degree angle which is very helpful at times....my units are old and still work well....steve

[MK]

I have the downrigger mounted on the same side as the kicker motor so the telescoping feature was a necessity. Otherwise, I would go with the fixed size. I use the Cannon Unitrol and 6 and 10 lb balls. Electric would be nice but I couldn't justify the extra cost for the 5-6 times a year I use it. Using it with a stacker and some dipsys on other rods makes for a good spread.

[instigator]

i have 2 cannon uni troll hp's with the swivel bases a must have. not had any problems with them and would buy them again. if money is not an object buy electric but for my buck in manuals the cannons are the way to go......Instigator

[Gumbo]

Eric, if you get manuals I agree with Ranger--get the Penns. They have a smooth drag and are built well. If you fish deep water a lot, especially for lake trout, consider electrics.

I have Cannon Mag 10's which I mounted directly above the splash well divider wall platform thing in the back of my boat. It's a good location, except when I'm lake trout fishing and want to follow contours (this is when I really like an electric when your down 80' - 120' or so) since my kicker is remote steered only--no tiller. So I can't steer and work the downrigger at the same time. My solution is to drag the footpedal to my elec trolling motor to the back of the boat and drive from the back.

[MAGNA19]

ive used the manual penns,with the 4 ft booms,electric walkers,cannon unitrol hp's,and the electric big jon capt.pak,and i kind of like the big jons for electrics,and the cannons for the manuals,the penns are a good rigger,like the swivel bases,and the counters are good to.

i have a pair of cannon manuals on my boat now,running 10-14 lb balls on the extended booms,and they are holding up well.the only problem i had was the swivel base cracking by the lock for the swivel,covered under warrranty,other than that,they are holding up well after 5 yrs.i had walkers on the boat,didnt like them,the bases didnt swivel easy,the retrieval rate was slow,even with a 10 lb ball,the counters were in a bad spot,broke 2 off with the net.the bodies were prone to cracking where the booms were mounted in them,seen 2 crack.the penns were the easiest to operate even with gloves on,the manuals decended smooth,the bases swiveled easy,and the retrieval rate with the manuals was quick.the only drawback was the way the swivel bases swiveled,the locking mechanism was a little awkward to use,but other than that,were good ones.the cannons were having a problem with there electrics the last time i looked at them,the switches and the boards were going bad in them.

the best thing to do is to check what the charter boats in your area have on them,and ask them some questions.sometimes at the end of a season,they are looking to upgrade theres,and maybe you can get a good deal on a pr or 2.

buy what you can afford,or check ebay for riggers,there usually a few on there.there is apair of manual cannons there,buy for $50,not a bad price for them,fixed booms i think.also seen a few electric penns,big jons,and walkers there.bought my big jons there,for $600/pr with ball caddys,dual rod holders,swivel bases,and short stop.priced on there website for $1300/pr.these were 1 yr old,barely used,with 4 ft booms.

[RANGER]

Eric,

You're getting some really, really good info here from everyone. I would, however, like to STRESS to you the NEED to get them placed properly in your boat regardless of the brand you buy.

Take into consideration all that has been offered here. Also take into consideration all that you will be fishing with while on the water. To give you an example:

When I'm totally "rigged out" for Walleye on Lake Erie there is a lot going on, especially if we got lucky and you don't want to be crossing lines and triping over stuff. When we are totally rigged we have the big boards out from the bow tower, the downriggers from the transom rigger board, flat lines to the back (straight out) and, maybe, dipsies from the sides or back. Can get NUTS at times BUT it sure is fun. Having any type of set up requires a thoughtful plan and this is what I want you to ponder!

[FreeByrd]

Eric,
Ranger hit the nail on the head again - most of the popular riggers will work fine, the most important thing is SETUP - so stuff is not in the way and you can do everything without the riggers getting in the way. Good suggestions on getting a used setup. There are some good deals out there.
Steve