Home
About
Hunting
Fishing
Contact
Links

Wilson & Paes Outdoors Page

Fishing with Downriggers 

By: RON WILSON 

Over the years I have learned a few things about downriggers, manual (hand-operated) and electric with brand names of Scotty's, Penn and Cannon. I have also learned the differences in the fishing line to be used on them at different times. 

Penn downriggers are not made anymore, but if they were I would be using them. Scotty's I never cared for, as I didn't like the looks or design, but they sure beat cranking up the downrigger ball by hand. I own a set of Cannon mag 10's. 

To begin with, they kind of look like a fishing rod sticking out there when you are trolling. (Guide Bruce Hamby told me about a greenhorn game warden who tried to write him and his clients because they had eight rods in the water -- four fishing rods on four downriggers.) 

My Cannon mag 10's are OK for fishing down to 100 feet deep. But once I start going down past that depth, usually I can hit the up switch and reel the fish up to the net and have it boated before the downrigger ball and flashers come to the surface. They are really slow compared to the Cannon mag 20's. For deep trolling with a downrigger, use 10- or 12-pound pancake weights -- there's less drag and they track better. For shallower fish, as in the lakes, use 6-pound weights. 

In the ocean and lakes there are a lot of times when the fish and the food source they are after will be down in the 100-foot or deeper depth. Here is where the type of line you use makes a difference. I have had 15-pound test monofilament line on and could not jerk the line off the line clip at 100 feet. I have done this numerous times and here are a few reasons: I had set the line in too deep in the release clip. I use very limber rods that make it almost impossible to yank the line off the line clips when fishing deep. I was using monofilament line that stretched and the deeper I trolled the worse the stretch. More than once in the ocean I have had to bring the downrigger ball to the top so I could reach over and unclip the line in order to bring the fish to the boat. For several years I have been experimenting with braided lines. For deep-water fishing with downriggers, braided line is the only way to go. The small diameter of the braided line cuts the water and creates less drag on the line compared to monofilament. 

In the ocean, most braided lines saw right through the jellyfish. A lot of the time with monofilament you have to bring the downrigger ball up and physically tear the jellyfish off the line. There are all kinds of braided fishing lines, with an array of colors to choose from. I like FINS PRT Braid Spectra Superline. I like the slate green color, for its softness and fishability. For salmon, trout and kokanee in the lakes I like 20-pound test FINS Braid Spectra that has a 6-pound test monofilament diameter. I use monofilament leader after the dodger or snap on a 5-foot monofilament leader with a lure. In the ocean and for topwater black bass fishing, I like the 60-pound test braid that has the diameter of 14-pound test monofilament. The 60-pound test can cut right through the weeds and bring those 5-pound black bass flying into the boat. A word of caution on any braided line: Never thumb it when a fish pulls drag and never wrap it around your hand to try to break it. You will be cut ... been there, done that!  Good luck and tight lines!