How fast can you troll with a downrigger?
Most people troll at 1.5 to 3.5 mph How do you know if you are at the right speed? Sure, you can look at your GPS speed over ground readings, but you see your downrigger lines are almost straight at 2 mph.
What weight downrigger should I use?
Six to eight pounds is typical for most moderate depth freshwater applications and ten pounds is typical for saltwater (see Weight Table). The amount of weight needed on a downrigger is a function of the speed you are trolling and the depth you are fishing.
Are downriggers worth it?
Downriggers are an efficient way to put live bait and lures in precise zones of the water column , and all anglers know that being in the right depth leads to more fish in the box. Downriggers are consistently used to target king mackerel, amberjack, cobia, grouper, among others.
What is a downrigger rod?
A downrigger allows you to fish a lure or bait at a specific depth accurately behind a trolling boat A downrigger contains a rod holder for storing your downrigger rod when it is actively fishing. The cannonball weight is deployed to the selected depth and allows the lure or bait to run at a specific depth.
How do I make my lures deeper when trolling?
If you need to go deeper, just let out some backing until your target depth is reached On the lure end of the line, remove a short section of lead as before and tie on a size 18, or smaller, barrel swivel. Now use a 10 to 15 foot mono or fluorocarbon leader to tie on the lure.
How many lines can you run off a downrigger?
Active Member. If you can run two downriggers with one line each and do it smoothly, then you should have no problem running 2 lines off each one Set up your first lines as you normally would. drop them 20′ and clip on your next line.
What is the best speed for trolling?
The best trolling speed depends on several factors including the type of fish, water conditions and lure choice. In general, trolling speeds between 1.5 and 2.5 mph , as measured by GPS, are a good starting place for most species like walleye, trout and salmon.
How deep can you fish a downrigger?
A downrigger weight of eight pounds is adequate for fishing depths up to about 50 feet and speeds approaching 2.5 MPH. A 10 pound weight will be required for fishing depths in the 50 to 75 foot depths. When faced with depths ranging from 75 to 100 feet, a 12 or 14 pound downrigger weight is needed.
How much line do you need behind a downrigger ball?
For trout, you’ll want to run your offering from 50 to 200 feet behind the downrigger weight depending on the depth you are fishing. The deeper you fish the shorter your line can be. When kokanee and kings are the target you can shorten your lines considerably.
What depth do you troll for salmon?
Two mph is a good trolling speed for coho salmon, but a speed of 1.5 mph is a better speed for chinook salmon, and you will be fishing even deeper at the lower velocity. With 50 feet of line out, you would be 44 feet deep at a velocity of 1.5 mph – not the 37 feet deep at 2 mph.
Are manual downriggers good?
Manual downriggers use a hand crank to retrieve cable. While they’ll give you forearms like Popeye if you’re trolling deep, they can be a great choice if you regularly troll above 75 feet.
How do dipsy divers work?
Here’s how the Dipsy Diver works. After you’ve tied your line to the barrel swivel at the front end of the diver and have locked the ad just able trip mechanism in place, it’s ready to fish. When trolled, water pressure against the diver’s planing surface causes it to dive.
How fast should you troll for lake trout?
It is common practice to troll for lake trout at a speed of 1.5 mph In fact, this is actually an effective trolling speed for lakers, when the fish are in deep water.
How do you fish lake trout without a downrigger?
Perhaps start with one line off each side and maybe one down the back. Then, as you gain experience, add additional rods and lines Also, try trolling with the wind when you first start out as it usually makes boat control and line control much easier. Good luck, Don, and good fishing.
Where is the best place to mount a downrigger?
Anywhere between the gunwale mounted rod holders will be fine. If you place them not too far forward of rod holder #2, you can put the rod (or one rod) in rod holder #2 while it is clipped onto the downrigger. You should never have to bend and lean to reach a downrigger.
How do you catch Kokanee without a downrigger?
One easy setup that can be used for trolling for deeper-water kokanee without a downrigger involves using a cannonball weight on a sliding sinker sleeve that leads to a swivel (see below), followed by a 18-24 in. leader to a dodger, and another 6 in. of line from the dodger to the terminal gear.
Can you splice downrigger wire?
Splicing braid should be fine.
Sources
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Cannon-Downriggers-Mini-Troll/7966285
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVFGniihw1I
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dk5iE3B61Zc