Finally back from the keys, gassed up boat and left late started fishing with the wife kids and dad around 7:45. Tried trolling Umbrellas with 32oz weight on quick release to get them down with no success. Caught one on the long wtfb umbrella. Marked the mess out of fish all over the channel edges marking 60-80fow. Seeing how I wasn’t catching them and enjoy trolling, I went ahead and ordered 2 downriggers with 8lb ball capacities and 2 rocket launcher gimbal mounts to put them on as to not drill into the fiberglass and be able to use them on my both boats and friends boat. Now, I need to go get a slew of different tackle options. I saw Striperskiff had what looked like 7" shallow diving rapalas. What’s everyone’s favorite lures to run off downriggers? They’ll be here Thursday and I’m hoping to get a bunch of use out of them Friday-Sunday. I thought about even trying some yumbrellas on them as they don’t have near the drag of an Umbrella and I can use my Striper tackle. Thanks for the help. Also, super pumped about having the Navionics chip over the other chips in my various FF’s now. It was the bees knees tonight!
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Mike Martinez
“Team Hookers Dream”
2016 Sea Hunt 25 Gamefish twin Yamaha 150’s “Wet Dream”
1994 Ken Craft 175CC 1998 Yamaha 115 “Dream Machine”
Big roadrunners with bass worms for trailers.
At hartwell it’s green.
Picked up some Rapala F-18’s, P-Line long shallow diver, couple big Sebile Swimmasters, and a couple big spoons. That should get me started.
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Mike Martinez
“Team Hookers Dream”
2016 Sea Hunt 25 Gamefish twin Yamaha 150’s “Wet Dream”
1994 Ken Craft 175CC 1998 Yamaha 115 “Dream Machine”
i run 4arm 3oz u-rings on downriggers all the time. a 8lb ball holds them fine. i use medium clips. i tried the red hard clips, but had issues getting them to release on smaller fish.
Proline 201WA
Aloha 24ft pontoon (LooneyToon)
Old Town stern with 7.5 johnson
Thanks Mechanic. When trolling 2.5mph, with 8lb ball, what’s your depth your getting say with 80’ cable out on the ball? Is it straight down or does the bigger U-rig create drag? I know I’ll be able to answer my own questions in 2 days but I’d like to see what you’re seeing. Also, how much line are you letting out behind ball. Using weights last night I was running 50’ off the clip
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Mike Martinez
“Team Hookers Dream”
2016 Sea Hunt 25 Gamefish twin Yamaha 150’s “Wet Dream”
1994 Ken Craft 175CC 1998 Yamaha 115 “Dream Machine”
Put your downriggers as far forward as you can so you can mark your weights on the depth finder…no guess work there…
“All fisherman lie. And if they say otherwise, then they’re lying”
“Sea~N~Stripes”
21’ Hewes Craft Custom
140 Suzuki
i troll at 2.5mph to 4mph. I let the urigs out 30ft to 40ft at least before i hooked them to the ball. that helps offset the difference of the angle of the downrigger from the extra drag. and murraymaker is right, i always put my in my forward rod holders so that i can see the weight on the screen. be sure you watch the rods too, dont rely on them pulling the line out of the clip and hearing drag. alot of the times a smaller fish wont pull it out the clip
Proline 201WA
Aloha 24ft pontoon (LooneyToon)
Old Town stern with 7.5 johnson
Genius! Good thoughts! I had already planned to do this to run U-Rigs on flat lines out the back but not to mark the ball. Here is what I got today to get me started.
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Mike Martinez
“Team Hookers Dream”
2016 Sea Hunt 25 Gamefish twin Yamaha 150’s “Wet Dream”
1994 Ken Craft 175CC 1998 Yamaha 115 “Dream Machine”
Typically, as the summer goes on, even legit keeper size fish will sometimes not break the release if you don’t adjust. I only use a med release, but already having to set the tension lighter. I can already see they are not biting with the same aggression they were just a few weeks ago.
It really sux when you are only fishing 2 rods to begin with and find out you’ve been dragging around a fish on one.
FB, you’re probably limited to where you can put your downriggers, since you are placing them in flush mounts, but if you cant see the ball at these depths even from the most forward mount, give it a try switching your FF over to 83 KHz and seeing if that helps…at least long enough to get an idea what your real depth is.
'07 198 DLX Carolina Skiff
DF90 Suzuki
You could put that down rigger away and break out the ultra lite butterfly rods and jig. 2.5-5oz butterfly jig. Works just as good in freshwater. Been working for me better then the Ben Parker and way easier to use. Last time out I was catching them just off the bottom. 80-90’ of water. Hartwell.
My FF slicks up even just bottom fishing so I’m hoping the ball picks up, it should. On the bottom jig idea, haven’t thought about that. I have plenty of 5-8oz jigs of different sizes. What success have you had when fish are suspended 60’ off the bottom?
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Mike Martinez
“Team Hookers Dream”
2016 Sea Hunt 25 Gamefish twin Yamaha 150’s “Wet Dream”
1994 Ken Craft 175CC 1998 Yamaha 115 “Dream Machine”
Works just as good. That Ben Parker spoon will wack them. I think it’s the speed of the heavy jig that creates the bite. Actually jigging or just power reel. Drop through the fish and reel it back up fast. No need to move the rod tip. Only bad thing about doing it on Murray is that you can limit out on 5 straight drops if your on a school. Then have to do some other kind of fishing. Btw- I once owned a “real” kencraft. Loved that boat.
I wonder if Ben Parker had any idea how popular those spoons would be when he was developing them.
They’ve been popular here locally for a couple of years, but this year they seem to be flying off the shelves faster than Sudafed at a Gaston drug store.
'07 198 DLX Carolina Skiff
DF90 Suzuki
Trolling @ 2.8 to 3.2 with a 8 pound ball I am losing 5 to 7 ft of depth due to blowback. I have been pulling a Ben Parker Spoon about 40 to 50 ft behind the ball and a 5 arm Alabama Rig with 4 inch Swim Baits. You should look at the Chamberlain Release Clips they will eliminate the dragging of smaller fish. It is also possible to pull full size Umbrella Rigs with the Chamberlain Clips. Also if you are trolling thru fish and not getting any hits you may want to check and be sure you dont have some Hydrilla on your lures.
2014 Tidewater 2200 Carolina Bay
quote:
Originally posted by 32Racer
Trolling @ 2.8 to 3.2 with a 8 pound ball I am losing 5 to 7 ft of depth due to blowback. I have been pulling a Ben Parker Spoon about 40 to 50 ft behind the ball and a 5 arm Alabama Rig with 4 inch Swim Baits. You should look at the Chamberlain Release Clips they will eliminate the dragging of smaller fish. It is also possible to pull full size Umbrella Rigs with the Chamberlain Clips. Also if you are trolling thru fish and not getting any hits you may want to check and be sure you dont have some Hydrilla on your lures.
2014 Tidewater 2200 Carolina Bay
I’m seeing the same thing. not many real big clumps, but small strings
of grass.
I use a large plastic bead above a barrel swivel about 6’ up from my lure that helps keep it from sliding down to the lure.
'07 198 DLX Carolina Skiff
DF90 Suzuki
the grass is terrible this year…i think we’re loosing our carp population.
Proline 201WA
Aloha 24ft pontoon (LooneyToon)
Old Town stern with 7.5 johnson
Found them but can’t get them to bite. Anchor around 9PM and turn on the light. After about 30 minutes, baits showed up thick then follow the stripers. I was using live herring but the bite was really slow. Any suggestion?
quote:
Originally posted by striperskiff
I wonder if Ben Parker had any idea how popular those spoons would be when he was developing them.
They’ve been popular here locally for a couple of years, but this year they seem to be flying off the shelves faster than Sudafed at a Gaston drug store.
'07 198 DLX Carolina Skiff
DF90 Suzuki
I think he knew exactly what he was doing. He designed them for ledge fishing for big largemouth on Kentucky Lake. PSA (Fernandina rd store and Summerville store) carries them. I typically throw the 8"and 9" models. I will scale down to the 6" models if the bite is finicky.
God bless the “ignore” function.
Lake murray hardware has them as well
Proline 201WA
Aloha 24ft pontoon (LooneyToon)
Old Town stern with 7.5 johnson
“they seem to be flying off the shelves faster than Sudafed at a Gaston drug store.”
I almost spit beer on my keyboard!
Bob Van Gundy
803-727-4069
Custom Aluminum Fabrication