Never used downriggers and i m trying to learn here for a new set I have got. I know some prefer braided due to less “humm” and easy setup? When re spooling do you use any backing or straight to braid, is150 lb good enough or should I get 200 lb braided line, finally no terminator needed with braid right? I understand the line is tied directly to the release clip. Thanks for any advise
Sportsman Heritage 229 CC
Yamaha 200 HP
Jeremiah 29:11 !!
New I-Pilot + new downriggers??? Someone must have been a VERY good boy last year! LOL
I’m not sure what the “right” way is, but I use 150 ft of 200 lb braid with no backing and it works for me. I don’t use a terminator with braid on there. The terminator allows you a way to attach the swivel to the end of the cable, since you can’t tie a knot in the cable. With the braid, I just tie it directly to a very large snap swivel and clip that to the weight.
The release clip just attaches to the back of your weight.
What downriggers di you get and did you get weights yet? How many #? What kind of mounts you going to use? You may want to go with the mounts that fit into a rod holder if you don’t want to permantely mount a base to the boat.
'07 198 DLX Carolina Skiff
FS90 Suzuki
Not trying to derail your thread but have ya’ll ever tried running the Z wings instead of weights, and then using small rubber bands around your line and hooking rubber band to clips on the downrigger line. and you can count out line like when setting down rods and it will go down the downrigger that far. This allows you to set multiple rods on one downrigger. We would do this all the time offshore fishing and in tournaments and it worked awesome. when the fish strikes and you pull it breaks the rubber band and you are ready. you can run several rods through different depths of the thermocline. Just curious if anyone did that.
Wellcraft V20, 175 Yamaha
Formula 25 SC Express, Mercruiser 260
I don’t know about being a good boy but all gifts I got or Christmas and birthday where all fishing stuff. I guess the whole family has noticed my fishing addiction lately. I was really happily surprised when as birthday present I got the two unit-troll 10TS DR and for Christmas, the ipilot TM. I definitely liked both gifts!! I want to be able to keep an eye on the DR ( like Tim does on his skiff) so I have ordered the gimbal mounts to go on each side about the center of the boat. That way I can move them out when needed. Thanks for the good info re. Braded line setup Tim and thanks o the AQ for the tip re. Z wings, I would definitely would like to try. The website below shows one, will this be the whole setup as you describe it? It says 16 degrees of back flow, pretty good isn’t it?
http://www.zwingdownrigger.com/
Sportsman Heritage 229 CC
Yamaha 200 HP
Jeremiah 29:11 !!
Yeah basically the way they work is the faster you go the harder they pull down under the boat. Offshore when we are cruising they are STRAIGHT down where as downrigger balls have a huge backswing. the z wings are straight down your depth is more accurate as you don’t have to account for them swinging back. Slow trolling on the lake I would say they may swing back 16 degrees. I have tested on the lake and they work. I have two downriggers I have never used on the lake. I use live herring or bream or shad or trout or something all year long between murray and clarks hill. I don’t like artificial that much for any fishing, and I just dont pull downriggers, but this method is a great way to get more from two downriggers! And the first time we put two z wings on the boat the weights became back that eventually we melted into sword fishing weights, and more z wings became back up. So I believe in them suckers.
Wellcraft V20, 175 Yamaha
Formula 25 SC Express, Mercruiser 260
I also forgot to say when you are running downriggers on that nice boat you dont have to worry about gitting heavy weights on your nice gelcoat or dropping them in the boat or storing them while you are bouncing down the road or whatnot. haha.
Wellcraft V20, 175 Yamaha
Formula 25 SC Express, Mercruiser 260
I love the idea of how light the Z Wing is and how easily they store, but I have pretty light downriggers and always been afraid of how much pressure it would put on them when trolling with them since I would have them connected to the eyelet for maximun dive. Also, do they “swim” up when you crank them in or do they pull in flat. Are you able to crank one in with the boat in motion?
Been skeptical about how they would track in a sharp turn at slow speeds too and wondered if they may let the lines get tangled.
Do you have them up here? If so, would like to borrow them one day to try out?
'07 198 DLX Carolina Skiff
FS90 Suzuki
they turn good and track very straight. however if you are trolling fast they do pull hard. We ran Cannon electrics and they were fine but when i say pulling hard we were trolling up to 6,7,8 mph. idling around for stripers would be fine. They dont swim up, you just crank them up. or we would just flip the switch and up they came! I don’t have them. They are with the gear down in Charleston, I haven’t fished with this guy in a few years. I’m pretty sure i dont have any in my gear, I might be able to get my hands on some and I will let you run them if I do Tim. They are awesome. We fished the Kingfish FLW tour and SKA tour with them and ran many offshore trips for mahi wahoo and tuna pulling the Zwings and they are great. we would run 2-4 rods off one down rigger we could easily troll 12-16 rod spread off the 35 cc we ran.
Wellcraft V20, 175 Yamaha
Formula 25 SC Express, Mercruiser 260
Thanks…if you had them here i would like to have seen how they work, but don’t go out of your way to get them.
'07 198 DLX Carolina Skiff
FS90 Suzuki
Personally I like the hum:smiley:
and if you got electrics supposedly there is an electronic field created by them
On my old manual Cannons, now have electrics, I had re-spooled one with 150 lb braid. I did not use any backing
Could never tell any difference in cable or braid when it came to catching fish
Sea Pro 210cc
Yamaha 200 4 Stroke
Dodge 1500 4x4 HEMI
same here…hum or no hum…never saw any difference between the 2 as far as catching fish
'07 198 DLX Carolina Skiff
FS90 Suzuki