Is there an alternative route to putting outriggers on the Gamefish 25 other than mounting them on the hard top and drilling thru it with a hole saw and mounting to the brackets? Everything I see is about $1500-$2000+ to get started and not sure if it’s a project I want to tackle myself. I don’t want to cut any holes in the gunnels to put a rod holder of mount in. I didn’t know if there were any mounts that were just basic stainless and held regular 15’ poles. I have a brand new set of 15’ Tigress poles from west marine already and they are hooked up ready to go without mounts. I’m a weekend warrior and don’t see me getting more than maybe 6 chances this year to troll. Any help would be appreciated. If my only logical option is to go with full permanent mounts then so be it but I’d like to get my feet wet before going full Monty. Just as I did starting with a couple Squalls and TLD25’s. Phin if you read this, I sent my # and email to you via PM. I need to have the boat ready to go by April 1st before I leave for Hawaii so as soon as I return I’m ready to go when the fish are biting!
They have outrigger rod holders that just slide into gunnel rod holders and face out horizontal over the water they range from 50-150$ but not sure how well they work because I don’t have any experience with them but the concept seems reasonable and maybe someone else may have some input about using them.
Get some / or make some “out rider” holders to (1) fit into your T Top rod holders and (2) some sort of outrigger pole. I made mine and it holds two 12 (or maybe 14’) boat hooks that I rigged for outriggers. If your have “kingfish” rod holders already in place, then half of the battle is won.
Is it the best? No
Is it functional for the amount of time that I put in offshore? Yes.
Is it MUCH cheaper than buying dedicated bases, etc? Yes.
PS…I think Phin makes a rigger that is designed to go into the kingfish type holders.
EP, that was one option . I need my gunnel rod holders and I actually have rod holders that stick out to the side and fit in a normal rod holder but it’s way bigger than the diameter of the tigress poles.
I have a pair of bamboo outriggers approx 12’ that I run from my out-angled rod holders on the t-top. I’m about to rig two new ones this year that are right at 16’ incredibly light (once they dry out good). I’ve had the current ones 6-8 years and have caught a lot of fish off them.
What you gain with true outriggers vs outrodders is the ability to run a spread way back. This will make a difference with pickier fish like blackfins…
You also can use smaller, lighter duty outriggers like your 15ft aluminums to run single lines from the outriggers and then use an outrodder or angled out bent butts as your short rigger positions in the spread.
It all depends on what you’d like to pull off, and I would advise to invest your money wisely. A set of Taco GS-170 mounts that will hold our retractable 13ft Quick Draw carbon fiber outriggers will run you 600 dollars, and a set of good outrodders will run you 300-500 bucks.
I personally would not spend what it takes on a gulf stream trip on a boat without outriggers. I am not just saying that because I build outriggers… I am saying it because even when I had a 17ft center console, I still had a set of aluminum outriggers that mounted in the gunnel even to troll for kings. The reason, again, is what you gain from the height when you want to pull farther back. When lines are pulled from lower, then where the line dips into the water is the end of your spread and tracking. You cannot get your baits in front of finicky fish because the baits will never track anywhere other than directly behind the boat. You will also have more tangles with this situation if you try to run farther back with the lines actually touching the water so close to the boat.
With a hot dolphin bite, it doesn’t matter… fish everything in the wash if you want to and stay over the fish. Other times- when most others aren’t catching anything, you won’t either. Do you want an advantage or not? A sportfish guy will tell you it’s his diesels that raise the fish. What nobody ever thinks about is his long rigger lines being pulled from 25ft above the water and his short rigger lines being pulled from 15ft above the water… with him constantly marking on the sonar when he can and looking for breaks, walls and bait, etc… and him turning often instead of just going i
I’m cool with spending the $$. I found the full Grand Slam 170 kit including mounts for right under $1000. That’s the way I’m thinking about going. Phin if you have full set ups or better ideas or maybe something to match a GS mount please text me. The Gamefish is set up for the taco GS mounts. I gotta order or get a plan in place this week because I’m on limited time frame I’m available to get everything set up between now and April 16th.
I just installed the same mounts with the 13’ Marsh Tacky riggers on my boat. The bases are simple, functionable, and a decent bargain in my opinion. I added teaser reels to my t-top as well. I battled the same thing mentally that you are going through, but in the end, wanted the best set-up to maximize my efficiency on the water. I went with the carbon for its’ toughness, weight, and durability. I’ve seen what happens to smaller aluminum riggers and think I would have bust them up on a trip or two with some of the stuff I fish in out of the Pioneer. So, I went with the Marsh Tacky Carbon, for their toughness and weight, not to mention some of the best customer service that I have ever received. Just my 2 cents and will try to get some pics up this weekend of the set-up.
I went ahead and ordered the Taco GS 170 kit today. Black and gold poles. I also got a couple of Billfisher roller rods 30-80lb and a 3000yd 30# spool of MoMoi Diamond Blue line. I have the Squall 60’s and no rods for them. I have the 30# MoMoi Yellow line on the TLD25’s and Billfisher regular tip rods. Figured I’d have similar but different set ups. I CANT WAIT til April!
They aren’t even spooked yet. Didn’t have rods for them. When you see a report of trolling from me when we actually catch fish I’ll be able to tell you better.
I went ahead and ordered the Taco GS 170 kit today. Black and gold poles. I also got a couple of Billfisher roller rods 30-80lb and a 3000yd 30# spool of MoMoi Diamond Blue line. I have the Squall 60’s and no rods for them. I have the 30# MoMoi Yellow line on the TLD25’s and Billfisher regular tip rods. Figured I’d have similar but different set ups. I CANT WAIT til April!
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2016 Sea Hunt 25 Gamefish twin Yamaha 150’s
Phin posted some pretty good advice up there. I would add a couple of things.
Retractable riggers absolutely suck to deploy offshore in a small boat. Even in small seas. And guaranteed to tangle when you’re trying to get setup in the most productive time of the day - early morning.
The weight of traditional fixed riggers will eventually cause stress cracks in your T-Top. It’s not a matter of IF but WHEN. Because you’ll quickly grow tired of running them retracted. Carbon fiber poles significantly reduce the stress on the top. Buy once…cry once, bo. Think of all that money you’ll save in welding. And I hope you ain’t got a powder coated top…
. I need my gunnel rod holders and I actually have rod holders that stick out to the side and fit in a normal rod holder but it’s way bigger than the diameter of the tigress poles.