Downrigging

[herdsman]

hi fellow fishing people,can someone help me, i would like to try downrigging,but don,t have said contraption

is there anotherway it can be done? and also where can i get one of those fishraider measuring mats

cheers herdsman

[Hodgey]

G'Day mate

Keep an eye on the 'Swap and Sell' section ... downriggers appear in there quite frequently. If you are looking for one of our fantastic 'Measure of Success' mats, contact GoFish Pete and he will sort you out.

GoFish Pete: click here

Cheers

Hodgey

[King slayer]

Some folks try a home made version..See kingiemasters pics.. But most have told me that the home made ones just don't stand up to the bought ones of good quality.

I got my brag mat from gofish at Dural. Top shop if you want to have some fun emptying the savings account Ah we love it!

[cruisecraft]

Hi Herdsman

I have a scotty downrigger but find you can get away with a "poor man's" downrigger by using a barrel lead sinker(of appropiate size say 8-9cm in length) down your main line onto a swivel clip.Then clip your leader with the double hook and squid or a single hook arrangement if using yellow tails. It is easy to use and if snagged on the bottom, the loss of gear is easier on the pocket. Of course the scotty gives very accurate depth placement whereas the poor mans arrangement needs visualization on the sounder to check bait placement.

Regards Kit

[herdsman]

Hi Herdsman

I have a scotty downrigger but find you can get away with a "poor man's" downrigger by using a barrel lead sinker(of appropiate size say 8-9cm in length) down your main line onto a swivel clip.Then clip your leader with the double hook and squid or a single hook arrangement if using yellow tails. It is easy to use and if snagged on the bottom, the loss of gear is easier on the pocket. Of course the scotty gives very accurate depth placement whereas the poor mans arrangement needs visualization on the sounder to check bait placement.

Regards Kit

cheers kit, is it easy to pickup your downrigger on the sounder,and what sort of depth is it best run at

[herdsman]

Some folks try a home made version..See kingiemasters pics.. But most have told me that the home made ones just don't stand up to the bought ones of good quality.

I got my brag mat from gofish at Dural. Top shop if you want to have some fun emptying the savings account Ah we love it!

could,nt find kingiemasters pics any help?

[kingiemaster]

hi fellow fishing people,can someone help me, i would like to try downrigging,but don,t have said contraption

is there anotherway it can be done? and also where can i get one of those fishraider measuring mats

cheers herdsman

Howdy Herdsman

Have just gone through this process so I can save you some money, time and possibly a fish. Your best just buying an off the shelf downrigger as I have now done. My backyard job looked the goods but simply didnt work. It was OK for lowering the bomb and adjusting depth but didnt have the torque and leverage to get the bomb up quickly with two hands let alone one. I had enough when I lost a fish the weekend before last when I didn't have time and two hand to get the bomb up.

If must do it on the cheap at least buy a proper bomb ($20) which you can use when you inevitably end up buying a proper down rigger. Then buy a roll of 2mm cord ($5) and possibly a large diameter hand line reel to keep it tidy. You'll need to tie the cord off to a bollard or rail. Might need something to keep clear of the boat (I didn't worry about in the canoe). Attach snap swivels to both ends of some wire trace or 50lb mono. Attach one snap to the bomb and the other to a rubber band which you wrap around the unweighted main line. The rubber band will need to be strong enough to hold the bait in place when trolled but weak enough that it will break when a fish hits it. Or you could do what I did and just buy a proper release clip for $20.

It ain't pretty but his simple and cheap set up will work the only issue is that it gets tangled on the deck when you bring it up in a hurry hand over fist. If there is two of you it could be less of an issue as one can careful wind onto the reel while the other deals with the fish. Or you could just have two or three rolls of cord and just switch them over.

Good luck.

Dave

[cruisecraft]

cheers kit, is it easy to pickup your downrigger on the sounder,and what sort of depth is it best run at

Herdsman

I look for "bait balls" on the sounder and hover over the bait ball with the lead sinker in the general area as where the bait ball is.You should be able to see your lead sinker with the better sounders(I have a furuno). If trolling past boat moorings/structures, watch the depth of the water (I generally troll past at walking pace) and have the lead sinker about mid level to two third(bottom) level of water.

Regards Kit

[lennon_2101]

I have recently taken the el' cheapo approach and made my own. It was realatively easy to do and seems to work pretty well. I just welded a peice of metal tubing to an arm and attached a pulley wheel to the end and one of my old alvy reels at the base. I then purchased a good quality bomb and a release clip. The line i used was just purchased from the hard ware and i spent an hour or so marking out the lengths on it. Still yet to get a fish on it but according to the sounder it seems to be doing its job! total cost was only $70.

[herdsman]

I have recently taken the el' cheapo approach and made my own. It was realatively easy to do and seems to work pretty well. I just welded a peice of metal tubing to an arm and attached a pulley wheel to the end and one of my old alvy reels at the base. I then purchased a good quality bomb and a release clip. The line i used was just purchased from the hard ware and i spent an hour or so marking out the lengths on it. Still yet to get a fish on it but according to the sounder it seems to be doing its job! total cost was only $70.

cheers fella