Best way to troll a squid at 8 metres depth

[Volitan]

I’m wanting to slow troll for kingfish using squid (dead, probably).

ill be in a hire boat so no setup possible for a downrigger.

the depths range from 7 to perhaps 9 meters.

Any ideas anyone. Would one of those plastic paravanes get down to that depth? Is there anything else I’m missing?

cheers

v.

[frankS]

Simple get a large snapper lead or something heavy 1/2 a house brick trolled very slowly, attach a release clip put on a cheap stiff short rod and lower to required depth ( the weight etc not the rod ) . Cheap way of making make shift downrigger.

Frank

[Captain Spanner]

I would just use a large torpedo sinker or a trolling sinker above a swivel and then about a  2m trace to the snelled hooks for the squid. You can use a snapper lead on a sinker clip (like an Ezy-rig) but they don't travel fast as well. One advantage of the snapper lead over the torpedo sinker is that if you have a very short loop of lighter line attaching the sinker to the clip then you often just lose the sinker when you crash the rig into the bottom or a rock. If you use a smaller sinker you can slow down or stop when you sound bait or fish and let the rig sink down through it to cover the depth range.

There will be a balancing act between depth, boat speed and how far behind the boat you want the bait. Some guys use knife jigs as the sinker too. Just be mindful of your rig with regards to spinning and twisting if using a jig, you may also want to take the hook off to minimise its chance of snagging. You can either just attach the jig by the top end like a snapper sinker or at both ends like a trolling sinker (so it is essentially in-line like a swivel is)

[Jiggy]

You could try a trolling sinker or make your own. Just get a large bean sinker and put a swivel in front and behind on a short piece if mono. You really don't want it to move much and I would also place a bead between the swivel and sinker. If you search for trolling sinkers you'll see what I mean.

How far they sink depends on the sinker size and distance behind. Look at the attached guide as a chart. I'd start with 100 grams which is around 4 ounces and adjust from there.

 

 

 

[frankS]

My very elaborate home made downrigger.

Very short stubby rod Alvey reel with braid and cheap release clip home made ball

Please excuse the dust , hasn't been used for a while.

Note the sophisticated ingenious brake hold well, just find the depth and lock reel with the brake.

Don't forget to take wire off the handle when you want to wind in ball and clip.

Haven't used this since I bought a proper downrigger but used it for about 20 years without a hitch.

Frank

[Volitan]

Thanks for the replies guys.

i should have pointed out that the hire boats don’t have rod holders (strange but true). Otherwise it would be easy.

what about those plastic paravanes. Does anyone use them or are they ancient technology? 

[rippinlips]

They only work at speed. You need to troll squid slowly. Best bet is to use snapper leads. We use to use them on a rubber band so if they got caught up they would snap off. Bit expensive though. Just tie them to a swivel a metre above your bait. You will need to mark out metres on mainline though if not using coloured braid.....

[sharknett]

I attached a a snap swivel to a snapper lead or other drop sinker with a short (5-10cm) length of line. I then clip the snap to the top of the swivel on my main line (closest to the rod).