7 Downrigger Basics
Reels, Rods and Lines Downriggers make it possible to use very light rods, reels and lines. Light equipment adds to the satisfaction of the sport. I recommend 20 pound monofilament lines because they reduce drag and ballooning behind the downrigger. High-retrieve ratio reels are very handy with downriggers because a downrigger can get your lure up fast even when you are deep. A high speed reel (3.5 up to 5.0 to 1) can help you keep up with the downrigger and decrease line slack and snarls.
Speed, Depth and Weight It’s all about offsetting drag and keeping the downrigger close to a vertical angle. Speed and depth of trolling are in direct proportion to the weight on the downrigger. However, if you had to pick one variable that is most important, it would be speed. Fish usually need trolling speeds fast enough to emulate the patterns of the fish they eat. The faster you troll, the more weight you will need to keep that downrigger vertical.
Clear Water Clear water can be the fishers worst enemy: skittish fish will not approach your lure if it is close to the boat. The key to landing more fish in clear water are longer drop back leader lengths. Use 30 to 75 feet of line in clear water, but if you use a very light line or spinning lures, be careful of torque. Lengthen the leader by letting out more line before securing with the release clip.
Evading Snags Circumvent snags on the floor by using an electronic depth sounder. Keep one eye on the depthsounder and set a light clutch brake; at the same time cranking the downrigger up or down as you need. Also watch the downrigger pulley: if you are striking bottom, the pulley will usually jump. If you snag something on the bottom, stop the boat and backup until you are right over the downrigger weight. Again, use your depth sounder to determine this. Once you are over it, you can usually pull it free.
Avoiding Tangles after Fish Strike Get the downrigger up as soon as possible to avoid the fish getting the line tangled around the cable. If you don’t have an electrical downrigger, this is a good reason to have a fishing buddy.
Use a Fishfinder Downriggers together with electronic fish finders have greatly increased a fisher’s success with a downrigger, but only if you know how to interpret the information. Experiment with your fish finder: some people like to only see fish, especially if they are using multiple lures. Some people like to see fish and their lures or weights, as this helps them to set bait at the level of the fish. In addition, a fish finder can help you see thermocline, or a change in temperature in the water, as a line across the screen. A thermocline will often converge bait fish on one side or another. And where there are bait fish, there will be game fish.
Downrigger Hum Downrigger hum refers to the hum off your downrigger cable as you troll, this is due to electrostatic forces that resonate between the wire, the boat, and the water, and can be very loud. Some fishermen swear by this hum, saying that it helps them set trolling speed, know if they hooked a fish and actually attracts fish. Other fishermen see the hum as a nuisance that ruins their fishing experience. However you see it, there are a couple of tips to reduce downrigger hum. One is use a braided cable instead of monofilament stainless steel. Another is to bore a hole through a tennis ball, run the cable through the tennis ball, and drop the cable so that the ball floats on the surface of the water. This stops transduction of the hum, and works for many downriggers.