# Downrigger advice



## ekbelt3 (Jul 22, 2008)

I'd recommend Magnum Metalz, Traxtech, or Cannons in that order.


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## Ol Tom Killa (Jan 16, 2011)

salmon_slayer06 said:


> I won't use cannon mag 10's ever again. big Jon all the way.


Burning up motors will make ya do such things... 

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## plugger (Aug 8, 2001)

I need to replace at least one rigger or more likely a pair. I have had Big Jons forever but the new ones don't have auto stop available and the previous ones didn't work all that well. I fish solo a lot and with just my wife often so auto stop is a great help when clearing riggers with a fish on. Cannons have a good auto stop but don't have the tilt feature that I am use to. Scotty's are pretty large for an 18 foot boat and would probably extend past the side where they would cause trouble docking.


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## ETW (May 18, 2020)

So I'll weigh in with the rookie perspective. This is my first season as a salmon boat owner. I bought it used mostly already outfitted with some good items. It came with a pair of Big Jon manuals. Yeah, manuals are kind of a drag but not upgrading them allowed me to put money elsewhere. This is a really expensive activity. If you can afford electrics then get them but don't get "bargain cheapies" just to have power up/down. I still remain impressed not only with Big Jon Sports' quality but their customer service is outstanding in every way. 

Personally, if you have not been out on a top tier Great Lakes charter and you are new to salmon trolling then I strongly recommend that you get out on one. IMO it really is a worthwhile expenditure. I If you do I would tell the Capt. about your plans and try to learn as much as possible while you're out.

Doing it solo, the learning/choosing/outfitting part is a challenge. That's what makes it so rewarding. I went the same route with this (and hunting too, many years ago) and you will get overwhelmed. Make some friends that already do this. Be humble. Learn as much as you can. Be humble. Don't be too cheap when buying gear (ask me how I know) or you will end up with junk and out on the big water is the wrong place to realize this. 

Build a network because you'll need some guys that you can trust when you realize that you're in over your head. You'll find deals on gear mostly in the dead of the off season (in my experience) but you really have to hunt for them because the rest of us are also looking for deals.

Good luck with your endeavor.


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## perchjerker (Feb 8, 2002)

I have a set of old Walker electrics I am going to sell. Walkers are great, they are super simple basic electric downriggers.

I also have one working one for a spare (so I actually have 3) plus a bunch of spare parts, clutches, counter springs, etc. They have swivel bases and home made aluminum pedestals 

$250 in case you are interested


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## FishingJoe (Oct 26, 2001)

JMO, but I am 73, a casual big lake fisherman (6 - 8 trips a year) and have manual riggers on a 17' Lund. On Huron, I rarely put them down more then 60 ft, and never more then 75. Too much blowback at that point. My Cannons are rated for 12 lb balls, so that is all I use. 75% of my fish are on riggers. On a really hot bite, my arm does get tired. Decide: How deep you are fishing, how often, how much money you want to spend, what kind of shape you're in, and whether you have a partner that can reel them up once in a while. The guys I take out are not in very good condition, so I do it all myself. I will admit that I am considering electrics just because I expect to get older.


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## Macs13 (Apr 24, 2019)

FishingJoe said:


> JMO, but I am 73, a casual big lake fisherman (6 - 8 trips a year) and have manual riggers on a 17' Lund. On Huron, I rarely put them down more then 60 ft, and never more then 75. Too much blowback at that point. My Cannons are rated for 12 lb balls, so that is all I use. 75% of my fish are on riggers. On a really hot bite, my arm does get tired. Decide: How deep you are fishing, how often, how much money you want to spend, what kind of shape you're in, and whether you have a partner that can reel them up once in a while. The guys I take out are not in very good condition, so I do it all myself. I will admit that I am considering electrics just because I expect to get older.


That's legitimately inspirational. Good on you for doing what you enjoy, age be damned. 

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## MoJoRisin' (Jan 30, 2004)

Very old cannons were white also. Made in Muskegon. I know some of the guys that worked at S&K which is the company that developed them. Those are not new saltwater cannons. They have stainless spools….those are glass reinforced Lexan spools (polycarbonate)


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## sixft4par (Apr 1, 2008)

The newer manuals that are 2:1 to bring up are not as bad as the older (or cheaper) ones. If you are using them all the time electrics are the way to go but they are really pricey and you need to rig your boat for them. The big issue is when the temp break is deep and you are hand cranking your riggers up from 120 feet........when the break is up no big deal at all. To be honest Mac you could get started with a few wire diver rods and copper/lead lines and not even need riggers to start out. If you go manual find ones that are not the small 1:1 ratio. This is coming from someone who went that route to save money when I was younger.


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## sslopok (Aug 24, 2009)

I must be the exception because I have no issues with my cannon manuals. I’ve had cannon and BJ electrics and haven’t once felt like going back to electrics.


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## Pier2pier (Jan 17, 2016)

sureshot006 said:


> Curious... for those who have manual downriggers... would it be reasonable to adapt a cordless drill to it? Two riggers one drill? We're using them to run 8" ice augers so why not?


I have 2 Scotty manual riggers. A drill sounds like a great idea, but I'm not sure of the torque required to lift a 12lb ball against the water's current and the drag from a boat in motion. Ice is solid but I can't imagine it putting as much stress on the drill. 

Personally I think bringing the ball up is easier than manually lowering it. The process of holding the mechanical brake while slowly working the handle to lower the ball is cumbersome. The drill probably can't adapt to lower the ball.

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## sureshot006 (Sep 8, 2010)

Pier2pier said:


> I have 2 Scotty manual riggers. A drill sounds like a great idea, but I'm not sure of the torque required to lift a 12lb ball against the water's current and the drag from a boat in motion. Ice is solid but I can't imagine it putting as much stress on the drill.
> 
> Personally I think bringing the ball up is easier than manually lowering it. The process of holding the mechanical brake while slowly working the handle to lower the ball is cumbersome. The drill probably can't adapt to lower the ball.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G781V using Michigan Sportsman mobile app


A drill can turn an 8" lazer ice auger no problem at all. I bet it can raise the ball but you're right, lowering would not work well. Then again lowering isn't much effort and maybe less of an issue for the operator.


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## Pier2pier (Jan 17, 2016)

sureshot006 said:


> A drill can turn an 8" lazer ice auger no problem at all. I bet it can raise the ball but you're right, lowering would not work well. Then again lowering isn't much effort and maybe less of an issue for the operator.


Yeah the right drill can probably do the job. But that can be a few bucks too. I still haven't justified buying a drill for my 8" Lazer auger. Now I'll be thinking about modifying my down riggers while I'm on the hard water.... it never ends haha...

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## andyotto (Sep 11, 2003)

Pier2pier said:


> I have 2 Scotty manual riggers. A drill sounds like a great idea, but I'm not sure of the torque required to lift a 12lb ball against the water's current and the drag from a boat in motion. Ice is solid but I can't imagine it putting as much stress on the drill.
> 
> Personally I think bringing the ball up is easier than manually lowering it. The process of holding the mechanical brake while slowly working the handle to lower the ball is cumbersome. The drill probably can't adapt to lower the ball.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G781V using Michigan Sportsman mobile app


Yes "back reeling" would suck lowering the ball. Cannon manuals have a clutch system. All you need to do is loosen the the clutch by reeling backward a half turn and the ball will drop. The bigger the turn the faster it drops. Gotta watch it and not drop it too fast.


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## Rangerbob (Apr 11, 2018)

Pier2pier said:


> I have 2 Scotty manual riggers. A drill sounds like a great idea, but I'm not sure of the torque required to lift a 12lb ball against the water's current and the drag from a boat in motion. Ice is solid but I can't imagine it putting as much stress on the drill.
> 
> Personally I think bringing the ball up is easier than manually lowering it. The process of holding the mechanical brake while slowly working the handle to lower the ball is cumbersome. The drill probably can't adapt to lower the ball.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G781V using Michigan Sportsman mobile app


 When I had 4 long arm BIg Jons when lowering I released the drag knob a little so spool was free, and used the palm of my hand on the back of the spool as a friction drag to bottom, or depth I needed on counter. then set tension on drag knob, then tensioned rod in rod holder.


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## sureshot006 (Sep 8, 2010)

Pier2pier said:


> Yeah the right drill can probably do the job. But that can be a few bucks too. I still haven't justified buying a drill for my 8" Lazer auger. Now I'll be thinking about modifying my down riggers while I'm on the hard water.... it never ends haha...
> 
> Sent from my SM-G781V using Michigan Sportsman mobile app


Yep but I can use the drill at home, too. Not so much the downrigger.

Justify the drill by saying you consume less food to replace the energy spent manually cranking the auger. That in turn means consuming less beef, which reduces cow flatulence that is bad for the environment somewhere down the line.


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## Slimshady (Apr 4, 2002)

sureshot006 said:


> Curious... for those who have manual downriggers... would it be reasonable to adapt a cordless drill to it? Two riggers one drill? We're using them to run 8" ice augers so why not?


I have Penn manuals and I have never had an issue bringing them up. The spools on the Penn's are fairly large, so they come up fast. If I was doing that kind of fishing all the time, then it might be different. I use mine maybe 2-5 times per season, so manual is fine for me. 

I do think you could rig a cordless drill to pull them in if you wanted to.

The one time I fished with someone that had electrics they were having issues getting them to work. They wouldn't go down, then they wouldn't come up, etc. Never have that issue with mine.


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## Pier2pier (Jan 17, 2016)

sureshot006 said:


> Yep but I can use the drill at home, too. Not so much the downrigger.
> 
> Justify the drill by saying you consume less food to replace the energy spent manually cranking the auger. That in turn means consuming less beef, which reduces cow flatulence that is bad for the environment somewhere down the line.


When you put it like that how can anyone afford to not buy a new drill??????

So Macs got his answer, manual down riggers and a nice new drill.....

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## Pier2pier (Jan 17, 2016)

Rangerbob said:


> When I had 4 long arm BIg Jons when lowering I released the drag knob a little so spool was free, and used the palm of my hand on the back of the spool as a friction drag to bottom, or depth I needed on counter. then set tension on drag knob, then tensioned rod in rod holder.


I wish the scotty's had something like that. Maybe I'll double check the manual. 

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## Slimshady (Apr 4, 2002)

Rangerbob said:


> When I had 4 long arm BIg Jons when lowering I released the drag knob a little so spool was free, and used the palm of my hand on the back of the spool as a friction drag to bottom, or depth I needed on counter. then set tension on drag knob, then tensioned rod in rod holder.


That's pretty much what I do with my Penn riggers. Only, there's no need to use my palm. I just back off the drag until it starts to go down and if it starts going too fast, just tighten it a bit. It's really easy to control the speed as it drops. I back the drag way off on my reels too, so that as the ball lowers, the line just peels out. There has to be a drag system, otherwise, you would rip the riggers right off your boat if you got the ball caught on something. That actually happened to me one year at Wheatley. We got a ball caught on a gas line 40 feet down. Ended up having to cut the cable at the water line.


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## RedM2 (Dec 19, 2007)

Magnum Metalz. Very well built and smooth.


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