Down Riggers

[firebc]

Anyone have an opinion on down riggers and whether they're worth a darn? I stopped by West Marine and was surprised how many options were available. After fishing in Alaska I became familiar with them and have wondered if anyone uses them locally and what input people have about them.

Phil

[NoSlack]

Hi Phil

We've kick this idea around a few time over the years and most of us came to the conclusion that we would'nt get much us out of them here in San Diego.

Thresher fishing would be the only type of fishing that they would help you with. I've caught as many threshers on a bait-o-matic as I have with a bait down deep on the rigger. The down fall to the rigger is the shark will mistake the weight or planner as the target and whack it instead of the bait. Lost a few $50 z-wings before I gave up using the riggers on the T-sharks.

If you're going to go up north and fish salmon, get them.

Here is a link to an old topic http://www.bocaboard.com/forum/showthread.php?t=63

Mike

[firebc]

Thanks Mike.

[Salsipuedes]

I could not disagree more. I use my downrigger for halibut, threshers and night trolling for swordfish. At the East Cape I used the downrigger for trolling tuna, wahoo and marlin. It's specialized fishing and I'm doing very specific things such as light tackle fishing, so I don't fit the description of what the masses do. Still, I consider a downrigger an essential tool.

[NoSlack]

I'd like to hear more on the way you use your downrigger for the different fish.

Speed, lead weights or z-wing, baits or lure, deepth and anything you can think of that has to do with halibut.

Mike

[firebc]

Me too. I could see the benefit trolling for albies if metered but not coming up.

[Professor]

I'm using them all the way to Catalina weekend after next. Any thoughts?

[Salsipuedes]

I'd like to hear more on the way you use your downrigger for the different fish.

Speed, lead weights or z-wing, baits or lure, deepth and anything you can think of that has to do with halibut.

Mike

Well you asked so I will deal. I did say it was very specialized fishing, so your average meat fisherman can ignore. I'm using the downriggers to bounceball with ultralight tackle. I'm a member of Dana Angling Club and we fish IGFA in our tournaments, more points for lighter line, most points for a single fish wins. A club member has the current IGFA men's 4 lb record with a 34 lb halibut, so there's some pretty stiff competition.

My approach to fishing light tackle is to maximize my odds of hooking the desired sized fish, without wasting a whole lot of time on undesirable sized fish or shakers. Simply put, I want big fish and I don't want to mess with small fish. I feel that I can focus on bigger fish by bounceballing with large live baits, but the typical bounceball method requires heavy line due to the 1 lb and 2 lb weights used. Solution: put the weight on the downrigger. I use 2 lb lead balls on the downrigger. I use a small Scotty release clip (Black with yellow grips). I used the maximum length leader allowed which is 15' for 20 lb and under. IGFA rules say that you can't hook the fish off the leader in the clip. I've tested the Scotty release clip on 2 lb with success. The leader consists of a 12' length of 30 lb plus a 3' tippet of 30 lb flourocarbon, the two connect with a Spro swivel. I use 4/0 Owner Flyliners or Hyabusa Salmon Hooks or whatever they're called (they have an offset). Snell the first hook leaving enough tag to tie the second on. The shortest length you can tie the second on will do for a good sized sarding. I use two drift chutes tied either side amidship. Speed is 1.25 to 1.5 knots. Long Beach Harbor, 30' of water dragging over the ridges around drop offs. It works. We hope to break the Women's 2 lb record if I can get the wife out more.

I also love to use the downrigger for offshore threshers and I'm also working on night trolling for swords and you have to have a downrigger for that. Here's a pic of a 204 lb bigeye thresher we got last year trolling at night for swordfish:

[NoSlack]

Thank's for the additional info on the halibut. I have taken a few halibut on the down rigger bumping in and out of gear while I wait for the breeze to come up.

It sounds like a lot of gear in the water with a pair of drift sock out and the down riggers down, but it pays off with more 30 pound plus fish, it's worth the extra effort. Next time out I"ll see if I can get my speed down by draging the socks while using the down riggers.

Mike

[Salsipuedes]

Done the bumping in and out of gear, have a new cone clutch to show for it. Get the drift chutes. Two for halibut, one for live bait trolling nearshore threshers. You need at least two aboard to pull off this kind of fishing. It's very specialized, but that's light tackle fishing.