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davetclown · 02-01-2002, 02:23 PM

is there any one using down rigger on inland lakes. my lake is about 65 feet deep so I was thinking about going down deep for some monsters. they are there Ive seen them come up once in a while. dose any one have any tips for fishing in the deep fresh water. [cool] “Don’t forget to wiggle your jig.” davetclown

Flagmanonice · 02-01-2002, 10:54 PM

Downriggers are nice, but you can use snap on weights to get down there with little cost to you! Also, dont forget about the planer boards for the ones that are up high, and that are spooked (in clear water) by the boat! (keep your rods bent) Flagmanonice

02-14-2002, 07:45 PM

davetclown: Funny you should pose the downrigger problem. I am preparing to do a series of tests on the Mini Troll found in our web store and the question is the same for me. There's a lot to it and I am pursuing it because of my experience with lead lines. I fish Crowley Lake with lead lines and do very well with flies fished very deep. The trouble is that all very large trout pull loose after awhile during the fight because of the tremendous weight of the line. It occurred to me that since the line pulls off the downrigger ball you could fight the fish on completely free, straight 4 pound running line. The questions are: is it too much trouble to mess around with. I don't think so and look for my report in a month or so. George George Van Zant <A HREF="http:// www.bigfishtackle.com/georgescorner.htm " target="_new">http:// www.bigfishtackle.com/georgescorner.htm </A>

davetclown · 02-15-2002, 12:07 PM

You’ve obviously run in to one of my problems. There are some 30-inch rainbows in my lake planted there many-many years ago. Every night during the summer months there is a lone boat running in the dark, although I have not been able to get a look at his set up I’m sure he is doing something similar. I would imagine that it would be similar to salmon fishing in the great lakes. I have fished for them in the rivers but never on a charter boat. One of my main concerns is marking a dept. Correct me if I am wrong, a down rigger has a meter that allows me to choose the number of feet I want to troll at. With a different variety of fish in my lake, I am overwhelmed by the possibilities that this “new to me” set up will produce! I will be looking forward to reviewing your report. [cool] “Don’t forget to wiggle your jig.” davetclown

02-17-2002, 06:05 PM

Let me tell you two stories about a downrigger, the story that really got me off on the fishing method and a success incident. The success incident was the trip we had on Lake Tahoe with Mackinaw trout. I wrote a review about the story. It's in the archives of my column in Georges Corner. But what really got me excited came by pure accident last summer fishing for mako sharks. One past fall (2000) I caught a large trout in Convict Lake and won a downrigger. I carried the rigger in a box on my boat and didn't open it for a year. Last summer we were on the Avalon Bank after the makos. We had caught and released one pup in a two hour stretch. There were many boats in the area and although there was lots of rumors about hook-ups we didn't see any boat catching them. Long story-short, I fired up the archived down rigger, placed a seductive mackerel filet on it and dropped it to 100 feet where we drifted in the wind dragging the filet at about 3 knots. I didn't get the rod in the holder when a 100 pound mako pulled it off, swam up and jumped 5 feet in the air before I could get the reel in gear. I caught 5 fish in sucession and never got the rod in the holder. Not one other boat was hooked up at any time while I caught and released 4 of them. I'm really excited about this application of presenting tackle to trout where I frequently see them at depths too deep to use with conventional stuff. Especially, when I know I can use running line devoid of any weight. George George Van Zant <A HREF="http:// www.bigfishtackle.com/georgescorner.htm " target="_new">http:// www.bigfishtackle.com/georgescorner.htm </A>

robfishon · 02-18-2002, 08:25 PM

We use them while trolling for trout and bass in the Ozarks. With a 2# ball, i can run 8# line down to ~80 feet. By adjusting the clip, the fish bites and pulls away from the weight. When surface temps are above 80 degrees, we'll troll along rocky walls from 60-80 feet deep using spoons or minnow baits. I'd like to find something smaller, that still keeps the baits down. [laugh]

davetclown · 02-19-2002, 12:09 AM

thanks for the Info Rob. I have been using diferent weight egg sinkers, they work well walleye. but havent had any luck with tourt. [cool] “Don’t forget to wiggle your jig.” davetclown

02-24-2002, 04:24 PM

robfishon: Question? Why couldn't you use #2 to #4 pound line as long as you set the release correctly? Your equipment is exactly what I will be using next Thurs.... a 2 pound ball, 100 feet of cable on a Mini-Troll Downrigger and I will be dragging (1) cone-head (2) wooleybuggers,(3) needlefish and (4) small plugs. We were supposed to be on Lake Irvine last week for the big test but the trip fell through. So this Thurs can't get here fast enough, I'm almost wetting my pants. George George Van Zant <A HREF="http://www.bigfishtackle.com/georgescorner.htm " target="_new">http://www.bigfishtackle.com/georgescorner.htm </A>

davetclown · 02-24-2002, 09:00 PM

Those sinkers do not give you direct contact to the fish there is always a downward gravity that will fight against you. With this condition in place the fish has more room to slip off the hook, trout are notorious for this if you don’t have control In addition trout have soft mouths that rip easily and with the added weight that makes it even more so, [cool] “Don’t forget to wiggle your jig.” davetclown

robfishon · 02-25-2002, 02:07 PM

You could use smaller test, but I'd watch cutting 2 or 4# test line. The stress of trolling does add strain on the connection and (~100 foot) length of leader. It might be worth trying braided or no-stretch lines.. [laugh]

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