2016 pa downrigger ?

I will be taking the plunge and ordering my dream kayak next month and was looking at it and saw that the h rails go up allot farther then the older models so my question is how are you guys mounting down riggers on them because ive seen allot of youtube videos and pictures of pa's with down riggers mounted on them but they must be the older ones were the h rails are shorter because now the newer ones are longer and you cant mount it to the hull maybe im wrong idk but some input would be nice

I copied my mount from someone who posted in this forum how he did it. I failed to record his name so I can’t give him credit for the idea.

I bolted my Scotty Depthmaster 1050 mounting plate through a piece of kitchen cutting board material for stability, then through two Hobie H-Rail Mounting Plates.

I wound 200’ pf Scotty Power Braid Downrigger Line over the stainless cable. I pulled out a measured foot and the counter clicked 1 foot so it is still accurate.

I cut 11.25” off the end of the downrigger arm so it wouldn’t leverage out so far. The downrigger line is 4.25” from the side of my 2016 PA.

I use the cup holder to hold the weight when it is not deployed.

It is mounted just enough to the rear of the seat to where the winding handle or lever won’t hit the seat. It is still easy to reach. I just turn slightly in the seat to bring the weight up.

does it seem pretty sturdy when your trolling and how deep are you trolling and what lb ball are you using

Yup it feels very sturdy while that mount looks like he did a great job on it, mine is in front of me on the same side as when it is below its gonna be dragging behind anyways so the rod behind you is still not getting tangled when you drop it down. i want to say i have a 4lbs ball on mine...i think... but it trolls fine at 50' or so. I can't remember using it lower than that besides to get some underwater footage (mounted a gopro to the ball to see what checked out my bait )
I will say 2 things that you will notice and maybe someone here knows how to stop at least the first one;
vibration in the line that is actually audible, while trolling i could hear the line humming and if you touch it you can feel it. Not really sure if that is normal or not, i as well ran it on super heavy braided line on top of the cable. not sure if maybe a heavy mono would do the same or not, maybe DR Steelheadcatcher knows more about this because i went to his post while researching mine.
Second thing is kinda unavoidable, you will notice your dragging around a lead weight lol. I had the tear-drop looking weight but i think if you got the ones that are skinny fish-shaped ones it would help a bunch as far as hydrodynamics go.

If needed search "downriggers" and youll see the post i did that has a few more pictures i think (in fact i better make sure the links still work)(nope had to update the links for the pictures again) but really it is just as Grizz said (nice work Grizz!).

LAstly DEFINITELY cut the arm down, if not, thats when it will lose all its stability as that arm being so long throws some serious leverage! but again, Gizz got it right

Nice set up Grizz...

BadKarma, re your question about the line and buzzing.....I used Scotty 175 lb. test Power Braid, ultra thin diameter spliced on top of the SS cable, on my Canon down rigger.
I can say that any "noise" is almost non-existent.....there is a very slight sound, but I don't pay attention to it.

When dragging a 4" or 5" quickfish or flatfish lure at depth, the rod tip action is quite noticeable as I have a serious amount of tension between my rod and the release clip on my weight.

I know if a fish strikes my lure and the clip does not release, the fish is normally less than 2.5 pounds...I do see a different rod tip action indicating a fish is hooked.....a 3 pound fish strike will release the clip.

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Dr.SteelheadCatcher
Warrenton, OR