Downrigger question

Im ready to slap a rigger on my boat. Has anyone used the lake troll out in the salt with braid and 'say a 4 5 lb ball ? I saw a video of a guy using the gimbal mount and hooking the rigger right up plug and play. It was awesome. Maybe someone has a picture of how they run their downrigger, or how they set it up. I would only be using the downrigger in the saltwater. I don't troll lakes. I appreciate it.

The model Hobie kayak you own, has some bearing on how you would install/mount a down rigger (lake troll ?)
Regardless of the water being fresh or salt, they all work the same....I use Scotty's 175# test, Power Braid on my Canon Mini-Mag downrigger with a 4.25# weight and it works fine.
This is installed on my PA-14 as shown below.......one important point is to reduce the length of the "arm" so the weight drops close to the side of your kayak.


If you "google how to set up a Canon or Scotty down rigger", you will find plenty of good details and videos.

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Dr.SteelheadCatcher
Warrenton, OR

I have an outback 2015 model. Will that board fit on my sides?:I like that setup.. I need a rigger. It's hard trolling a huge weight or a diver, and the flasher.

I've seen all the ways to mount it behind me on the milk crate and what not. Bit it doesn't feel right with the rigger behind me.

My first Hobie kayak was a 2010 Outback.....the photo below shows how I mounted a Canon Mini-Trol that "plugged into a Scotty base.
If you have not done so yet, strongly suggest upgrading to Turbo fins and install the Hobie sailing rudder so the kayak has more go power and will track straighter with all of your "trolling junk underwater"
Lastly, when drilling holes in your Outback, make sure there is nothing directly underneath that you could damage.....like spectra lines for the steering and rudder up/down

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Dr.SteelheadCatcher
Warrenton, OR

I posted a description of how I mounted a Cannon Lake-Troll on my 13' Revolution, and why I mounted it that way, at http://www.yakfisher.net/smffiles/index ... pic=9918.0 . I use an 8 pound ball with Scotty 175 lb Spectra low-drag braided downrigger line, and routinely troll down to about 180 feet. I've mounted a Scotty Laketroller on a paddle kayak, and a Scotty Depthmaster on my Revolution, but the Cannon Lake-Troll is by far my favorite downrigger.

dude I like that a lot!!! ok so its pretty self explanatory, just to clarify a couple things though! I might copy this idea.. how did you get the nuts to set in the boat? what size nuts are you running 3/16? and is the bracket in the cup holder being screwed down? or just gravity and the weight of the rigger just keeping it from flopping side to side? thanks a lot.. cheers

I thought about just using some all thread and making a permanent stud coming up with polyurethane seal. im curioius how you got the nuts to stay in the holes. maybe a close up photo to ease my mind

Here’s how I made the sealed nuts which are mounted inside the right gunwale of my kayak. They consist of a stainless steel bar with a stainless steel nut silver soldered to it, with a block of plastic bolted on top of the nut to with goop in the joint to seal the hole. Making these sealed nuts was an interesting project, but there is probably some kind of well nut type of product which you can mount in the gunwale from the outside, and which would be a much easier way to mount a downrigger on your kayak.

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The nuts attach the downrigger firmly to the gunwale, but they don’t keep the downrigger from rocking from side to side on the gunwale. The block of plastic which fits in the cup holder is what keeps the downrigger base from rocking from side to side on the gunwale. The downrigger mount is rock solid, which is important because you crank pretty hard on a downrigger all day long while downrigger trolling. A key part of making the mount rock solid is to make a block of plastic which fits accurately into the cup holder, which is actually pretty easy to do, using a cardboard template. I planed the HDPE plastic to size with a well-sharpened wood plane, but a sander would also do a satisfactory job.

On my next kayak , I’ll probably mount the downrigger base on a section of gear track, using modified carriage bolts as shown on my posting at http://www.yakfisher.net/smffiles/index ... pic=9917.0. The downrigger mount would look like a big version of the rod holder mount shown below, with a downrigger bolted on top of it instead of a rod holder, with the block which fits in the cup holder bolted to the bottom, and with notches at the front and back of the base for the hand bolts, rather than holes. You'd plop the downrigger mount into the cup holder, slide the hand bolts along the gear track into the notches in the front and back of the base, and then tighten the hand bolts to clamp the downrigger base onto the gear track.





My Revolution is a 2013, so it has the old-style nylon seat. If Hobie ships me a 2015 Revolution I’ll demonstrate a quick and easy way to mount a downrigger on a kayak with the Vantage seats, and will post a description on this forum, for the benefit of all you owners of recent model Mirage Drive kayaks!

Here was my solution:
viewtopic.php?f=26&t=54683&start=15

Lots of prior learning from the guys who already replied. I think the basic concepts are very similar, you just have to adapt to your particular model and use the skills/tools you are most comfortable with. I love my setup. Good luck and happy fishing!

Circumnavigator.....That is a simple and elegant solution.....nice work!

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Dr.SteelheadCatcher
Warrenton, OR