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 Post subject: Downriggers
PostPosted: Mon Jun 22, 2015 5:22 am 
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I am looking to get a pair of Scotty downriggers for my 17t. Any suggestions? I like the 1073 Laketroller, which I can obviously mount to a generic H-rail mount (see pic below). Curious what other setups people have?

Image

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 Post subject: Re: Downriggers
PostPosted: Mon Jun 22, 2015 10:05 am 
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 Post subject: Re: Downriggers
PostPosted: Tue Jun 23, 2015 6:32 am 
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Location: Charlevoix, MI
Depends on how deep you want to troll. I went with the Scotty Depthmaster on my PA14, but I typically have it down 70-130 ft for lake trout. I love the digital line counter on the downrigger and find it pretty accurate. Depending on the countour of your lake bottom, you may be frequently adjusting the depth and watching the ff depth and the Depthmaster readout makes this pretty simple. Also, the brake is very useful when making fine adjustments.

If you go that route, here are some tips:

1) Sit in the yak and determine where the most comfortable spot is for manually retrieving the ball when you get a fish on. Where it is comfortable is more important than where it is convenient to mount it (rail, sideboard, behind the seat, etc). I typically troll 2 lines (one lead core and 1 downrigger). Getting a fish on means pulling up whatever is not attached to a fish in order to prevent tangles during the fight. I have my Depthmaster mounted immediately behind the seat on my right side (right handed) so I can more quickly retrieve the ball with one hand while playing a fish with the other. I had to fabricate a mount adapter out of breadboard material and put screws through the hull to mount it there, but I am glad I did. It would be convenient to mount to a rail or sideboard, but that would not be as ergonomic for me.

2) Since I can only manage 1 downrigger at a time, I cut the arm way short to keep the ball closer to the centerline of the hull. Less leverage for tipping if you get a snag.

3) I replaced the ss cable with 100# PowerPro braided line. It is much thinner and glides through the water with less resistance. Noticeable difference in fatigue after a long day out on the big lake.

Good luck. Downriggers on a kayak are pushing the envelope but definitely improve the yield.


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 Post subject: Re: Downriggers
PostPosted: Wed Jun 24, 2015 10:20 am 
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I currently use the Scotty Laketroller mounted with a Scotty gimbal mount adapter,utilizing the moulded in pole holders. I have also switched out the cable for 100# braided line and since the pulley wheel on the Laketroller is plastic, I have replaced it with a stainless steel pulley. I have had great results with this system mounted on my 2013 PA 14 while trolling on lakes and the ocean. Don't know how this small system would work out on the larger and faster 17T. Either way you won't regret using a downrigger.


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 Post subject: Re: Downriggers
PostPosted: Wed Jul 22, 2015 9:10 pm 
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Jim, i just got the depthmaster in today and im looking at where to mount it and i agree that i want it comfortable to do while holding a rod in the other. I am wondering if you have any pictures of your setup? forgive me if they are on here as i am still going through the search results for downrigger lol


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 Post subject: Re: Downriggers
PostPosted: Mon Jul 27, 2015 9:09 pm 
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I used them extensively this weekend and I thought they were very good! It was a bit of a pain using two - I had to keep paddling to keep one line planed out (preventing from sinking and hitting bottom) while I was getting the other downrigger set. But I found my groove and it worked out well. I will post a review to youtube soon.

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 Post subject: Re: Downriggers
PostPosted: Thu Jul 30, 2015 8:52 am 
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I have the same Laketroller with the deck mount that i need to install. Will the double Universal H-Rail mounts with a piece of cutting board be secure enough?


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 Post subject: Re: Downriggers
PostPosted: Thu Jul 30, 2015 8:28 pm 
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Here is why a down rigger is valuable...as the lake warm up during the summer, I use a Scotty Depthmaster 1050 with a 4 pound weight.....the larger fish were showing to be in the 25 to 40 foot depths (a random fish at 60'-80') on my Humminbird 768 fish finder.....the first fish on the left and center were caught July 22, 9# 13oz.....the third photo was taken yesterday, July 29, 2015...9# 5oz....both Rainbow Trout were 29" long and caught at a depth of 28 to 30 feet with my lure around 80 feet behind my PA-14. A good friend of mine, who just happened along is holding the fish as she is a much better model than me..."the old fart".
The first fish was caught after covering only 0.4 mile trolling, but the second fish was after 6.35 miles trolling......rarely do I catch a "keeper over 18" (my personal rule) in less than 3 to 5 miles of trolling for what ever the reason.....I normally cover 7 to 10 miles in 4-5 hours.....the exercise is good for my waist line and the scenery is stellar.
For the record, I use my 8.5' Laminglas G 1342-T Kenai Pro rod, Abu Garcia 6501 C3 reel spooled with Berkley Vanish Transition 17 pound test clear/gold line for all of my fishing...including Chinook Salmon and Steelhead in the Hood River.....in spite of my son's high disregard for "one size fits all situations"....I am too old to change my ways at this point :wink:
Image Image Image

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 Post subject: Re: Downriggers
PostPosted: Sun Aug 02, 2015 4:25 pm 
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Nice fish.


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 Post subject: Re: Downriggers
PostPosted: Sun Aug 02, 2015 6:21 pm 
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Location: Lake Park, GA
Very nice fish Dr., thanks for sharing! :mrgreen:

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 Post subject: Re: Downriggers
PostPosted: Tue Aug 04, 2015 3:40 am 
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Location: MA
Dr. I would call that a successful day of fishing. Healthy fish, incredible catch. I do not own a downrigger but I think it might be something to add to my arsenal next.

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 Post subject: Re: Downriggers
PostPosted: Tue Aug 04, 2015 6:29 am 
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Stealth.....With your sonar indicating the depth of the larger fish, a down rigger makes it simple to deploy your lure without using lead core line or additional weights.
I tend to run my lures about 5' short of the sonar indicated depth as the lakes I fish has a clarity of 20' and many of my lures dive 8-15'.....Yesterday, I covered 7.2 miles in 4 hours, only hooked and released a 15" trout....I used 6 lures and that was the best I could do while several other fishermen, who were not down rigging, were catching an occasional 8-10" trout.
But, I still got a good workout and enjoyed the scenery!

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 Post subject: Re: Downriggers
PostPosted: Tue Aug 04, 2015 11:08 am 
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Location: MA
You make a convincing argument. Sounds like a Scotty Depthmaster 1050 will be next on my wish list. My wife keeps saying," There can't possibly be more room for another thing on that Hobie!"

How do you think it would fare on an H-rail mount? I saw one video where the guy shortened his to 8 inches so it hangs right next to the boat.

Ok Dr., I just noticed you answered this question in the other post about mounting the downrigger. Really appreciate you sharing your experience.

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 Post subject: Re: Downriggers
PostPosted: Sat Aug 29, 2015 6:05 am 
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I have two downriggers I use on the H Rail, one on each side of the kayak. There is plenty of room. You just need to figure out how you prefer to put the pole holder and at what angle. I prefer the pole holder right in front of the downrigger and swiveled back slightly towards the downriggers. This allows me to put the pole at a smaller angle to the rail while keeping the butt of the rod away from my feet while pedaling.

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 Post subject: Re: Downriggers
PostPosted: Sat Aug 29, 2015 8:36 am 
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vegasvec.....On my PA-14 in this photo, you can see the Scotty devices I use to hold my rod and elevate it so the rod butt does not interfere with pedaling.
Image

In this older photo, I have my rod rotated aft so beaching the kayak does not cause any issues breaking the rod tip as my Steelhead rod is 8.5' long.

I am really sold on Scotty products and the exact make up of my installation follows:
1. Scotty #244 flush mount .....In a new PA-12, 14 or 17 with the H-Rails, I believe the mount needs to be Scotty #241 combination deck or side mount.

2. Scotty #412 replacement rod holder post.
3. Scotty #459 Rod holder extension.
4. Scotty #428 Gear Head
Note...Scotty now sells #429 "Gear head mount extender assembly" made up with #412, #459 & #428 above.

5. Scotty #229 Power Lock rod holder and then I inset/install a pair of Scotty #415 Slip Discs so I can easily adjust the elevation of the rod holder once all other adjustments have been made to my liking on the water.

Since this photo was taken, I re-positioned/swapped the rod holder flush mount to be ahead of the down-rigger......I moved the down-rigged to where the rod was located for ease of operation of the down rigger.

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