New 2 Trolling Game

[bubbamann]

I'm new to the trolling game for salmon. I was wondering if you may lend a helping hand in some basics to a fellow fish seeker. Can you use braided line for the reels for the rods while trolling? If not what do you suggest. And what are the best down riggers in your opinion. I'm trying to outfit my boat before heading north, in search of the slippery silver devils. Thank you.

[GLF]

People mostly use braided line for dipsey divers and for backings on lead core. I would recommend 20lb mono.

I prefer Big Jon's. There warranty is second to none! I upgraded to the Brutes this year from their Protournaments. I would not recommend the Brutes for someone who is just getting into salmon fishing. I have my old riggers for sale here.

[mattmishler]

put a small amount of mono befor the braid because i was talking to the guy at tunas and he calles it super line deises its where its screws uup the worm and you have to out a new work in them he says that that is the biggest repair he makes on them

[Nailer]

People mostly use braided line for dipsey divers and for backings on lead core. I would recommend 20lb mono.

I prefer Big Jon's. There warranty is second to none! I upgraded to the Brutes this year from their Protournaments. I would not recommend the Brutes for someone who is just getting into salmon fishing. I have my old riggers for sale here.

Yea that^^

20 pound mono with a good ball bearing swivel.

[Adam Bomb]

For downriggers, i agree with the guys, 17-20# mono will serve you very well. Since your just getting started i would recommend that you use a braided line for your dipseys. 30 or 40# will work well, i personally like Power Pro braid, but Fireline is another good choice IMO. Last, but not least, lead core is definitely something youll want on your boat. 3,5 and 10 color lead core is some of the most productive on our boat. Back it with 200 yds of 30# Power Pro, splice in 30' of 30# mono, then your 27# lead core, then i go to 20# on the leader....Works well for me. And as stated, make sure you have good quality ball bearing swivels that are at least 50# swivels. Your dealing with big fish and you dont need your swivels getting bent outta shape and losing fish because of it.

As far as downriggers go, ive used several brands including Cannon, Big Jon, Walker, Proos and this past weekend i used the vectors...Man was i impressed. So, with that said, i would recommed the Vector downriggers. Theyre super smooth, very fast, rod holders were very solid, swivel bases swiveled like silk and theyre a compact unit. Very well built IMO, you can see the quality through and through...I was very impressed with them to say the least. Ill be saving my pennies in the offseason to get a pair for next fall.

[2UNREEL]

My next riggers will be vectors no doubt about it. I will use mine untill they die but until then I will keep dreaming. You don't nessesarily need downriggers to have success, check out the forums on copper/lead core and dipseys.....They are a deadly force

[mattmishler]

i no people that dont have riggers they run pound half drops two of them and they work out and take fish on them theres away to get around the riggers

[1mainiac]

I fished for several years back in the 70's with no riggers Used 1 and 2 lb balls and Pink Lady's. We did not have lead core or line counter reels my uncle bought a Mac Jac rigger and we copied it to make a second one. We built nearly all of of gear back then God we used to get some pigs back then there were lots of times we would limit out and not have a fish under 20 lbs. Sometimes I think we make this way more complicated than it really is have fun go fishing don't over think it get some snap weights a couple of diver setups and run lures behind the boat odds are if you find fish they will bite.

[SPOONWASHER]

For a couple of years before we had downriggers we used 1 pound lead balls with 2 Church clips on each. It was very easy to tell when there was a fish on and you just take the weight off like you would a planer board and then continue to fight the fish. We never lost a weight. Our most productive setup, as said above, was 10 and 5 colors of 27lb leadcore. Hope this helps and good luck.

[SUPERTRAMP]

The downrigger question is relative to the boat (size and the expense you can comfortably incur). If you are in a small boat 16 to 20 ft u only need at the most 2 and if you are cash strapped u can get a lot of different manuals on ebay. My 15 footer has 2 Penn downriggers with 4' arms and is very fishable and catches fish. If you have a larger boat anywhere from 3 to 5 downriggers can be run but it can get hairy with the dipsy rods, lead core and the other methods including wire line dipsys, and copper line. I run 4color 6 color and 10 color lead core, be sure to get 36 or 45# lead core, and I run 2 power pro dipsy rods. In all on a 15' boat I can run as many as 8 rods and keep the set up from tangling until a big King runs across the back of the boat. That can make a mess on any boat. Check out some of the rigs in the gallery section. There are some good tips on Lead core and copper line rigs in the forums too. But Like the 1 Maniac we caught fish with pink ladies and 1# lead balls on mono in the old days. Good Luck and let the guys know what you come up with.

Mike the (Supertramp)