Recommendations for downriggers?

[kevrangray]

We are looking purchasing a couple downriggers for Lake and Ocean fishing but not really sure what to look for or options that are available. Does anybody have any recommendations? If so we would really appreciate it.

Thanks,

Kevin & Randi

[starcrafttom]

I have used then all at one time and have to say that cannons are the best followed by penns and then scottys a distance third. Only use scottys with braid line not cable. I will post more later , on the phone

[Sea Wolf]

Kevin-

I have Penn manuals, which work just fine for lake, river, and bay fishing for up to 40-50 feet deep with two guys and no special requirements. But I think for ocean fishing, for fishing at greater depths, and some fishing alone situations, a pair of electrics would be a lot handier and offer some advantages.

As for manuals, the Penns are very well made and easy to use.

I like using lighter weights, like 4 lbs., for up to 45 or so feet, but at greater depths and speeds, one has to go up to 7-12 lbs. to get the lines down reasonably close to vertical and control the depth. For the heavier weights and depths, electrics would be better.

I'll be converting to electrics myself someday, just as soon as they offer an electric downrigger that reels the fish in, cleans it, and sends up vacuum-packed fillets to the refrigerator on board.

Joe.

[wapiti]

It also depends on what is preferred and available in your area. I know cannon makes an excellent rigger but in our area all we have for parts and service is Scotty and very little in terms of Cannon.

[kevrangray]

For the most part I think that I will be fishing around 50 feet or better because most of my trolling will be for Salmon. I will be going out to do some halibut fishing off the coast once the season comes around though. On the electric downriggers I'm taking it that you can preset the depth to what you want and it will drop your bait to that exact depth? Does anybody know if this is accurate or not?

[starcrafttom]

Depends on the brand and model. My cannons will. No scottys will. Not sure on the penns but I don't think so. Scottys are afree fall clutch system going down and only electric coming up. Penns ans cannons are power up and down on the electrics.

[Spike]

Well I'll chime in and say that I have also fished off all the magor brands, and will not buy any other than Scotties. I have one that is almost 13 years old and zero problems with it. My other is almost as old. Low profile the spool is horizontal, fold up, and pivioting mounts, and the motors are bullet proof. The only thing I don't like about Scotties are their pinch style releases. Easily cured with after market. Mind you this is just my 2 cents.
Chuck
Bootleg Hooch

[kevrangray]

I located a used cannon Mag 20 Electric Downrigger. It's used but in good condition. Is 220.00 a reasonable price for this?

[tsturm]

[kevrangray]

The brand is called a Cannon Magnum 20 Electric Downrigger. Every one that I could locate on the internet that mentioned Magnum 20 was either a dual rod holder or the tournament series. Does anybody know what the 20 represents?

[416rigby]

Ask 10 fishermen what their recommendation is for (fill in the blank...rod, reel, bait, downrigger, etc.) and you'll get several different answers.

Bottom line is that they all work. I've owned Penn, Canon and Scotty, and I prefer Scotty. Wonderful customer service. Penn makes a great rigger, too. I don't really like the Cannons.

If you know folks locally who use the various brands, I'd try to hitch a ride and see them in action to see which you like best.

Manual or electric? Electrics are sometimes twice the cost of manuals, but very handy if you are fishing alone or have more than one hook up at a time. If you fish pretty shallow, manuals are fine. I'd like to get electrics, but I just can't justify the cost. I have too many other boat projects to do.

Releases...there are many designs...try a few and see what you like. Maybe you could borrow a friend's and give them a whirl without having to buy any until you find your preferred one.

Tight lines...
Rick

[starcrafttom]

everyone like this or that for this or that reason.

My reasons for the cannon are as follows.

1. it powers the ball up and down. trying to teach someone to control a clutch release downrigger (all the manuals and the scotty electrics) is a pain and not fun. I have a lot of first timers on my boat and have loss gear because of this. with the cannon I can just hand the rod to some one, select the depth and hit the down button.

2. the reel is orientated in the correct direction. Your line comes up and over a vertical reel and goes to another vertical reel at the base not changing planes and going to a horizontal reel like the scotty.

3. the electric cannons have auto control of the Ion fields on your cable. the penns and scottys don't have this. When I was using scottys ( the last five years) I replaced the cable with braid, now recommended by my local scotty dealer, to get around this. no cable no bad ions. better no ions then bad levels.

4. cannons are twice as fast on the retrieve then the penns or the scottys. mine will handle 20 lbs balls ( i run 12 and suggest no smaller for salmon fishing) at 250 per minute. you can set 110,150 or 250 for up or down.

only down side of the cannons is that I cant use braid line on them. you need the cable for the auto up stop. I really hate cable but I am learning to live with it.

now for the things i love about the scotty.

1. you can use braid line.
thats it. other wise it's a p.o.s.

I have caught a lot of fish with mine but i hate the clucth down. the penn and cannon manuals have far better clutch set ups. going from one plane to another on the reel causes a lot of problems, mostly the cable jumps off the reel and lodging its self under the reel. at which point it is useless and needs to be cut. if you use braid you can just unwind it and go back to fishing with out fear of a snap cable.

belt drive instead of gear drives suck. belts slip and strip if the clutch is not adjusted right, which you can not do on the scotty with out taking the top open and using a wrench. penns and scottys can be done while you are fishing with no tools. just turn the knob.

cannon does sell a tilt up base but it is being discontunined. they only sold a 1000 units or less. no one wanted them. I will be ordering a set but not sure they are needed with the swivel bases I have.

[kevrangray]

Thanks for all the helpful information! It seems like everyone has their preferences, we'll try out the cannon to see if it will work for us. Hopefully we will actually catch a fish or two!