BigJon Downriggers

O

oldgrowth

New member
Anybody know anything about these?

BigJon Gadabout

I am going to get a couple of manual downriggers for my boat and leaning towards the BigJon but I will still consider one of the following,

Scotty Depthking 1060

or the

Cannon Easy-Troll HS

I know all the benefits of electric just like I know the benefits of an elevator or the escalator. I don’t use either one because I need the exercise.

The reason I like the BigJon is, it looks simple and functional, like the C-Dory.

________
Dave dlt.gif
 
Dave-

I understand that the Big Jon downriggers are used a lot on the Great Lakes trolling for salmon, but have no experience with them myself.

I have Penn manuals which are likewise simple, direct, and functional. Starcraftom thinks they are the very best of the manual downrigger crowd! They're bulletproof, incredibably durable, and have the best clutch/release in the business, IMHO.

This is one of those comparative discussions with the only problem being that each person has experience with one or two or so brands, but probably no one has tried them all (?) !

However, here a LINK to a fellow named Ollie Damon in Portland that repairs Cannon, Scotty, and Penn downriggers. I'd phone him and see what he can tell you about what he thinks about those he's familiar with. His input will probably be more about the durability and mechanical design aspects of those he services and possibly the Big Jon.

glamshot600.jpg

Penn 600 Series Manual Downrigger

Joe. :teeth
 
Old Growth,

I have a smaller set that I use with weights up to six pounds on my high lakes boat. They are very well constructed with excellent materials, and work nicely. They only reason I went to Scotty's was that I wanted to be able to handle weights up to 12 pounds.

If I were to do it alll over, I would consider Big Jon's because of the quality, but i would go electric.

Steve
 
oldgrowth I know all the benefits of electric just like I know the benefits of an elevator or the escalator. I don’t use either one because I need the exercise.[/quote said:
Wait untill your 2nd Rotator Cuff Repair on your dominate shoulder! :wink:
Again from my exp. I would choose the Cannons :mrgreen: :beer
Click to expand...
 
Dave,
I have fished both Scotty and Penn. I would give a slight edge to the Scotty.
The reason is the geometry of the spool-horizontal versus vertical. When you bring up a weight from depth while still trolling forward, which is common practice, my experience is that the cable tends to pile up on the aft facing side of the spool when using a vertical model. After it piles up several layers deep it will "fall off" to a slightly lower level. This leaves you with a little slack area in the steel cable which can lead to tangles in the cable. The Scotty with a combination of horizontal spool and cable guide on the arm will minimize this problem. I have never used the new braided "Spectra" type lines so I don't know if the same problem exsists using it. I have used both types for years and the horizontal Scotty is my preference but only because of less tendency to tangle. The Penn is a very well made product but so is the Scotty.
 
I have a set of the Big Jon "Captains Pak manual sideriggers" which a friend gave me. The only complaint I have is about the Line counter. It is hard to adjust to zero. Its driven by a "spring belt" which has come apart several times and is a pain to re do. No other problems. But I recommend you get electric. Cranking up a 6 to 10 pound weight from the depths gets to be a pain after a day of fishing.
 
I have used these downriggers for 6 years now and have had very little issues with them. Big Jon replaced the orginal extensions at no cost because they corroded due to poor quality. I opted for the longer arms and they work fine. You can substitute tie wraps for the springs (which do tend to come apart. The unit is very simple, therefore not much can go wrong. I prefer using them for the exercise and fish them primarily in the ocean down to 150' and have switched over from the standard wire to 180lb power pro. This allows for lighter weight and eliminates the line buzz (which I find annoying). Now that I have taken delivery of my CD22, I thought of getting electrics but have decided to use these as they are much easier to tote on and off and rig faster when I need to get down deep. I fish with braid on all my setups which allows for much less weight for getting down deep. Hope this helps.

Vern
 
Thanks all for your input.

The reason I did not include Penn in my list is cost.
The Penn list for $250.00 while the other three list for around $150.00. I do not mind paying a little more for a better product, but I question if it is worth two-thirds more than the cost of the best of the other three.
I am aware that I can find the Penn for less somewhere on line, but I can do the same for the other three.

Right now my list in order would be,
1. BigJon
2. Scotty
3. Cannon
4. Penn

I am still researching the top three, so if anyone has additional info on any one of them, I would appreciate the input. I may wait until the Seattle Boat Show to make my final decision.

Fishing is not my primary use for my boat, but if it was and I planned to do a lot of it, I would lean towards the
BigJon Speed Rigger

It can raise a 12 pound cannonball at speeds up to 310 feet per minute.

The other reason for going with manual downriggers is weight. Even though my boat is two feet longer, weight is still an issue with everything I have added to the boat.
________
Dave dlt.gif
 
I use the scotty you posted in the photo. Overall it has been a good downrigger and seems to handle 12 pound leads in strong current well. The extendo handle is a nice feature. However, I have two complaints: 1) the depth dial needs to be adjusted back to 0 on a regular basis; and, 2) the cable has enough memory of being in a circle, that it will wind around the base of the downrigger. The cable problem is REALLY annoying becuase it gets wound up in the turning mechanisms and is a pain to get unwound. The last thing I want to do on the water is spend my time unwinding downrigger cable. YUK!

With all this said, if you careful and keep tension on the cable, you can avoid the windup issue. But when it happens.... best to take a sip of your beer and take a deep breath, because it takes patience to undo it.
 
I have three different downriggers.
[1] penn electric
[2] scotty manual
[3] cannon manual

I love my Penn electric.
the auto stop feature is nice , enuff said
the scotty is Ok but I have a problem with top winder.much easier to side wind
the cannon is good and very easy to use
I have to take it apart tho as the reel is separating and the cable is binding. will know what the problem is once I break it down.
 
I have owned Big Jon downriggers for thirty years or so. Have three on the 22 cruiser. Four on the boat before that and two on the boat before that. They have always worked as specified. They have all been manuals. I have used a lot of electrics as well, but not my own. All experience is in fresh water not salt. Two of the riggers on my CD have four foot booms and one a five foot boom. If you were only going to run two riggers, then the shorter (about 2 foot) booms would be okay.

Big Jons are made about fifty miles from where I live so parts are readily available and you can get parts straight from the factory as well as most stores around here. I have never needed replacement parts, only additional parts such as adding an extension boom, longer screws, different bases, etc. I use their over-priced swivel bases, and the rod holders and the ball holders too.

You can raise the balls faster with manual than with electric but you can't do two at a time and it is harder to raise one while fighting a fish when you are single handing. But it can be done. The biggest advantage with the electrics to my mind is that Big Jons and some others have a nice controlled rate of descent. This lowers the lures, sometimes with several feet of flashers and etc, without tangling. The only complaint I have with my manual riggers is that the clutches takes some practice to lower the balls without going too fast or too slow. My fishing buddies will use their free hand or their belly to slow the spool so it won't have a sudden drop, I can do it with just the one hand on the reel but this could be improved upon --in my opinion. The biggest advantage electrics have over manuals is the descent not the ascent.

Have much experience with Cannons and they are good too. The riggers are as good or better than the Big Jons and if going electric Cannon might be my choice, you should check the auto stop feature on both. I like the rod holders better with Big Jon. Have used Walkers. Never used Penns nor Scotties

Good luck,

Mark
 
I have one of the cannons easy troll it was great loved it. No problems at all, I have however just changed to cannon electrics. Like them even better as its so nice to have the ball coming up and out of the way while you are fighting a fish. michael
 
I have Penns on my old boat and Scottys on my new boat. Nothing but good to say about either. However the reason I went to Scottys on the new boat was the Scotty downrigger mount was rated for a crab or shrimp pot puller while the Penn was not. I don't think the Cannon was either. Don't know about the Big Jon.
Forrest
 
A quick comment and I am not sugesting everyone call Ollie Damon in Portland, but the crew at Ollie Damon is amazing! I have dealt with them by mail for fixing everything from old fishing reels to old target pistols. When they fix somthing it stays fixed and the price is fair. I finally got into their shop in person and it was a great experience.
 
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