Four downriggers on a 22' ?

C

Chris Bulovsky

New member
Has anyone fished with four downriggers on a 22' Cruiser. If any one has where did you install them? Also would you do it again? The beam of a 22' is somewhat narrow and I'm not sure if it would work from the stand point of tangles.

Thanks

Chris Bulovsky
 
Hi Chris, I run 3 Penn downriggers on Snoopy-C, so don't think 4 would be much different. I have 2 on the gunnels just ahead of the fuel fill pipes, and on port, I have another about midway between the aft downrigger, and the cockpit bulkhead. I use 4 ft Penn electrics with swivel bases. Keep the forward rigger at 90 degrees to the gunnel, and the aft rigger I swivel just far enough of dead aft that the ball will clear when pulling it in to set the clip. The 4 ft reach just clears the back of the boat. I use the line retrievers on the cable so I can reach the clip when rigging. Need to be careful though, and if I had one on the kicker side, I'd be a bit more concerned around the prop, although most of the Canadian guys use the deflector ring around the prop on the kicker to stop the cable entanglement. Regards, Ron
 
Hi Chris,

Sorry I missed your post a couple of days ago---just got back from Isle Royale. I have four downriggers on Winyah and would definitely do it again. Have two back by the fuel fillers and two just behind cabin bulkhead. All are on swivel bases. You must place them so you can swivel everything out of the way to gas up. The two by the bulkhead have four foot booms and the balls have the plexi wing to get them out to the sides. The aft two have short one ft. booms and no wings.

By the way, thanks for the fuel tank.

Gary
 
C-Hawk":3b1a09qr said:
Me thinks it would be a bit crowded. I run two downriggers, each with two lines staggered at varying depths.
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YEP, the same here. BUT, I have to say one could do 4, but he and the captain had better know what their doing for sure.

I run two and stagger on Sea Wolf.
 
i have seen four on a small boat around here. In the great lakes area they have no rod limit and you see four downriggers with up to eight rods. Two words- auto pilot.
 
For me, it would depend on how deep you're fishing. Here in WA I fish a column from 20' to 90' during the summer. So I fish two DRs deep, and if I have 3 or 4 people in the boat, I'll hang rods aft with divers to fish shallow.

But if you're fishing real deep for those lakers, I think you could easily run 4 DRs on a 22. I'd use long 6' booms straight out on the aft ones, and shorter 2' booms on the forward ones, angled back at a 45 degree angle to bring them closer to the hull. That would give good clearance for the kicker (if you're using one) and keep an optimal spread. Additionally, you could hang lighter balls on the aft 'riggers (just a pound or two) to get a little more blow back. That would help reduce the chance of tangles.

But like said above, the Cap'n and crew better really be on top of things or it could become an ugly circus real quick.
 
It took only six years for a solution :crook

I still only fish with two and stack lines if thats what is working. Somedays more would be better. Other days less is more.......

Chris Bulovsky
 
You know I have tried to stack before and never had nothing but problems. Again AUTO PILOT!!! Its hard to pull off your self. T.R. are you stacking releases or are you running two lures on one line? I have tried it both ways but never with a lot of luck.

I used to run two side planners, two long lines and two down riggers out of a 12 ft boat for trout but that was easy to keep separate. We did have 7 trout on at once one luck day. Thats right 7 one rapala had two trout on it.
 
Chris, I have three riggers on my 22. The center rigger is set to run down the chute and has a 5 foot mast. I had four riggers on my previous boat but that was wider and didn't have twins. I find I seldom use the center rigger for anything other than my temp probe and speed probe. I often use rotating flashers and dodgers and more than two riggers is asking for trouble. I fish most often with four lines, two riggers and two dipsys.

If is both calm (rare) and action slower (too often) I add in a slide diver (like a dipsy but with a long lead between lure and disc) and will also run copper and lead core lines behind inline planers. I also often run a tail gunner 100 foot plus down in the center with wire line and the dipsy set at zero. That rig will dive to 100 feet with 215 feet of line out. My side of the pond is a bit bumpier than your side but yours is bumpy enough. I suggest putting the $ into a thin steel wire line rig or two. Also with the clear water getting nothing but clearer from the z and q mussels running clean spoons and even flashers 50 to 100 foot behind the balls is often the best medicine. You have three of those down with rotating flashers good luck, even when you keep em separated by distance back and depth. I carry ten or a dozen rods every trip because they have different lines, wires, leads, etc, but getting too much in the water hurts more often than helps. The charters with eleven foot beams and more than one skilled pilot aboard (autopilots too) are running more planers and fewer riggers than in the past because of the clear water.

Regards,

Mark
 
Mark- Thanks for the info. I do like the idea of the center down rigger. But like you said flashers and dodgers can lead to horrific tangles. Up this way buck tail streamers produce behind the dodger. Bumping the ball on the bottom usually produce lake trout and funny you referenced 100' as that is the usual depth of good laker fishing locally. 1.7mph. They are a lazy fish. Spin-n-glows also produce despite it not looking like anything edible. Of course bass eat purple worms so.... Any rational thought is out the window as to what fish find appetizing.



The mussels have not really established them selfs locally.....yet. But the water remains very clear all by itself. I wonder if they would even do well here in the cold clear water.

Dipsy rods and wire line is on my wish list to get 4 lures down. But some days its all i can do just keep two down....you know the drill. If you ever drag your boat up this way I can help you get on some fish.

Fish on!

Chis Bulovsky
Washburn Wi
 
Chris Bulovsky":1w10degt said:
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The mussels have not really established them selfs locally.....yet. But the water remains very clear all by itself. I wonder if they would even do well here in the cold clear water.

Fish on!

Chris Bulovsky
Washburn Wi
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Chris-

The mussels are filter feeders, of course, and there's probably not enough food in the clear water to support them! Good for the Northern waters! :lol:

Joe. :teeth :thup
 
i too would like to see some pictures of people running 3-4 DR. I am looking at putting a 3rd in our boat mainly for summer king fishing and BM fishing. but would prolly use it more once it is in. looking at different options, originally i was going to run right out the back. but after fishing in a buddys boat in PS for a couple years I learned it rarely got hit. so 2 out the side( non kicker) i think would be better.
 
starcrafttom":2ayjgpfx said:
You know I have tried to stack before and never had nothing but problems. Again AUTO PILOT!!! Its hard to pull off your self. T.R. are you stacking releases or are you running two lures on one line? I have tried it both ways but never with a lot of luck.

I used to run two side planners, two long lines and two down riggers out of a 12 ft boat for trout but that was easy to keep separate. We did have 7 trout on at once one luck day. Thats right 7 one rapala had two trout on it.
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I stack releases when I have that many people on the boat that insist on immediately fishing no matter WHAT. And until everyone figures out the drill, it typically is a mess and sometimes is when things should be fine - like when you catch a big king and zig zags all over the place. The best idea? That would be bottom fishing...... And I'm serious. Salmon fishing just sucks with four on the back of a CD 22. That is, unless you can find a huge school of fish and then you can jig/mooch. Then, it is a different kind of mess.....But still a mess....A bloody one :) My reality and preference is to fish 2 on the down riggers and switch off. Truth be told, you end up with lower blood pressure and more fish.
 
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