Downrigger off a yak

So I also had a bit of a chance to chat with Jim, the guy in the SIK double I met while fishing Lake Washington this week.  He's picked up 12-13 sockeye this year from his yak.  Most came off a mini-troll downrigger he has mounted on his yak.  Neat setup.  I'm attaching a picture.  On Wednesday, I also saw a canoe set up with a mini-troll as well as a little rowing dingy.  I'm NOT entirely sure if I'd like a downrigger setup on my yak.  What's your thoughts?

-Allen

Did you get the skunk off?    That, and how you feel about catching, or not catching, might affect your individual response. 

The mini  DRs cost ~$50.00, if I remember correctly.

NO!

 

-Allen

Aren't those clamp ons? It might be a challenge finding a way to attach it to a sot.

I'm sure I could figure out a way to make the clamp on mounting work.  There is also the Attwood Mini-Rigger which has a different mounting system which I believe is compatible with Scotty mounts ...http://www.cabelas.com/spodw-1/0012297.shtml.  It's cheaper too.  Anyone ever try the Attwoods?

After rigging up the Prowler 15 with Ram Mounts, I was thinking about doing the Big Game with Scotty, just so I have both perspectives.  I've been thinking about downriggers all day.  I don't think I'd ever put one on the Prowler 15, but with the Big Game being so wide and stable, it may just work out.  Also, I'd probably replace the wire with spectra for easy cutting loose in case of an emergency.  I really don't like the ide of snagging up and being connected somewhere mid-boat without an easy out.  Yes, I carry dikes, but cutting heavy duty wire is not always quick.

-Allen

Polepole,

Another approach that I saw somewhere was to use a pretty heavy reel with maybe about 80# braided line together with a rod that had been cut off at the first eyelet.  Then you just mount the stubby rod in any heavy duty rod holder.  I suppose you might would fish with something closer to a 5# cannon ball instead of the usuall 10-12#.

I totally agree about not wanting to have a steel cable dangling from my yak, especially if I was out on salt water with any current more than about 1/2 knot.  I'd probably DISagree with whether or not to mount some kind of small down rigger on a P-15.    You might be right though, and then I'll know why I've been hanging on to my F-n-D .   I have to admit, I've been thinking that we kayak fishermen may be doomed to take way less than our fair share of kings and sockeye until we can come up with some down rigger solutions of some sort.

Fishin-T

I have used sinker releases with steel weights or concrete homemade weights. the only prob is you do need a stiff rod. I did it on the columbia with a med action rod and it gave way to much bounce and I ended up in the rocks quicker then I would like too. Besides the water being a little to fast to be comfortable with. I wore my self out in about 20 minutes and had to head in. What next?

I saw the scotty mount downriggers today at hooked on toys. They slipp into the scotty monut rod holder mounts, wich I have two monted on the my pro x. I like the idea of spectra instead of cable, maybe even just some parachute cord. You are still gona have to deal with trying to reel up a cannon ball after a hook up while trying to maintain a rod with a fish on it.

I saw one of those at Outdoor Emporium last week.  So Scotty has both the clamp-on and this one that fits a scotty rod holder mount.  It sells for $50.  I know I don't have any time to fit one on a yak before salmon season ends, but I'll may still get one this fall and try it out on the Lake WA or Sammy for cutts.  I suppose it could come in handy if we hit up Chelan again this winter.

-Allen

  I think I'm going to get a Johnny Bar for my Tandem. Hopefully it will be strong enough to hold all I want.  That scotty mount sure is handy.  I also want to get their crab pot puller  I wonder how much a downrigger would pull the kayak, might be hard to drive straight with all that weight hanging to one side.  Did the downrigger come with spectra or is that just something you would put on?

BTW they have a kayak specific site now, the crab puller is shown there.
http://www.scottypaddlesports.com/

Let us know how that Johnney Bar works out.

I've trolled 2# balls before and that pulled a bit, granted it was directly off a rod tip out to the side so it had more leverage.  But it wasn't unbearable.  A rudder would help a lot.  These small downriggers are rated for 4# balls and they'll be right next to the yak.  The guys I've seen with them didn't seem to have too much trouble, but they were trolling at relatively slow speeds to sockeye.  Spectra is something I'd replace the wire with, mainly for safety and also because it is thin and strong and would have less "blow back".

-Allen

I have done a bit of trolling and my gear has evolved with experimentation.  I was not interested in toting a downrigger and ball around so I originally used 3-6 oz. mootching weights but found it very difficult to guage depth.  So, at the suggestion of a friend, I picked up one of the Pink Lady/Deep Six style diving units and have been very happy and successful!  They operate similarly to a downrigger in that the rod is bent over with tension on the line as the unit dives.  Once a fish hits the bait, it trips the diver to plane upwards and sets the hook at the same time.  I have also found that they keep a fairly consistent 2:1 line to depth ratio at the speed I troll so I know about how deep my rig is.
I also use 50# spectra because it is thin for its strenght and abrasion resistance.
 
Zed

I ran a deep six all week.  I still have a difficult time gaging depth when trolling faster for silvers.  At 2.5-3 knots, the line angle gets pretty steep.  I was kind of a pain to troll like this for extended periods because the pull to one side became bothersome.

-Allen