A comparison of the Scotty Depthmaster and the Cannon Lake-Troll

I’ve used both a Scotty Depthmaster downrigger and a Cannon Lake-Troll downrigger on my 13” Revolution.  I’m writing to compare the advantages and disadvantages of these two downriggers.  The bottom line is that they both work well on a kayak, but I’d give the Lake-Troll a slight edge over the Depthmaster.

Here’s how I mounted a Scotty Depthmaster on my Revolution.  This mount is described at http://www.northwestkayakanglers.com/index.php?topic=11954.0 .





Here’s how I mounted a Cannon Lake-Troll on my Revolution.  This mount is described at http://www.northwestkayakanglers.com/index.php?topic=12575.0 .





Here’s how I think these two downriggers compare, issue by issue:

Overall size.  The two downriggers take up roughly the same amount of space.  The Depthmaster has a horizontal cable reel, and the downrigger's body is low and wide, while the Lake-Troll’s cable reel is mounted vertically, i.e. on edge, and the downrigger's body is high and narrow.  However, the handle of the Depthmaster sticks up 8 3/8", which is exactly as high as the cable reel sticks up on the Lake-Troll, and the handle of the Lake-Troll sticks out to the side of the body of the downrigger.  The Depthmaster might fit better in one location on your kayak, and the Lake-Troll might fit better on a different location on your kayak.  With respect to overall size, I think these two downriggers are about the same, but which will work better for you depends on where you want to mount it on your kayak.

Base style and size.  The bases of these two downriggers are very similar in size and style.

Ease of cranking.  It’s easy to crank up a six-pound weight with both of these downriggers.  When the downriggers are mounted next to my right thigh, I think it’s somewhat easier to crank up the weight with the Lake-Troll, but in another location on my kayak, it might be easier to crank up the weight with the Depthmaster.  With respect to ease of cranking up the weight, these two downriggers are pretty similar, but I think the Lake-troll is slightly easier.

Brake.  The Depthmaster’s brake is operated with a lever.  When you engage the brake, it stops the cable reel instantly.  However, when you release the brake, the weight goes into free fall.  It’s an all or nothing deal.  I can’t feather the brake to let the weight descend gradually.  To control the descent of the weight, I need to hold my thumb against the inside of the cable reel.  The Lake-Troll’s brake or clutch is operated by the crank.  To raise the weight, you turn the crank clockwise.  To lower the weight, you turn the crank counter-clockwise until the clutch releases.  You can control the descent of the weight precisely by feathering the crank.  To stop the weight, you turn the crank clockwise until the brake or clutch engages.  I think the Lake-Troll’s brake is better than the Depthmaster’s brake.

One hand operation.  Both of these downriggers can be easily operated with one hand.  However, with the Lake-Troll you only need to operate the crank in order to raise and lower the weight, but with the Depthmaster you need to move between the crank and the brake in order to raise and lower the weight.  I think the Lake-Troll is a little easier to operate with one hand than the Depthmaster.

Shortening the boom.  I like to shorten the boom of my downriggers, so they don’t take up so much space, so the pulley and the cable will be located only an inch or so away from the side of my kayak, and so the downrigger doesn’t put as much stress on the hull of the kayak.  Shortening the boom on the Lake-Troll is a ten minute project, because when you shorten the boom the pulley continues to feed the cable into the center of the cable reel.  Shortening the boom on the Depthmaster is a big project, because when you shorten the boom the pulley ends up below the level of the cable reel, and the cable will run against the edge of the cable reel and be bent at a sharp angle.  Raising the pulley so it continues to feed the cable into the center of the cable reel, or adding a device which re-directs the cable into the center of the cable reel, requires a lot of creativity, do-it-yourself skills, and work.  It’s way easier to shorten the boom of the Lake-Troll than it is to shorten the boom of the Depthmaster.

Pulley.  I have a steel cable on my Depthmaster, and the pulley works fine.  I have 175 pound braided low-drag Spectra line on my Lake-Troll, and the line has come off the pulley wheel and jammed against the side of the pulley several times, usually when I’m transporting the downrigger.  I don’t know if this wouldn’t happen if I was using steel cable on the Lake-Troll, and I don’t know if it would happen if I had braided line on my Depthmaster.  But I know that when the braided line gets off the pulley wheel of the Lake-Troll, it’s a pain in the ass.  The only way I have been able to get the line back into the pulley wheel is by cutting off the clip at the end of the line, feeding the line through the pulley, and tying the clip back onto the line.  This is irritating and wastes time.  I've been able to keep the braided line from getting jammed next to the pulley wheel of the Lake-Troll by hanging my weight on the hook on the downrigger's base when I'm transporting the downrigger, and keeping the braided line under tension so it stays in the pulley wheel.

Line meter.  The three-digit line meter on the Depthmaster is quite accurate, and agrees closely with my fish finder.  I find the line meter pretty useful.  On the Lake-Troll, the circular depth meter on the pulley is quite inaccurate.  I ordered a three-digit line meter from Cannon and installed it.  Unfortunately, it’s also pretty inaccurate.  I don’t know if this is because I’m using braided line rather than steel cable, or if it’s because the line meter was designed for a different model of Cannon downrigger. 

The bottom line.  Overall, the Scotty Depthmaster and the Cannon Lake-Troll are pretty similar in size and ease of operation.  The Lake-Troll has a better brake, and is a little easier to operate with one hand.  The Depthmaster has a better line meter and a better pulley.  I find that I prefer to use the Cannon Lake-Troll, but which downrigger works better for you will depend in part on where you mount it on your kayak.  If you want to shorten the boom of your downrigger, definitely go with the Cannon Lake-Troll, as it’s much easier to shorten the boom of that downrigger.

this is yet another awesome write up pmmpete Ive been wondering if anyone had put those two side by side and compared them in terms of use and such Ive been trying to find one of the smaller cannons for my yak after talking with you on an earlier conversation I think it was and decided to go cannon because I am planning to mount it behind my seat either with a gimbal mount or by making a mount like nangusdog did on his trident 13 when he mounted his scotty dr. 

Thanks for taking the time to share this info

I'm currently shopping for a downrigger and have looked at both these models. Thank you very much for the report. It's made my decision easier.

I have the Scotty now, and I had a Canon (not exactly the same but close). I am taking the Scotty over the Canon every time. The line counter is actually visible instead of leaning way to far forward to see the dumb line counter the Canon has on the end of the boom. I was also able to reel the scotty up much more easily since the crank handle is on the top rather than on the side. It was not fun winding the Canon up since it was in too much of an awkward position to crank.

Then again, it is a downrigger on a kayak so……..

Have you ever tried jumping up to an 8lb ball with the cannon lake troll?  I'm curious because I think I will need a slightly heavier ball in the puget sound.  Will likely be down at 100'-110' consistently.  Just picked up the lake troll today, haven't done any tests yet.  And, I haven't purchased a ball yet either.

Cannon advertises the Lake-Troll as having an 8 pound weight capacity, so you shouldn't have any problem using an 8 pound weight.  I've been using a 6 pound weight, which works fine down to 130-150 feet or so as long as I keep my speed under about 2 mph.  But I'm thinking of trying out an 8 pound weight, which should keep my downrigger cable a bit more vertical.

Cannon advertises the Lake-Troll as having an 8 pound weight capacity, so you shouldn't have any problem using an 8 pound weight.  I've been using a 6 pound weight, which works fine down to 130-150 feet or so as long as I keep my speed under about 2 mph.  But I'm thinking of trying out an 8 pound weight, which should keep my downrigger cable a bit more vertical.

I had a hunch throwing up a quick question on this thread (which is a great post by the way) would be just as quick as a run over to the cannon website:)   Thanks for the feedback...
I found a great used model that has the 3 digit counter by the crank... and got a great deal.  Just need to figure out what side of my outback to put it on.

On kayaks it is somewhat self regulating.  Trolling a 6+ pound ball around at 2+ mph starts getting tiring so you end up slowing down.

-Allen

The crank of a Cannon Lake-Troll downrigger is on the right side of the downrigger, so you'll probably end up mounting it on the right side of your kayak, pointing forward.  It'll be easiest to crank the downrigger if you mount it someplace next to your right thigh.  If you mount it behind your right hip, turning the crank may be uncomfortable or hard on your shoulder.

If you mount the downrigger on the left side of your kayak, pointing forward, your leg may interfere with turning the crank, and/or the crank may interfere with pedaling.  I guess you could mount it on the left side of your kayak, pointing backward, so the handle was on the outside.

The crank of a Cannon Lake-Troll downrigger is on the right side of the downrigger, so you'll probably end up mounting it on the right side of your kayak, pointing forward.  It'll be easiest to crank the downrigger if you mount it someplace next to your right thigh.  If you mount it behind your right hip, turning the crank may be uncomfortable or hard on your shoulder.

If you mount the downrigger on the left side of your kayak, pointing forward, your leg may interfere with turning the crank, and/or the crank may interfere with pedaling.  I guess you could mount it on the left side of your kayak, pointing backward, so the handle was on the outside.

Sat in it real quick tonight to see where the upholder was in relation to the seat on the outback.  It might be a bit far back... closer to the hip than the thigh... but I may be able to offset toward the front a little bit.  Will definitely mock it up several ways before I drill anything.

On kayaks it is somewhat self regulating.  Trolling a 6+ pound ball around at 2+ mph starts getting tiring so you end up slowing down.

-Allen

good point.  at least until I get my scotty brand bionic legs.