Downrigger For Outback

Once upon a time when I owned a 2010 Outback, this is how I set up my Cannon Mini-troll.
 
IMHO, behind the back mounting is crazy.......the one thing I found is installing the sailing rudder was an important change so the Outback tracked as desired.....also assuming you have turbo fins too.

As someone who has done the behind-the-back, I can say that "yes, it sucks".

If you mount the DR on the gunwale where you can reach it (next to or slightly in front of you), you can keep pedaling while you crank your DR and reel up at the same time. This means you can change depths rapidly, on the fly, with less risk of tangling your gear. It also means your tank well won't be full of downrigger, which means you can fill it full of fish (or other stuff).


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Fished the downrigger today installed in the rear.  Aside from the first-day clown show lessons that are better suited for a different post, I had no trouble making up / down adjustments while pedaling.   Since the downrigger's far enough back, I could still carry my small cooler behind the seat and not interfere with the crank handle.  This surprised me after reading the comments here, and now I can keep the cockpit of the boat completely clear on the left side.

I even picked up a nice cutthroat in about 35 feet of water after about an hour or so trolling.

Perhaps the Troll-Master Seahorse (aka Penn Fathom-Master) downrigger on the swivel base has an easier geometry for cranking.

Another vote for a shortened Scotty Depthmaster mounted on a piece of Starboard that attaches to Yakattack rails. I used the same basic setup that AlexB has, I just rotated mine to keep the line tighter in to the boat. Works like a champ, after using it, I can't imagine that it could be any easier to operate.

NICE JOB!  What body of water were you fishing, those look like some healthy sized kokanee.  How deep were you trolling?

Another vote for a shortened Scotty Depthmaster

Another vote for a shortened Scotty Depthmaster mounted on a piece of Starboard that attaches to Yakattack rails. I used the same basic setup that AlexB has, I just rotated mine to keep the line tighter in to the boat. Works like a champ, after using it, I can't imagine that it could be any easier to operate.

Looking good! How did you shorten the depthmaster?

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I have a shortened Scotty Depthmaster which I'd be willing to sell.  It works very well, but I prefer my Cannon Lake-Troll downrigger setup, and haven't used the Scotty for a couple of years.  PM me if you're interested.

Odell lake on 4/9/16, depth varied 20-60 feet no real pattern, slow bite on the troll so the majority of them were caught jigging. They are good size for the most part, I released a few that were next years fish @ 8" or so, most were in the 12-14" range.

I shortened it by cutting down the boom tube and rotating the guide eye up, reversing the brake handle which required some modification of the stop. All in all not bad, pretty easy mod, and with braided downrigger line I have no wear or other issues with the increased line angle on the guide eye.

I shortened it by cutting down the boom tube and rotating the guide eye up, reversing the brake handle which required some modification of the stop.

You could avoid having to reverse the brake handle by mounting the Depthmaster on the right side of your kayak.  But which side of your kayak you will want to mount your downrigger on will depend on where you mount your rod holder, the kind of reel you use, whether the reel is right or left hand crank, and the kind of rod holder you use.  The rod holder should hold your reel firmly with the reel handle facing you, so you can reel in fishing line at the same time that you are cranking up your downrigger weight.

Another vote for a shortened Scotty Depthmaster mounted on a piece of Starboard that attaches to Yakattack rails. I used the same basic setup that AlexB has, I just rotated mine to keep the line tighter in to the boat. Works like a champ, after using it, I can't imagine that it could be any easier to operate.

Looks great! Glad someone benefitted from my post.