Down-rigger fishing and sidekicks

I am a new 2016 Hobie Outback owner since this spring. I've just installed a sail kit, rudder and Sidekicks. I have sailing experience and went out for my first kayak sail yesterday. It was so good to be out sailing and fishing.
I have gotten a lot of insight from posts from people like pmmpete and browneyesvictim but I would like to hear from anyone about fishing a down-rigger with the Sidekicks installed, even perhaps while under sail power. I am experienced with down-rigger fishing but not from a kayak.

You'll need to figure out how to maneuver around the sidekicks when feeding out fishing line, connecting the fishing line to your downrigger release, popping the fishing line out of the release, and playing in fish.  I haven't used sidekicks, but suspect that you'll want to run your fishing line under the boom of the sidekick when feeding out line before you clip it into the release.  When you get a strike, if the line ends up running between the side of your kayak and the sidekick, you may need to maneuver it outside of or behind the sidekick when playing in the fish.

I don't sail, but suspect that if you mount your trolling rod in front of you so you can monitor its tip, you won't be able to use a sail at the same time.  You would probably have to mount your rod behind you with the tip pointing forward but out of reach of the sail so you could see its tip without turning your head too much.  Can you maintain a good trolling speed of 1-1.5 mph when sailing?

Ok, that makes sense.
I was out on CDA yesterday to try the new rig. Wind about 5mph sailed downwind while trolling with a 3oz canon ball and 70ft of line out to get to 40ft down to where the Kokes were. The bite was pretty hot, caught 9 in about 11/2 hours while learning to juggle everything. It was a blast. I was able to maintain 1-1.5mph by easing the sail to varying amounts.
I think I could handle running the line under the AMAs. Then when I get a bite I could ease the sail and turn towards the bite to help clear the AMA. Practical or not?

I DR fish with sidekicks out of my Revo. It's not too difficult to get my line under the sidekick to get it hooked up to my release. The process might be a little more difficult with a sail and mast in the way.


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OK so I got a deal on a cannon lake troll at cabelas $20 off coupon and $28 club points.
pmmpete I like your idea of utilizing geartrack in the right gunwale pocket of my outback. I have 1" tracks on hand. Could I use 2 side by side in the pocket and spread the load by having a 4 square bolt sequence as opposed to the wider track with 2 bolts side by side. I have not checked to see if the 1" track would fit on the narrow edges on the pocket and even if it did would there be room up under for the backing plates from yakatack.
Ideas?

pmmpete I like your idea of utilizing geartrack in the right gunwale pocket of my outback. I have 1" tracks on hand. Could I use 2 side by side in the pocket and spread the load by having a 4 square bolt sequence as opposed to the wider track with 2 bolts side by side. I have not checked to see if the 1" track would fit on the narrow edges on the pocket and even if it did would there be room up under for the backing plates from yakatack.
Ideas?

I think a single gear track in the bottom of the pocket is all you need.  The track would hold the HDPE plate on which the downrigger is mounted down against the flat surface of the gunwale around the pocket.  If the plate on which the downrigger is mounted wiggles at all as you crank the downrigger, you could screw a block of HDPE to the back of the plate to keep the plate stationary on top of the pocket.

pmmpete I like your idea of utilizing geartrack in the right gunwale pocket of my outback. I have 1" tracks on hand. Could I use 2 side by side in the pocket and spread the load by having a 4 square bolt sequence as opposed to the wider track with 2 bolts side by side. I have not checked to see if the 1" track would fit on the narrow edges on the pocket and even if it did would there be room up under for the backing plates from yakatack.
Ideas?

I think a single gear track in the bottom of the pocket is all you need.  The track would hold the HDPE plate on which the downrigger is mounted down against the flat surface of the gunwale around the pocket.  If the plate on which the downrigger is mounted wiggles at all as you crank the downrigger, you could screw a block of HDPE to the back of the plate to keep the plate stationary on top of the pocket.

Thanks pmmpete for all your advise. I installed my Cannon Laketroller on my Outback beside my right hip in the gunwale pocket using a geartrack and modified ss carriage bolts, the HDPE plate straddles the pocket and provides a very stable platform. I utilized a Cannon low profile swivel base that I removed from my power boat so I can change the angle to suit. I can use the quick detach plate to remove the DR or I can remove the whole assy' by undoing the thumb screws holding it to the geartrax. I'm still fine tuning the positioning for rod holder and fish finder but had no problems during my first outing.
Question: I have a spool of spectra to put on. Could I just tie the spectra onto the end of the SS cable? Normaly this may effect the depth counter but as we know the counter on this model is not too accurate anyway. I have sonar and reels with counters so I'm not too worried about that.
Pete?
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1478857118794781&set=a.182199858460520.49560.100000115213407&type=3&theater

Nice job on the DR install, Anthony!   

pmmpete I like your idea of utilizing geartrack in the right gunwale pocket of my outback. I have 1" tracks on hand. Could I use 2 side by side in the pocket and spread the load by having a 4 square bolt sequence as opposed to the wider track with 2 bolts side by side. I have not checked to see if the 1" track would fit on the narrow edges on the pocket and even if it did would there be room up under for the backing plates from yakatack.
Ideas?

I think a single gear track in the bottom of the pocket is all you need.  The track would hold the HDPE plate on which the downrigger is mounted down against the flat surface of the gunwale around the pocket.  If the plate on which the downrigger is mounted wiggles at all as you crank the downrigger, you could screw a block of HDPE to the back of the plate to keep the plate stationary on top of the pocket.

Thanks pmmpete for all your advise. I installed my Cannon Laketroller on my Outback beside my right hip in the gunwale pocket using a geartrack and modified ss carriage bolts, the HDPE plate straddles the pocket and provides a very stable platform. I utilized a Cannon low profile swivel base that I removed from my power boat so I can change the angle to suit. I can use the quick detach plate to remove the DR or I can remove the whole assy' by undoing the thumb screws holding it to the geartrax. I'm still fine tuning the positioning for rod holder and fish finder but had no problems during my first outing.
Question: I have a spool of spectra to put on. Could I just tie the spectra onto the end of the SS cable? Normaly this may effect the depth counter but as we know the counter on this model is not too accurate anyway. I have sonar and reels with counters so I'm not too worried about that.
Pete?
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1478857118794781&set=a.182199858460520.49560.100000115213407&type=3&theater

I would personally just replace all the stainless line for Spectra DR braid. I went with 150lb but that was likely overkill. A 100yd spool should be plenty. Also if you have a Fish Finder then the depth counter is not really necessary, you should easily be able to see the DR ball on the finder.

Nice downrigger mount!  You can drop your downrigger weight into your water bottle holder when it's out of the water.

I bolted my Cannon Lake-Troll directly to my mount, but wish I had bolted the quick-release base to the mount instead, like you did, because that would allow me to quickly pop the downrigger off the gunwale and throw it into my front hatch if I wanted to quit downrigger trolling during the day, or I wanted to clear the gunwale for a surf landing. I've been thinking of adding the quick-release base to my mount.

I replaced the steel cable on my Cannon Lake-Troll with Scotty 175 pound low-drag braided Spectra downrigger line, and am real happy with it, as it eliminates the irritating hum produced by steel cable.  If you leave the steel cable on the downrigger, you'll be winding the Spectra over a lump created by the fitting at the end of the cable, so I suggest that you take the steel cable off the downrigger.  The only disadvantage of the Spectra line is that when you're transporting the downrigger, the Spectra can come out of the groove in the pulley wheel and get stuck between the side of the wheel and the pulley housing.  Because the Spectra is limp, the only way to get the Spectra back into the groove is to cut off the weight, feed the end of the Spectra  through the pulley with a pipe cleaner or cable tie, and then tie the weight back on.  This is a pain in the ass.  To avoid this problem, I added a hook to my downrigger mount which I hang my weight on when it's out of the water.  When I'm transporting the downrigger, I keep the weight on the hook and the Spectra under tension so it stays in the groove in the pulley.  Since I started doing this, the Spectra hasn't come out of the groove in the pulley.

I routinely troll down to about 180 feet with an eight pound weight, so I installed 400 feet of Spectra on my Lake-Troll.

I worry that if I bring the weight up at high speed and slam it into the pulley, I may weaken or break the Spectra.  So I slow up as the weight approaches the surface, and stop cranking just before the bumper on the Spectra hits the pulley.  Every year I re-tie the palomar knot which attaches the clip at the end of the downrigger line to the Spectra.

What kind of release are you using?  I use braided fishing line, and am a big fan of the Blacks downrigger releases which mount on top of the downrigger weight.  I can quite precisely adjust the release tension for different kinds of fishing.  For example, when switching from kokanee fishing to lake trout fishing, I tighten the adjustment screw from 2:00 o'clock up to 6:00 o'clock, and this reliably gives me the tension I like.

Nice job on the DR install, Anthony!   

Thanks BB. Kudos to all the posters on this site who share their experiences, saves a lot of trial and error.
do you have a DR on your Revo, pics?

I DR fish with sidekicks out of my Revo. It's not too difficult to get my line under the sidekick to get it hooked up to my release. The process might be a little more difficult with a sail and mast in the way.


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You are right. I just had my first use of the DR and had no trouble with the sidekicks. I ran the setback under the sidekick arm then clipped on to the ball. Once running at depth and trolling speed, when the rod is in the holder the line runs outboard of the outrigger.

pmmpete I like your idea of utilizing geartrack in the right gunwale pocket of my outback. I have 1" tracks on hand. Could I use 2 side by side in the pocket and spread the load by having a 4 square bolt sequence as opposed to the wider track with 2 bolts side by side. I have not checked to see if the 1" track would fit on the narrow edges on the pocket and even if it did would there be room up under for the backing plates from yakatack.
Ideas?

I think a single gear track in the bottom of the pocket is all you need.  The track would hold the HDPE plate on which the downrigger is mounted down against the flat surface of the gunwale around the pocket.  If the plate on which the downrigger is mounted wiggles at all as you crank the downrigger, you could screw a block of HDPE to the back of the plate to keep the plate stationary on top of the pocket.

Thanks pmmpete for all your advise. I installed my Cannon Laketroller on my Outback beside my right hip in the gunwale pocket using a geartrack and modified ss carriage bolts, the HDPE plate straddles the pocket and provides a very stable platform. I utilized a Cannon low profile swivel base that I removed from my power boat so I can change the angle to suit. I can use the quick detach plate to remove the DR or I can remove the whole assy' by undoing the thumb screws holding it to the geartrax. I'm still fine tuning the positioning for rod holder and fish finder but had no problems during my first outing.
Question: I have a spool of spectra to put on. Could I just tie the spectra onto the end of the SS cable? Normaly this may effect the depth counter but as we know the counter on this model is not too accurate anyway. I have sonar and reels with counters so I'm not too worried about that.
Pete?
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1478857118794781&set=a.182199858460520.49560.100000115213407&type=3&theater

I would personally just replace all the stainless line for Spectra DR braid. I went with 150lb but that was likely overkill. A 100yd spool should be plenty. Also if you have a Fish Finder then the depth counter is not really necessary, you should easily be able to see the DR ball on the finder.

Thanks Mat, I think that's what I'll do.

Thanks BB. Kudos to all the posters on this site who share their experiences, saves a lot of trial and error.
do you have a DR on your Revo, pics?

http://www.northwestkayakanglers.com/index.php?topic=15803.msg172490#msg172490  Post#17 shows the "downrigger" I use on my revo11.  Got another DR on a revo13 that is a scotty laketroller with a post mount into the mesh map pocket.  Works great for kokanee - just caught a smoker load last weekend!!

Nice downrigger mount!  You can drop your downrigger weight into your water bottle holder when it's out of the water.

I bolted my Cannon Lake-Troll directly to my mount, but wish I had bolted the quick-release base to the mount instead, like you did, because that would allow me to quickly pop the downrigger off the gunwale and throw it into my front hatch if I wanted to quit downrigger trolling during the day, or I wanted to clear the gunwale for a surf landing. I've been thinking of adding the quick-release base to my mount.

I replaced the steel cable on my Cannon Lake-Troll with Scotty 175 pound low-drag braided Spectra downrigger line, and am real happy with it, as it eliminates the irritating hum produced by steel cable.  If you leave the steel cable on the downrigger, you'll be winding the Spectra over a lump created by the fitting at the end of the cable, so I suggest that you take the steel cable off the downrigger.  The only disadvantage of the Spectra line is that when you're transporting the downrigger, the Spectra can come out of the groove in the pulley wheel and get stuck between the side of the wheel and the pulley housing.  Because the Spectra is limp, the only way to get the Spectra back into the groove is to cut off the weight, feed the end of the Spectra  through the pulley with a pipe cleaner or cable tie, and then tie the weight back on.  This is a pain in the ass.  To avoid this problem, I added a hook to my downrigger mount which I hang my weight on when it's out of the water.  When I'm transporting the downrigger, I keep the weight on the hook and the Spectra under tension so it stays in the groove in the pulley.  Since I started doing this, the Spectra hasn't come out of the groove in the pulley.

I routinely troll down to about 180 feet with an eight pound weight, so I installed 400 feet of Spectra on my Lake-Troll.

I worry that if I bring the weight up at high speed and slam it into the pulley, I may weaken or break the Spectra.  So I slow up as the weight approaches the surface, and stop cranking just before the bumper on the Spectra hits the pulley.  Every year I re-tie the palomar knot which attaches the clip at the end of the downrigger line to the Spectra.

What kind of release are you using?  I use braided fishing line, and am a big fan of the Blacks downrigger releases which mount on top of the downrigger weight.  I can quite precisely adjust the release tension for different kinds of fishing.  For example, when switching from kokanee fishing to lake trout fishing, I tighten the adjustment screw from 2:00 o'clock up to 6:00 o'clock, and this reliably gives me the tension I like.

Thanks, the ball in the bottle holder was an unintended bonus. I wasn't sure about adding the swivel base as it adds a pound plus about 1" height to it but figured with the sidekicks it wasn't so important.
I have a 4# and an 8# ball. The 4# was blowing back a lot at 60' and 1.5mph. I was going to buy a 6# ball today as I thought the 8# would be too much. What do you think?
 I favor the Scotty releases and on my rods with braid I have in the past spooled on a long flouro leader so I can clip that onto the release but still have the low drag, high vis feature of the braid. I tried Blacks and the Chamberlain to good effect. I preferred the Chamberlain but the one I had was the one you clip on the cable and can adjust it up and down. Well the inevitable happened when adjusting it and it went to Davy Jones. I'm thinking of ordering another Chamberlain but the not the adjustable one.
http://dev.downriggerrelease.com/products.html