| Savvy fishermen know downrigging is one of the | | | | speed you get a lot more drag. So they likely will |
| best ways to control the depth of their fishing | | | | need a 20lb ball weight. |
| lure-short of Savvy fishermen know downrigging | | | | Once you have an idea of the size of weight you |
| is one of the best ways to control the depth of | | | | want to use, you'll still need to experiment a bit to |
| their fishing lure-short of dropping anchor. Ideally, | | | | be sure you're on track. Go out on the water to |
| of course, you want to be able to keep your lure | | | | the same depth range that you plan to fish. |
| in the depth range where you want it-at the | | | | Adjust your boat speed to troll at the rate you |
| depth where your fish finder is indicating the fish | | | | plan to use based on the kind of fish you plan to |
| are located-at any given point in time. You can | | | | catch. Now lower the ball all the way to the |
| become quite good at doing this after some trial | | | | bottom were you will notice the cable becoming |
| and error, a bit of record keeping and lots of | | | | slack. Then stop it quickly and retrieve some of |
| patience. | | | | the cable to tighten it up. Now check the line |
| I like to use the best. I have used other brands | | | | counter on your downrigger. Here's where the |
| but was never satisfied with their performance or | | | | record keeping comes in. Write down that depth |
| durability. Most of them fell apart too soon or | | | | along with your trolling speed, the ball weight, and |
| rusted out prematurely, so I didn't think that I | | | | the water depth. |
| received fair value for the dollars spent. | | | | Now try experimenting a bit. Adjust your speed |
| But Cannon produces some really great | | | | and repeat, making note of the new information. |
| downrigging systems. They have more complex | | | | Adjust the ball depth at the different speeds and |
| systems, but I like to work with something a little | | | | make a note of that. What you want to |
| simpler, like the Mag 10TS, for example. | | | | determine is how many feet of cable to let out |
| Experienced boaters and fishermen trust the | | | | for a particular depth and speed to get to the fish |
| Magnum because it has been proven to be | | | | you are trying to catch. By using some simple |
| extremely durable and dependable. It includes a | | | | math like a percentage of cable needed to reach |
| fast retrieval rate of 250 feet per minute, also | | | | a certain depth or bottom you will be able to |
| has a short stop feature to stop the motor after | | | | calculate how much cable to let out to be in the |
| the ball leaves the water so as to not hit the boat | | | | depth you desire. |
| and can handle the work load of a deep sea | | | | Personally, I like to stay right around 10 feet |
| fisherman. In particular, the Mag 10TS has a spool | | | | above the bottom. For one thing, I'm sure fish will |
| constructed of stainless steel that can deal with | | | | chase the right bait at that distance. They will |
| the "super lines" popular these days or | | | | swim up for it. But also, I don't like the idea of |
| monofilament. It looks stylish with an attractive | | | | getting hooked on something lying on the bottom |
| metallic white finish, and it features Positive Ion | | | | and having to cut my cable. |
| Control designed to make your boat a fish-finding | | | | Another recommendation is to keep your lead line |
| magnet by creating an electrical field fish are | | | | at 10' or less from the ball to your bait so that |
| drawn into. | | | | you get the benefit of the negative Ion field that |
| To start, you need to determine how deep you | | | | surrounds the ball. You need to be this close to |
| want to be and how fast you plan to troll. When | | | | utilize that. If you've got too much lead line in |
| trolling faster or going deeper, more weight will be | | | | between there, it won't work. |
| needed. This is because you must compensate | | | | Beside the Cannon Mag 10TS there are some |
| for the drag of the water that increases with | | | | other basic needs to get started. Using a good |
| your trolling speed. One example is most Great | | | | sturdy 7' rod with a conventional reel attached |
| Lakes fishermen trolling for salmon set a speed of | | | | and the proper strength line for the fish you are |
| 1.5 up to 3 miles per hour and aim for a depth of | | | | targeting, a well made line release attached to |
| 15 to 30 feet down, so they don't have a | | | | your ball, the right bait and a decent boat, you'll |
| significant drag and can use a 5lb ball. But deep | | | | soon be downrigging like a pro. Downrigger fishing |
| sea anglers fishing for grouper-which often are at | | | | is a fun and enjoyable method of fishing and one |
| 60 feet deep or even deeper-troll at around 5 | | | | that easy to master. |
| knots. With water depth like that and a higher | | | | |