Trolling without a downrigger

Lake fishing topics and discussions belong in this forum. Please, don't post reports in the forum.
Forum rules
Forum Post Guidelines: This Forum is rated “Family Friendly”. Civil discussions are encouraged and welcomed. Name calling, negative, harassing, or threatening comments will be removed and may result in suspension or IP Ban without notice. Please refer to the Terms of Service and Forum Guidelines post for more information.
Post Reply
User avatar
bigdaddy3769
Petty Officer
Posts: 14
Joined: Thu Jun 19, 2014 10:46 am

Trolling without a downrigger

Post by bigdaddy3769 » Fri May 20, 2016 6:31 am

I don't own a boat, so I don't have a downrigger, but when I rent a boat I want to be able to troll deep. How much weight do I need to use to get down to some deeper fish? I'd like to be able to troll at 10ft, 20ft, or 30ft. Is it possible without a downrigger? I appreciate any pointers.

Thank you!

User avatar
zen leecher aka Bill W
Captain
Posts: 815
Joined: Tue May 01, 2007 12:51 pm
Location: Moses Lake

Re: Trolling without a downrigger

Post by zen leecher aka Bill W » Fri May 20, 2016 7:18 am

Buy a portable, clamp on downrigger. The little lake trolls should be less than $100 for everything. Or you may be able to find a used one.


And yes, you can troll without a downrigger. You might get those sinkers with the rubber cores and twist them on your line or a three way swivel with a dropper on the bottom and hang you sinker there. This is how we did it before downriggers were invented. #-o

JAYDOG
Petty Officer
Posts: 50
Joined: Sun Mar 01, 2009 10:04 pm
Location: LAKE TAPPS

Re: Trolling without a downrigger

Post by JAYDOG » Fri May 20, 2016 7:47 am

I have a clamp on plastic cannon downrigger I'll give away free. never used, not sure how much cable is on it. Downrigger only. Lake Tapps area.UPDATE: Sorry it's gone
Last edited by JAYDOG on Sat May 21, 2016 5:16 pm, edited 2 times in total.

User avatar
JoshH
Lieutenant
Posts: 219
Joined: Sat Jun 07, 2014 5:34 pm
Location: Camano Island, WA.

Re: Trolling without a downrigger

Post by JoshH » Fri May 20, 2016 8:23 am

There are general charts out there to give you basic ideas on depth based on weight, how much line you have out, and speed. I do use rubber cored weights, and keep multiple sizes up to 1oz. I have doubled up on 2 - 1oz weights before to get close to 30ft.

Clamp on downrigger would work well too. Dont need much more than a 4lb ball for those depths. If you do go the downrigger route, replace the wire cable with braid. Much less drag and blowback with a small ball.

Skaha
Petty Officer
Posts: 32
Joined: Sat Apr 12, 2014 11:19 am

Re: Trolling without a downrigger

Post by Skaha » Fri May 20, 2016 9:32 am

--try torpedodivers ... due to their shape you can get down deep with less weight.
--lead line another older method for trolling usually with a mooching style reel...length is colour coded so you have an idea of what depth you are at.
--I also use peetz slip weights 1-3 oz depending on speed.
--For sure get a lake chart if you don't have the electronics even using a clamp on style downrigger which is probably only going to get you down to 35 ft... it is not pleasant if you hang up on bottom.
--various diver style like trade name dipsy divers work... again most have a release so when you get a fish on you are not pulling against the diver. You would need a stiffer rod for these if using direct... it can be used in combination with your clamp on downrigger to get some extra depth

User avatar
BentRod
Admiral
Posts: 1864
Joined: Tue May 20, 2008 7:59 am
Location: Issaquah

Re: Trolling without a downrigger

Post by BentRod » Fri May 20, 2016 10:13 am

Deep six divers usually have variable settings to allow for diving to different depths at set speeds. I used them before I got a small clamp on Scotty downrigger. Worked well.

User avatar
ridgeratt
Warrant Officer
Posts: 179
Joined: Thu Jul 01, 2010 5:43 pm
Location: Working on my stress level, So I'm fishing someplace

Re: Trolling without a downrigger

Post by ridgeratt » Fri May 20, 2016 7:30 pm

Before downriggers and cannon balls folks used leaded line granted at some point it fails to go deeper but a easy fix it to add weight at the head end. But it's tried and true for a lot of years.

P.TRICK.KELLY
Angler
Posts: 4
Joined: Sun Feb 14, 2016 11:22 am
Location: Enumclaw

Re: Trolling without a downrigger

Post by P.TRICK.KELLY » Fri May 20, 2016 9:18 pm

I found a great article online...including a section on fishing without a downrigger.

http://www.fishwithgary.com/kokanee_uni ... part1.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

There are 3 parts to the article, and this particular subject is in Part 2.

User avatar
G-Man
Admiral
Posts: 2682
Joined: Mon Jul 14, 2008 9:01 am
Location: Bellevue, WA

Re: Trolling without a downrigger

Post by G-Man » Sat May 21, 2016 2:54 pm

I'd suggest using snap weights. Have a look at the Offshore Tackle site http://www.offshoretackle.com/snapweights.html and either get a kit or just buy the snaps and add your own weights. I like them as you can get the weight quite bit away from your lure, which helps with fish that are spooked. You need to experiment a bit to get the feel for how deep the various weights will take your gear relative to your trolling speed. When trolling without a downrigger, knowing how much line you have out really helps. The expensive method is to get yourself a line counter reel. Before I picked up a couple of those, I used braided line and marked off 50' sections using a black magic marker.

User avatar
bigdaddy3769
Petty Officer
Posts: 14
Joined: Thu Jun 19, 2014 10:46 am

Re: Trolling without a downrigger

Post by bigdaddy3769 » Mon May 23, 2016 6:12 am

Thank you for all the advice!

Post Reply