Braid vs Wire for Downriggers
- Thread starter cby
- Start date
Charlie
Well-Known Member
Braid vs Cable?
I fish Cannon with the "Positive Ion Control System, so I am not up to speed with Scottys. A friend of mine who does use Scottys has a black box. It doesn't seem to help "him" any! [8D]
This is what Cannon has to say about the electrical charge around your boat! I like the thought of braid but I am still using cable. I don't want to lose the electrical charge of the downrigger cable! ??
"The Positive Ion Control System. Your boat has an electrical charge around the hull in water. If a Boat is properly bonded and properly zinced, that charge should be slightly positive when measured from ground to the downrigger cable. Positive Ion Control (PIC) is the use of electricity to control that charge and its fluctuation so that it is always maintained at a specified set voltage. The practice of setting up and maintaining a slight positive charge on fishing gear has been used by commercial fishermen for many years. This practice has enabled some fisherman to increase yield when used along with other good fishing and boating practices. Cannon electric downriggers offer fishermen a big advantage in being able to stabilize and control the positive charge around their boat. Because of the Lexan® construction of the frame, Cannon downriggers are insulated from your boat’s hull charge. When the stainless steel downrigger cable is lowered into the water, the natural ionization between the cable and the boat creates a positive charge of 0.7 to 0.9 volts in saltwater and 0.3 to 0.6 volts in fresh water. This natural voltage is dependent upon salinity and mineral content of the water. Your actual voltage may vary.
How the Positive Ion Control System Works The PIC system uses an internal circuit that passes the voltage through the drive train of the Mag 20 DT to the reel set screw. The set screw contacts the cable. Care must be taken to ensure contact between the cable and the set screw when replacing the cable. The positive Ion Control system applies a variable 0.2 to 1.2 volts on the trolling cable at all times. To adjust the Positive Ion Control, simply turn the PIC knob on the back of the Mag 20 DT housing (see below). Measuring the Natural Electrolysis and PIC Voltage on Your Boat A voltmeter with a scale of zero to one volt will measure the natural electrolysis. Place the ground lead of the meter on the motor or the battery ground. Place the positive lead on the stainless steel downrigger cable while it is in the water. The downrigger must be unplugged. The voltage you measure on the volt meter is your boat’s natural electrolysis voltage. Use the same set up to measure the PIC voltage; just plug in the Mag 20 DT and adjust the PIC knob to the voltage desired.
Using Positive Ion Control Positive Ion Control is very effective when trolling. The zone of attraction created at the downrigger wire will attract the fish. It is best to use a short drop back between the downrigger release and the lure. Drop backs of 10 to 20 ft. are typical. A drop back of 50 to 100 ft. will entirely negate the effects of the PIC circuit. Fishing depths greater than 125 ft. may require a slightly higher PIC voltage. If you return to shallow water fishing remember to turn the PIC voltage down again. The correct PIC setting for your best fishing advantage varies, depending on fish type and location. For example, the proper setting for Puget Sound Steelhead may not be effective for Great Lakes Steelhead. To fully benefit from PIC technology, it is important that you xperiment with the PIC setting to find the proper voltage for the gamefish in your area. For more information on this subject, refer to “Secrets of Fishing with Electricity” by Ollie Rode."
Just food for thought!
Sitkaspruce
Well-Known Member
Curios as to why everyone is using #200 powerpro??
I have been using #130 Tuff xp in neon Yellow and have no problems. The bungie snap at the end is supposed to break at #75, so you can go lighter in the main line. I change the knot after every trip. So far, so good.
Cheers
SS
I have been using #130 Tuff xp in neon Yellow and have no problems. The bungie snap at the end is supposed to break at #75, so you can go lighter in the main line. I change the knot after every trip. So far, so good.
Cheers
SS
CIVANO
Well-Known Member
I called Powerpro and they said I should use 200# test for 12 or 15# ball and 150# for 10# ball or less. I asked why 2-5# of ball weight equates to 50# increase in line test. They did not have an answer. They did acknowledge however that uing 150# with a snubber should not cause a problem. I put on 150# and a snubber and have bounced bottom with 12# cannon ball in 200' of water with no loss of equipment. I also ask what the difference between the downrigger labeled line and their standard line is and they said there is no difference.
Joe
Joe
searun
Well-Known Member
I've been using the power pro for the last 3 years with great results. One other idea you may want to try as a stop is to tie in a swivel at the point where you would normally want your stop. The swivel acts as a permanent stop - and bonus is it never moves. As for stacking, you will still need the red scotty stops. The other thing that helps is to bend your clips outward to give them more gripping power when attached to the cable.
5 years on my riggers and no sign of any trouble been in the weather and just as strong as the day it went on i tied on a swivel to close te gate on rigger when bringing up cannonball it stops when ball is at surface of water also stopsclip from sliding up when manuallytripping clip. way less problems hopefully wont use wire again.
juandesooka
Active Member
The Scotty stacker release clips solve this problem, no slippage, and no need for crazy glue or any other gizmos.
I regularly forget about the upper line when stacking, especially in the excitement of playing a fish, and have lost many release clips when the top one hits the downrigger arm and pops off. The stacker release clips solve this problem too -- when the top green clip hits, it pops off, but the little metal clip loosely attached to the downrigger cable allows it to just slide to the bottom.
Highly recommended.
scott craven
Well-Known Member
Where's the best place to buy in Victoria ?
looking for about 600'- 150-200lb braid.
Thanks
looking for about 600'- 150-200lb braid.
Thanks
Charlie
Well-Known Member
I haven't been looking for braid, but you might want to give Seattle Marine a try?
http://seattlemarine.net/
http://seattlemarine.net/
scott craven
Well-Known Member
I just re-wound one rigger with 150 lb powerpro...
(Trotac were out of 200lb)
tied a swivel between the braid and a 4' piece of ganion line,
so it acts as a stopper bead.
Hopefully will try it out tomorrow, if it works good, the wire is gonzo !
(Trotac were out of 200lb)
tied a swivel between the braid and a 4' piece of ganion line,
so it acts as a stopper bead.
Hopefully will try it out tomorrow, if it works good, the wire is gonzo !
the fog ducker
Well-Known Member
Hey RS , How well does this line like being used deeply , meaning ,, up and down in 200 - 250 feet , over and over . Does it stay nice and smooth on the retrieval mode , Hope that makes sense , I had issues with the SS cable , made some tweaks to my center guide , now it is real smooth !! , Cheers , FD , not sold on the braid , quite yet [B)]
the Fog Ducker
the Fog Ducker
scott craven
Well-Known Member
Gonna try it out tomorrow, and will let you know...
Tailspin
Active Member
Pretty sure you will ditch the wire RS...Silky smoth retrieve and less drag for winter fish. You won't be dissapointed.
www.tailspincharters.com
www.tailspincharters.com
Slabby20
Active Member
quote:Originally posted by The Fog Ducker
Hey RS , How well does this line like being used deeply , meaning ,, up and down in 200 - 250 feet , over and over . Does it stay nice and smooth on the retrieval mode , Hope that makes sense , I had issues with the SS cable , made some tweaks to my center guide , now it is real smooth !! , Cheers , FD , not sold on the braid , quite yet [B)]
the Fog Ducker
FD,
I've run the same 200lb PowerPro for 3 years. It's still in great shape. I'll never go back to SS cable. It doesn't bind up like SS cable can and runs down and back up smooth every time. Fishing braid deep is a huge advantage over SS Cable because the diameter is so much less that the ball blowback is greatly reduced.
Slabby
SerengetiGuide
Well-Known Member
Changed to braid half way through season this year as was sick of losing cannonballs...works like a charm...now i use 12lbs balls instead of 10...just so i can still use the angle for speed...as the braid is lighter and is pushed around easier. I'll definitely never go back...and if in a rush you can just tie the braid to the clip using a simple double clinch knot...haven't had any problems using it so far.
www.serengetifishingcharters.com
www.serengetifishingcharters.com
the fog ducker
Well-Known Member
Hey Boy's . i'm confused, a little bit ( Normal [
)] ), When switching to a braid line , if you were to run two rigs on the same boat , one braid , the other SS ,same lb test, with the same weight , both trolled at 200 feet, in some descent current , which one will have less drag ,I want less drag , that's the bottom line for me , i fish 200 - 250 feet 70% of the time , My riggers with the stainless line are farely smooth ,they only last 1 season , but , no real complaints , again , less drag would be nice ( I use 15 lbers) Cheers , " Convince Me "
FD
the Fog Ducker
)] ), When switching to a braid line , if you were to run two rigs on the same boat , one braid , the other SS ,same lb test, with the same weight , both trolled at 200 feet, in some descent current , which one will have less drag ,I want less drag , that's the bottom line for me , i fish 200 - 250 feet 70% of the time , My riggers with the stainless line are farely smooth ,they only last 1 season , but , no real complaints , again , less drag would be nice ( I use 15 lbers) Cheers , " Convince Me " FD
the Fog Ducker
scott craven
Well-Known Member
After trying the powerpro 150lb, i'm sold !
changed my other rigger today.
There's less drag, no issues with rusting, bad crimps etc.
Anybody need a black box ?
changed my other rigger today.
There's less drag, no issues with rusting, bad crimps etc.
Anybody need a black box ?
Similar threads
