Positioning the downriggrs

[fishin_magician]

SIR...

Ever burn out the motors on your Scotties with the 20 lb balls?

Also...

Saw a guy in a large Boston Whaler running 4 60" boom Scotties in rather close proximity recently---wondering how other people do with that? Tangles? Lost balls? Propped Cables?

He had 2 probably mid gunwale in the cockpit, and the 2 rear ones were probably only about 4 more feet astern on each side. He had the 2 front riggers at 90 degree angles with fairleads, and the 2 rear riggers facing directly astern (fully extended with fairleads) beside the massive 250 Verados he was running.

I imagine he was using larger weights (15-20lbs) on the forward downriggers and smaller (12-15lbs) on the rearward riggers, and fishing the forward riggers deeper and the rear riggers shallower...

At the time I saw him he was fishing 1 rod per rigger, I can just imagine this guy flying 8 rods or even 12 rods off that boat like they do in the Great Lakes.

Wondering what other peoples experience is with this?

 

[SIR]

No problems with wieghts yet but still in first year of moving from 15's to 20's... Scotty says 20s are supported...

I can't imagine running four riggers on anything less than a 35' with a wide enough transom to mount all four on the stern. You need a captain, mate and 1+ fisherman just to manage the gear/lines. Used to fish off Toronto with four riggers and four lines all the time. Awesome salmon fishing within site of the CN Tower. Huge stocking programs on both the Canadian and US sides. Hate to admitt it but I caught more bigger fish there than here. More quantity here than there though. Same problems with wind.... somethings are the same everywhere

 

[yammy5]

A buddy tried 4 riggers 2 years ago and it was a nightmare. MOre tangles and lost fish than he could handle. He went back to running 2 riggers and he has caught more fish and has way less stress. There's something to be said for simplicity.

 

[Mornin Chubby]

This works for me.

Downriggers at midship much easier to to work with.

Rod holders at the back. Its nice to take two steps back to gain the line at strike time.

Prop saver? save it from what? the bottom? the odd time you get your line in it....once or twice in a year?

grab the wifes plastic cutting board out of the kitchen and hack it up with the skil saw... make for good backing under the gunnel for those scotty mounts.

3rd rigger out the back doesn't work for me. Perfect place for a rod holder though.

 

[Mornin Chubby]

This works for me.

Downriggers at midship much easier to to work with.

Rod holders at the back. Its nice to take two steps back to gain the line at strike time.

Prop saver? save it from what? the bottom? the odd time you get your line in it....once or twice in a year?

grab the wifes plastic cutting board out of the kitchen and hack it up with the skil saw... make for good backing under the gunnel for those scotty mounts.

3rd rigger out the back doesn't work for me. Perfect place for a rod holder though.