Scotty Sure Stops

[pescador]

I am curious how others have set up their scotty sure stop systems. I assume you have to discard the black rubber bumper that normally rests on the terminal gear connected to your rubber snubber? You use the supplied terminal connection to clip on the rubber snubber that connects to your lead ball and that's it? Seems like a lot of terminal gear being connected.

 

[RogersonCrusoe]

That sounds right on all accounts (unless I'm missing something).

My setup:
200lb Braid double-palomar knot direct to crane swivel / sure stop (I use Rite Angle's product, but it's the same premise) without any other hardware as it may jam in the pulley. I then use the coastlock to attach the snubber - Scotty 371 (http://scotty.com/product/no-371-trolling-snubber-wo-sampo-swivel/), then the ball.

The ball sits a bit below the water in my case, but I don't think there's too much attachments going on.

 

[advTHXance]

I use a length of paracord, with a small loop to tie the braid to, and a larger loop to attach the cannonball. No swivels or terminal tackle whatsoever, the only caveat being you have to use a finned cannonball to prevent line twist.

As for the particulars, the paracord is 2mm diameter (any thicker and the knot sometimes snags on the downrigger pulley), and i use a length of about 7 or 8 feet to start with. Make a simple loop of about 2-4" in one end, and a larger loop of about 1' at the other end. The simple loop knot at the top acts as a stopper. Tie the braided line to the smaller loop the same way you would to a swivel, with a palomar knot. Feed the larger loop through the cannonball eye, and then around the ball, and thats it. You can fine-tune the finished length of cord depending on how you like yours set up. I prefer my cannonball to hang a couple feet below the pulley, with my downrigger booms fully retracted, so my paracord snubber is about 4.5' finished.