Testing a 25lb ball on a Scotty 2106 Rigger

Rockfish

Well-Known Member
Was out off Sooke yesterday from 9:30 to 12:00 for the Chinook Opening. We missed the early tide change and the current was ripping and the tide was at extreme low at the marina so there was a strong flood current around 5 mph where we were. I have had a used round 25lb ball on the boat for some time and decided it was good conditions to test it for blow-back control with the strong current.

Our riggers are mounted rather far forward on the boat. On the non-kicker side of the boat in that kind of current it is easy to to get the rigger steel cable blown back high enough that in a turn to starboard to get the cable up and over the prop and hung up on the leg of the non running main outboard (which is on a large pod way out the back) with both a 15 and even a 20 lb ball. When that happens it is a ***** to lift it off which we have had to do 2 or 3 times. Normally I try to make most turns to port to avoid this in strong current and if I have to turn to starboard I will have my partner/s watch the cable angle while making a rather wide turn. It was often a bit of a struggle (“your getting close”), (you are turning to tight”), etc.

We put the 25lber on and immediately noticed that it did a much better job of keeping the ball under the boat and at a decent angle away from the main leg than the 20lb ball did when turning to starboard in the strong current.

Normally because the riggers are far forward and the transducer is way out the back on the pod we can often track the rigger balls on the sounder (even at 200 khz with its narrow beam coverage) from 35 to 55 feet down with 15 or 20 lb balls, depending on conditions. The 25 on the port side however could be tracked on the sounder down to depths of just over 100 feet. At one point it was rather satisfying to see the 15lb ball trail on the sounder down at 50 feet and the 25lb ball on the port side (the transducer is mounted on the port side of the pod) down at 100 feet in the water column. It was reassuring to see the deeper ball approaching a reef and then come up and over it on the sounder as we raised it and to see fish arches above or below the ball trails and know exactly where in the water column our lures were.

With the high speed 2106 riggers it feels like a 10lb ball will launch into orbit when it breaks the surface and the 15’s and even the 20’s come up very fast compared to the 1106 slow speed riggers. The 20 comes up a little slower than the 15 but you don’t really notice the difference much. When you use a 25 on the 2106, however you really do notice the speed difference as it slows it down considerably.

In the strong current the 25lbs did keep the ball deeper and under the boat which may of help us hook up our only large Chinook of the trip (way over slot). I started us out in deep water and asked for the ball to be raised periodically as we headed towards shallower water. The big Chinook actually hit as the ball was being raised from 90 to 70 feet. Some of the guy who prefer the 1106 riggers say they think they get strikes on the 1106 when the start bringing it up and think they won’t with the higher speed of the 2106. If they are correct slowing down the 2106 with a 25lb ball may help with that. I have triggered a bite on occasion with the 2106 by tapping the up button for a second or two even with a 15lb ball on it, just off the bottom.

Conclusion.

The way my boat is configured I will use the 25 ball sometimes as it has advantages in strong current, at least till I lose it. Not sure where I would get another one. For slower current I will stick to the 15’s and 20’s. Even the 20lbers put a lot of extra stress and wear on the cable and terminal tackle which can lead to failure and lost gear. With a 25lb ball I suspect one would really need to be diligent with cable and rigger terminal gear inspection and more frequent replacement and the redoing of connections etc.
 
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Another thing to consider is 15lb weights that have a rudder so to speak. My buddy is in the same situation and has modified a fin as to to drive the ball away from the boat so it is always going outwards. Each ball is set for each side of the boat.

Seems to work pretty darn good.
 
The big Chinook actually hit as the ball was being raised from 90 to 70 feet. Some of the guy who prefer the 1106 riggers say they think they get strikes on the 1106 when the start bringing it up and think they won’t with the higher speed of the 2106. If they are correct slowing down the 2106 with a 25lb ball may help with that. I have triggered a bite on occasion with the 2106 by tapping the up button for a second or two even with a 15lb ball on it, just off the bottom.

This is similar to the technique often used at Rivers and some other lodges with cut plug or whole herring with no action or attraction gear at all. Putting the boat in neutral and letting the rigger ball become vertical, then popping in gear and giving then throttle a mini blast and then back to trolling speed...often you will get a hit from this. It works.
 
I contacted Scotty about using a 25 lb ball in the past. They said it would wear out the 2106 downriggers as they’re not designed for it.
Time for Scotty to come out with the 3106.....
 
I contacted Scotty about using a 25 lb ball in the past. They said it would wear out the 2106 downriggers as they’re not designed for it.
Time for Scotty to come out with the 3106.....

I got the used 25lb ball off a guy in Victoria who had sold his boat and apparently his boat was once a testing platform for Scotty gear. So I think it may well be the same 25lb ball that Scotty was testing the 2106 with. We were out today and did not use the 25 as the current was not a problem till mid afternoon and the 20lb ball was working just fine. The 25 does slow it down and kind of turns it into an 1106 as far as speed goes.

I have also heard that Scotty is not big on going beyond 15lbs on the 1106.

I also got a 12lb all steel ball (off the same guy) that Scotty was playing with for a while and has the Scotty name on it. Never seen one before so perhaps one day it will be a collectors item. - not a round ball and kind of weird shaped.
 
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I got the used 25lb ball off a guy in Victoria who had sold his boat and apparently his boat was once a testing platform for Scotty gear. So I think it may well be the same 25lb ball that Scotty was testing the 2106 with. We were out today and did not use the 25 as the current was not a problem till mid afternoon and the 20lb ball was working just fine. The 25 does slow it down and kind of turns it into an 1106 as far as speed goes.

I have also heard that Scotty is not big on going beyond 15lbs on the 1106.

I also got a 12lb all steel ball (off the same guy) that Scotty was playing with for a while and has the Scotty name on it. Never seen one before so perhaps one day it will be a collectors item. - not a round ball and kind of weird shaped.
I’m only adding what Scotty told me. I thought 25’s could solve some high current deep trolling situations. I’ll have to try it myself.
 
Still a good idea. Think the 25lb would be fine. I think if you were fishing deep all the time like 150 down might be hard on riggers. Your always fishing shallow anyway...
 
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