05-19-2004, 07:02 PM
Prov17 did a good job. Here's some more info...
[url "http://www.offshoretackle.com/2004articles.htm#HOW%20TO%20USE%20A%20DOWNRIGGER"]http://www.offshoretackle.com/2004articles.htm#HOW%20TO%20USE%20A%20DOWNRIGGER[/url]
I'll share my secret for trolling with downriggers at the Gorge. First off, at the Gorge I always start out trolling with the downriggers (except in the winter when I'll fish the surface). If the weather is calm AND if I mark an area with lots of big arcs on the graph, I'll stop and jig. Conditions have to be right for jigging. If they're not, I'll keep trolling.
Use the biggest pop gear you can find and follow with a frozen whole minnow. Attach the pop gear right behind the ball and lower the ball into the water so you can watch the blades. Adjust your speed so you're going as slow as possible and keep all the blades turning. Lower the ball slowly to prevent the pop gear from wrapping around your line and the downrigger cable (common problem with short leads). Then you have to balance between watching the graph, steering, and keeping that ball plowing the bottom. You don't want to snag the ball, but you want it bouncing off the bottom and stirring things up.
[url "http://www.offshoretackle.com/2004articles.htm#HOW%20TO%20USE%20A%20DOWNRIGGER"]http://www.offshoretackle.com/2004articles.htm#HOW%20TO%20USE%20A%20DOWNRIGGER[/url]
I'll share my secret for trolling with downriggers at the Gorge. First off, at the Gorge I always start out trolling with the downriggers (except in the winter when I'll fish the surface). If the weather is calm AND if I mark an area with lots of big arcs on the graph, I'll stop and jig. Conditions have to be right for jigging. If they're not, I'll keep trolling.
Use the biggest pop gear you can find and follow with a frozen whole minnow. Attach the pop gear right behind the ball and lower the ball into the water so you can watch the blades. Adjust your speed so you're going as slow as possible and keep all the blades turning. Lower the ball slowly to prevent the pop gear from wrapping around your line and the downrigger cable (common problem with short leads). Then you have to balance between watching the graph, steering, and keeping that ball plowing the bottom. You don't want to snag the ball, but you want it bouncing off the bottom and stirring things up.