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Downrigger set-up
#1
Trying to get a little advice here...I have an older (very capable) 16' FiberForm boat, nicely set up for trolling, using 1 manual downrigger on each side...I know how to stack, I do stack once in awhile...I hate stacking....so I've been using a planer board mostly for my second rod....I have purchased a third manual Cannon DR, and would like to install it on the side that I usually use (starboard)....This new one is the UNI-troll 10 STX, with the extendable boom and swivel base......this extendable boom would get my second line further away from my first line by about 4', and my intent is to have less line tangles, and be able to put that second line at the depth I want....or maybe that's troller's utopia?...Any of you guys have any experience with two down riggers on the same side, on a boat that's not 18' or bigger? Cuz I know they're pretty nice on your bigger boats, and often they're all electric....for where I go, manual does fine....tks for any thoughts....
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#2
(06-09-2020, 04:51 AM)Jmorfish Wrote: Trying to get a little advice here...I have an older (very capable) 16' FiberForm boat, nicely set up for trolling, using 1 manual downrigger on each side...I know how to stack, I do stack once in awhile...I hate stacking....so I've been using a planer board mostly for my second rod....I have purchased a third manual Cannon DR, and would like to install it on the side that I usually use (starboard)....This new one is the UNI-troll 10 STX, with the extendable boom and swivel base......this extendable boom would get my second line further away from my first line by about 4', and my intent is to have less line tangles, and be able to put that second line at the depth I want....or maybe that's troller's utopia?...Any of you guys have any experience with two down riggers on the same side, on a boat that's not 18' or bigger? Cuz I know they're pretty nice on your bigger boats, and often they're all electric....for where I go, manual does fine....tks for any thoughts....
Not the answer your looking for, but have you tried using Shuttle Hawks to stack, they come back up to the the top after your line is released and swim back down to a stop on your cable when your line is in the release. If I was adding a 3rd. down rigger to my boat my thought would be, I could run 6 set ups instead of 4.
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#3
It should work use a 6 lb ball go a little deeper with the front one and a close set back like 15 feet  
your speed should not be much over 1.7 mph so blow back should not be a big dill.  right now 1.3 mph is working good for me.
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#4
(06-09-2020, 04:51 AM)Jmorfish Wrote: Trying to get a little advice here...I have an older (very capable) 16' FiberForm boat, nicely set up for trolling, using 1 manual downrigger on each side...I know how to stack, I do stack once in awhile...I hate stacking....so I've been using a planer board mostly for my second rod....I have purchased a third manual Cannon DR, and would like to install it on the side that I usually use (starboard)....This new one is the UNI-troll 10 STX, with the extendable boom and swivel base......this extendable boom would get my second line further away from my first line by about 4', and my intent is to have less line tangles, and be able to put that second line at the depth I want....or maybe that's troller's utopia?...Any of you guys have any experience with two down riggers on the same side, on a boat that's not 18' or bigger? Cuz I know they're pretty nice on your bigger boats, and often they're all electric....for where I go, manual does fine....tks for any thoughts....

I run a little 14' Lund.  Im set up to run 4 down riggers ( 2 on each side. I use the 10 STX and the uni troll.  Have very few problems.  Problems arise mostly when letting out to much line for shallower fish and making sharp turns.  Every now n again a cazy fighting fish swimming across lines can cause a problem.  Overall works great. I run the extendable booms at the front position and the shorter rigger at the rear position on each side.   Then I swivel the shorter riggers close to the boat.
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#5
What you really have to worry about is Positive Ion Control. Wink lol
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#6
(06-09-2020, 04:25 PM)elkantlers Wrote: What you really have to worry about is Positive Ion Control.  Wink lol


I can't belive you brought that back up  Idea Huh Heart
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#7
Tks all...I'll git er done...Tiger P, pretty sure I'll be setting mine up like yours; shorter boom furthest back, and extendable more forward...I just have to get the spacing right....Any other thoughts more than welcome....and I have tried the Shuttle Hawk, but to me it's too much like stacking, and I like the idea of a dedicated rigger to 1 rod....
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#8
I use down rigger then on the same side us planner board and snap on weights. I can make good turn arounds
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#9
(06-09-2020, 04:51 AM)Jmorfish Wrote: Trying to get a little advice here...I have an older (very capable) 16' FiberForm boat, nicely set up for trolling, using 1 manual downrigger on each side...I know how to stack, I do stack once in awhile...I hate stacking....so I've been using a planer board mostly for my second rod....I have purchased a third manual Cannon DR, and would like to install it on the side that I usually use (starboard)....This new one is the UNI-troll 10 STX, with the extendable boom and swivel base......this extendable boom would get my second line further away from my first line by about 4', and my intent is to have less line tangles, and be able to put that second line at the depth I want....or maybe that's troller's utopia?...Any of you guys have any experience with two down riggers on the same side, on a boat that's not 18' or bigger? Cuz I know they're pretty nice on your bigger boats, and often they're all electric....for where I go, manual does fine....tks for any thoughts....

So I have two questions - why do you not like stacking?  Because of line tangles?

Second, and more relevant, do you have adjustable bases?

If you want a third downrigger, mount it about two feet forward of your current downrigger.  Use a swivel base on the back downrigger to swivel the boom out behind the boat, not out sideways from the boat.  Then your third downrigger can be extended away from the boat and you'll have up to 6 feet of lateral separation between the two on the same side.  Not ideal, you'll still get tangles, but if you are quick on the draw, that will help.

Also, if you want to know why you are tangling your stacked rods, I can help you with that too.  It's a much easier solution than the one you are proposing.

(06-09-2020, 04:25 PM)elkantlers Wrote: What you really have to worry about is Positive Ion Control.  Wink lol

That's really hilarious.  You're very funny.
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#10
Downrigerer -- I will be installing my swivel base for the rear set, and right now my forward base (non-swivel) accepts my new extendable boom set...I'm sure I can get at least 2' distance....I think with the 5 to 6' line separation on 2 separate downriggers I can be a little more choosy on my depth choices..Get a hit/fish, or hit/miss on your bottom stacked rod? then you gotta reel 'em all in and start all over again....like I said, done the Shuttle Hawk, still too much puttsing around...I'll still be able to use planer board set-up when I want to....tks for thoughts...
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#11
I started out with manual downrigger , then went with two elect.
then 3 elect then 4 elect. will never go back to just 2 downriggers

sometimes if I have some one good with me, we will but out 6 lines out on downriggers (3 of us) Just to see if we can do it.
also have had 8 lines out.
a lot of the time will run four lines on downriggers and one leaded line out just to see if the fish are on top.

the fun part is when you get 4 on at[Image: Kokanee-Salmon.jpg] the same time. 

sometimes no matter what you do when you have a big fighting Kokanee on he can get you in a line tangle
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#12
To avoid tangles Joe, never run your setback more than 15 feet.  I try to set my lures at the same distance behind the boat.  Which means the setback on my outside DR (the forward one) is about 4 feet longer than the back corner DR.  The old myth about 100 feet total (depth + setback) is just that - a myth.  And like Robert said, with more than one fish at a time being played, tangles can happen.

Depth separation is a matter of personal preference.  Most folks seem to use 10 feet, which is probably good if stacking.  But if you're running one line on each DR, then any separation depth can and does work.  There is nothing magic about 10 feet.  Kokanee schools tend to run in a narrow band of water that is close to a specific temperature spread of about 2 or 3 degrees.  In most of the summer, that band is 10 feet or less in depth.  So why would I need to cover 20 to 30 feet of water depth?  I don't.  I just cover the 10 foot band that most of the fish are in with 4 DRs.  YMMV!

If the fish are working the surface 10 feet, then DRs aren't needed at all.  Run two lines off the back of the boat and two lines on boards 30 to 50 feet off both sides.  Use 50 foot or more setback when working the surface (I generally use 75).  The length of your boat is irrelevant to the number of DRs used.  You can run 4 DRs off a 12 foot boat just as easily as you can off a 30 foot boat.

I normally don't stack lines.  But on those rare occasions I do, I use Shuttle Hawks and keep the high line shorter than the bottom line and at least 10 feet apart.  You don't really need stops on the DR cable for the Hawks, just set their depth using the return on your sonar.

I'll leave you with one last recommendation Joe.  Put swivel bases on ALL you DRs.  Constantly removing and installing DRs while on the water to avoid hitting the dock or another boat while launching or retrieving your boat is going to get old real fast.
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#13
Tks Robert, Bob .... glad you're out there/on here....Always good to hear what you've got to say....I never did like the idea of a constant 10' separation on stacking...and I'm looking forward to maybe a little more options with the third downrigger....and if it turns out like I hope, well, maybe I'll install a fourth one for the partner/visitor's side....Can't say I've ever tripled or quadrupled up...doubled some, and that's enough of a wild ride....maybe with a third (or fourth?) line in that 'magic zone' it'll happen one day....and then I'll be laughing and crying at the same time!! Tks again...and Guluk...
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#14
(06-14-2020, 04:59 AM)Jmorfish Wrote: Tks Robert, Bob .... glad you're out there/on here....Always good to hear what you've got to say....I never did like the idea of a constant 10' separation on stacking...and I'm looking forward to maybe a little more options with the third downrigger....and if it turns out like I hope, well, maybe I'll install a fourth one for the partner/visitor's side....Can't say I've ever tripled or quadrupled up...doubled some, and that's enough of a wild ride....maybe with a third (or fourth?) line in that 'magic zone' it'll happen one day....and then I'll be laughing and crying at the same time!!  Tks again...and Guluk...
Back when the limit on wipers was 6, I had my neighbor and his son out on Willard one evening when we got into them big time and had two triples on that evening.  We managed to net 5 of the 6.  But it was pretty intense and we did get one 2-line tangle.   Big Grin
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#15
(06-12-2020, 04:04 AM)Jmorfish Wrote: Downrigerer -- I will be installing my swivel base for the rear set, and right now my forward base (non-swivel) accepts my new extendable boom set...I'm sure I can get at least 2' distance....I think with the 5 to 6' line separation on 2 separate downriggers I can be a little more choosy on my depth choices..Get a hit/fish, or hit/miss on your bottom stacked rod? then you gotta reel 'em all in and start all over again....like I said, done the Shuttle Hawk, still too much puttsing around...I'll still be able to use planer board set-up when I want to....tks for thoughts...

Yeah, I think that will work.  

Consider trying some lever drag reels.  I like the Avet SX.  It makes resetting a much faster proposition, even when you get a hit on the bottom rod and have to reset both lines when you are stacking.

I think you'll find that a third downrigger probably isn't as effective as stacking two downriggers.  But, I could be wrong since I've never done that.  Let me know how it works out.
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#16
I have a 17 foot aluminum and run two electrics and almost always stack, using 4 lines and rods total it is very easy for me. I use offshore stacker releases. Now I'm going to Jinx myself! I rarely get tangles. It does happen though. Occasionally when we get a triple or the rare quad hookup, it can be crazy.
I stack as close as 5 feet and fish 2 lines as shallow as 5FT and then 10FT at times. I run the top line (shallow one) shorter than bottom, so when bottom hooks up it usually clears the top line. My standard set back is 30 feet on top line and 45 on bottom. I catch plenty of fish and have very few tangles. I catch lots of fish (kokanee) shallow and that 30 foot set back from the boat/ball does not seem to bother the fish. I find it easier to stack than run side planers, which I do on occasion. I have two and used to run right and left planers and four lines on downriggers when there are 3 angler in the boat. It seemed to me the catch rate was not that much better to bother with the planers. They sit in the box most of the time. Sometimes I use the for Wipers at Willard.
Just my two cents worth. Good luck, tight lines, few tangles and have fun !!
Mildog
time spent fishing isn't deducted from ones life
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