reeltordarius
Well-Known Member
Great idea, new method for the boat here on out.
Tangled up in the turns.....
- Thread starter Randy waugh
- Start date
TheBigGuy
Well-Known Member
Ditto here on the gaff. It's about the only thing I use it regularly for, unless I'm Hali fishing.
All of the suggestions above are great ones and should eliminate your problems. If you still have issues after trying all those suggestions consider running an inline triangular flasher. You can use it as a dummy or attatched in front of your lure. They track in a straight line and don't swing in a big circle that can cause cross overs. Just another option. The Big Als fish flash has just started selling in Canada. I found it worked great last season in the large UV model as a dummy flasher off the ball. Then you can run your release clip 4-5 feet up and your spoon or bait 7-10 feet back of the clip. Pretty hard to cross lines with your leash that short.
All of the suggestions above are great ones and should eliminate your problems. If you still have issues after trying all those suggestions consider running an inline triangular flasher. You can use it as a dummy or attatched in front of your lure. They track in a straight line and don't swing in a big circle that can cause cross overs. Just another option. The Big Als fish flash has just started selling in Canada. I found it worked great last season in the large UV model as a dummy flasher off the ball. Then you can run your release clip 4-5 feet up and your spoon or bait 7-10 feet back of the clip. Pretty hard to cross lines with your leash that short.
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FisherTim
Active Member
Another thing not mentioned about having the riggers so far out is stress on the gunnels. A 30 inch boom with a 15lb weight will give you about 45 foot-pounds of torque, plus a bit for water resistance, at 60", you'll be putting on 90 foot-pounds of torque on the gunnel. That's like having someone stand on the boom 6" from the downrigger at all times. Now imagine someone jumping on that boom while you brake it going down. If you get snagged with fresh, unafraid braid/wire, you'll be putting up to 750+ foot pounds of torque on the gunnel before it ends up breaking the line if your brake seizes. In a little aluminum boat that is enough to completely f#$@ it up. Not to mention that from the whole boat's perspective, that's the same as putting 2 170 pound guys on one gunnel, I wouldn't risk it. I've got extendable scotties, but they're always fully retracted. On my previous boat, I used a 12" wide 1 1/2" sheet of marine plywood to eliminate that torque, but still kept em in nice and close.
Turn slow, keep the deep side inside, so the higher side rises up, use slightly different weights(10&12, 12&15) putting the heavier on the deeper side, and you shouldn't have any problems in the turns. I find usually 15' back is enough so you don't see the flasher movement in the rod tip.
Turn slow, keep the deep side inside, so the higher side rises up, use slightly different weights(10&12, 12&15) putting the heavier on the deeper side, and you shouldn't have any problems in the turns. I find usually 15' back is enough so you don't see the flasher movement in the rod tip.
scott craven
Well-Known Member
No, that will almost certainly get you tangled.
always use the same weight on each side especially if fishing same depths
As said before fish the lines at different depths...why cover only one depth? I run my gear farther back as I find if I run them closer to the ball they can tangle on the other downrigger wire while dropping them down. Especially if you are fighting a breeze and can't keep the boat perfectly straight during the entire descent. I speed up in the turns to keep the inside downrigger on the turn from stalling...this keeps the balls from coming closer together in the turn. I only make sharp turns to port as my starboard rigger is the farthest away from my kickers prop and could never get into it. I have to be more careful with turns in the opposite direction. Pancake weights with fins definetly help spread the gear apart but at winter depths they will require putting out more wire to reach the same depth as round balls. I use 15 pound weights in the winter and 13's in the summer.
Fisherman Rob
Well-Known Member
I think it's all been said but:
I'd say if you cover these, you should be good to go. Boom length is less of a factor.
- Stagger your depths. Should be 15-20' depth between them. You want to cover the water column to find where the fish are as well.
- Flasher 15-20' back from the clip max.
- Turn very slowly! If you need to turn more quickly, use it as an opportunity to bring up a line an check for seaweed.
I'd say if you cover these, you should be good to go. Boom length is less of a factor.
Given your situation:
Run the gear 20 ft back from the clip unless using plugs
Try to avoid in-line flashers
Bring one side up 20-30ft during the turn - I do stagger depths quite a bit until I dial-in the "hot" depth, then run the same depth.
Tell your wife you NEED a bigger boat
Run the gear 20 ft back from the clip unless using plugs
Try to avoid in-line flashers
Bring one side up 20-30ft during the turn - I do stagger depths quite a bit until I dial-in the "hot" depth, then run the same depth.
Tell your wife you NEED a bigger boat
Matthias
Well-Known Member
I posted a similar question in a "reports" thread (my apologies), but basically my main sterndrive leg picked up the rigger cable on a sharp turn during a ripping tide. (was using kicker so main engine wasnt on, but was in netrual so was slowly spinning and getting more tangled).
My takeaways were:
1. Extend booms
2. put engine in gear so prop doesn't spin freely while engine is off
3. Gradual corners
4. If I'm in any doubt, i will bring up the outside rigger until i feel comfortable.
My takeaways were:
1. Extend booms
2. put engine in gear so prop doesn't spin freely while engine is off
3. Gradual corners
4. If I'm in any doubt, i will bring up the outside rigger until i feel comfortable.
Gear'n'beer!
Well-Known Member
Gradual big radius turns are all fine and dandy when there is no one around, but that generally isn't often the case.....own your turns, speed up! the outside line speeds up and the inside line slows down and you won't get tangles and you won't **** off everyone else fishing around you
Prairie Locked
Well-Known Member
I've found the vast majority of the tangles I have had is due to being idle. My thoughts are my gear on the shallower line drops or swings out and has a likelihood of wrapping around the deeper line.
Knock on wood, but I've never had my deep lines wrap around each other, it's always my fishing line, etc. If I need to stop, I'll either pop the lines off the clips, bring them in, or bring the riggers up to the surface and take up all the slack from the fishing line.
I run a 14' tinny, 60" riggers (typically only extend them out about 40" though), mounted about 4' forward of the transom. I can run fairly tight turns with no issue but will often go against the idea of turning over the deepest line. I typically give more consideration to the speed of the current and will keep the deeper line to the outside of the strongest current - assuming the pendulum swing is greater on the deeper line. Right, wrong or indifferent, this has resulted in next to no tangles so far while in motion.
I also find a good number of tangles that I have are when I try to bring my lines up (with flashers) still clipped onto the rigger. It's more of a PITA, but I'll release my line from the clip first then bring the cannonball up. If not running flashers, much less of a problem.
Knock on wood, but I've never had my deep lines wrap around each other, it's always my fishing line, etc. If I need to stop, I'll either pop the lines off the clips, bring them in, or bring the riggers up to the surface and take up all the slack from the fishing line.
I run a 14' tinny, 60" riggers (typically only extend them out about 40" though), mounted about 4' forward of the transom. I can run fairly tight turns with no issue but will often go against the idea of turning over the deepest line. I typically give more consideration to the speed of the current and will keep the deeper line to the outside of the strongest current - assuming the pendulum swing is greater on the deeper line. Right, wrong or indifferent, this has resulted in next to no tangles so far while in motion.
I also find a good number of tangles that I have are when I try to bring my lines up (with flashers) still clipped onto the rigger. It's more of a PITA, but I'll release my line from the clip first then bring the cannonball up. If not running flashers, much less of a problem.
FisherTim
Active Member
Using a lighter weight on the higher(outside) Downrigger makes it rise clear of the other one during turn, and I have had maybe 2-3 tangles in the last year fishing, with a 6' beam. Just my experience though, the point was more that a longer beam could be dangerous on such a small boat.
N2013
Well-Known Member
Something I'm gonna start doing when running solo, just fish 1 rod. I've been having a similar problem with getting my gear tangled. I'll be trolling along for a while until finally the rods start acting funny and sure enough, I spend the next 5-10min clearing lines and getting the gear back down. In the winter, I catch 9/10 fish right off the bottom on my deepest line. But I still fish two roads because I wanna cover more water. Too stubborn I guess! I'm in a 16' tinny, 6' beam, fishing 100-160' feet, getting bounced around so it's easy for my gear to swing out and snag each other. If I with someone else with me, or the water's good and I got a long tac, I'll fish two rods, but I'm gonna give the solo rod a chance for a bit. Better to fish 1 rod well than 2 rods poorly. Plus is always easier to play a fish with just a clear deck and not be scrambling trying to keep him away from the other side.
advTHXance
Well-Known Member
The problem with fishing a single rod is your boat becomes unbalanced dragging something only on the one side, at least in my experiences.
fogged in
Well-Known Member
fishing two rods should not be a problem.
Be sure both flashers are the same distance from the downrigger.
When letting out the line always do a slow turn to the left when letting your right line out and visa versa when doing the right.
Avoiding the same depth is helpful but not critical.
Always speed up if you need to do a sharp turn.
No fun having tangles!!
Be sure both flashers are the same distance from the downrigger.
When letting out the line always do a slow turn to the left when letting your right line out and visa versa when doing the right.
Avoiding the same depth is helpful but not critical.
Always speed up if you need to do a sharp turn.
No fun having tangles!!
Burban
Well-Known Member
Ill do aggressive turns as well while one rod is down. Ill often take the opportunity to turn when someone's checking their line, then whip around on the line that's still down.
I fish 1 rod when I'm solo too now, its just more relaxing. I fish it on the opposite side I sit, (fish port, sit starboard) and don't have a problem with balance.
If its really calm and I'm in a serious mode Ill go two, but I still catch fish with just one 1 rod down and dirty. I don't really like having one rod still down if I get a good fish on and I don't like screwing around getting a second rod in or trying to avoid that side of the boat.
I fish 1 rod when I'm solo too now, its just more relaxing. I fish it on the opposite side I sit, (fish port, sit starboard) and don't have a problem with balance.
If its really calm and I'm in a serious mode Ill go two, but I still catch fish with just one 1 rod down and dirty. I don't really like having one rod still down if I get a good fish on and I don't like screwing around getting a second rod in or trying to avoid that side of the boat.
dmurph
Well-Known Member
Lots of good advice here on the throttling up through the turn and make sure to follow through for a bit to get the lines all on tact again. Turn to your deeper rod if possible. My set up turns better to one side due to the kicker be mounted on one side I guess, so I try to plan the turn out. My old boat had the riggers mounted midish gunnels and would tangle and I could turn nearly as sharp as I can with the riggers in the back corner of the stern on my current boat.
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