Downrigger cable voltage.

[Clint r]

Still mulling over the fact that we didn't catch a single salmon this year in either Port Renfrew or Port Mcneill. Last year we couldn't keep em out if the boat. This year, not a bite. Caught some types of fish that we've never caught before and had a tough time catching the species we regularly target. After reading up on the subject, I blame this,



Bought a couple 12.5 lb downrigger weights. Made from two pieces of lead sandwiching a SS fin and bolted together with a stainless fastener. Clipped to the stock stainless clip on the stock stainless cable of my riggers, I think I may have a voltage issue. I'll eventually switch to braided line but there's mot many hours on these ones so will do this first.



I've never believed the voltage myth but I'm rethinking it now. The lack of salmon was my first surprise, but I havnt caught a rainbow yet either with the new weights. Kokanee don't seem to mind them neither do Dolly's, trout though are a different story. Never had such a tough time trying to hook one up. Changing the clips today but won't be able to test them out till next weekend. Will post my results then.

 

[profisher]

You will get lower voltage readings with metal clips and higher with the plastic when running ss wire.

 

[Clint r]

Should I be looking for higher or lower? Can I test the voltage in my driveway or do I need to be in the water? Will the voltage change with the amount of cable I let out? So many variables to try and dial in. Should I switch back to my 10lbers? They're just lead with a brass eye. Never had a problem with them. New boat too if that makes a difference. Running a Johnson main and Yamaha kicker this year too where I've always run Mercurys until now. Or am I just reaching going down that path?

 

[Kisinana]

Posted this a number of years back

Sharks can sense an electrical differential of one billionth of a volt. This is the equivalent of sensing the electrical current running between the positive and negative of a flashlight battery set on the ocean floor 2,000 miles apart.

Other fish, both fresh and saltwater, although not as susceptal in their abilities as sharks, have extraordinary powers to feel electrolysis in the water. Salmon, for instance, can detect voltage changes of .025 of one volt. They will respond to the electricity emitted from a mooching setup attached to a downrigger from as much as 300 feet away
Different species respond to different voltages.
The recommended voltages for common sport species are:
chinook salmon - .60 volt
coho salmon - .65 volt
sockeye salmon - .75 volt
kokanee salmon - .65 volt
halibut - .45 volt
rainbow trout- .65 volt
brown trout - .65 volt
cutthroat - .65 volt
sturgeon - .50 volt

Do an Advanced Search for "voltage". Change to a Single search contact tab and not an exact name match or put my name in the search. We beat this topic up over a number of years on here. There is a ton of information for and against your voltages.

Bottom line, it is called fishing not catching, so I am always game to try anything.

 

[profisher]

BOat has to be n water and the line you are checking must be in the water with weight attached. Use a simple volt meter with positive clipped to ss cable and negative to ground. I like to fall in the .6 or under. I would suspect the new boat. I can run ss fin leads without a problem. Zincs are also important. They should be clean and enough of them. All metal in the water...engines, throu hull fittings, trim tabs etc should be bonded together as well.

 

[Franko Manini]

Clint, go get some brass spreader bars. They are about 1.5" long and have an eye on each end. By adding them to your stainless wire just above the ball, they will change the voltage by changing the mix of metals. If I recall, adding brass to your wires will reduce the voltage. If you are in Victoria, Trotac sells them and they are pretty cheap. In fact I have a couple I don't use if you want to try them.

The point is, they will vary your voltage enough that you can test the theory that it's your voltage that is skunking you.

As previously mentioned, clean your zincs, both the ones on the boat and the ones on your motors. You can also clean your leads, but yours are pretty new so I wouldn't bother with that. Besides, I think that will increase your voltage. You might try painting your new cannonballs too. That will reduce the exposure to the water and should pull down your voltage a bit too.


Franko

MILF (Man, I Love Fishing)

 

[Clint r]

Thanks guys. Lots to digest here. Still have threads to research but the info offered is appreciated. Need to get it in the water but can't until next weekend. Untill then I'll be doing some reading up on the subject.

 

[Seafever]

Stainless steel sandwiched between lead will produce a voltage of .28 volts.......

but when it's connected directly to the downrigger wire via metal clip:-God knows what you're getting.

Personally I would start with using the plastic clips in your pic to isolate the ball.

I've used those for along time and never had any issue with losing d/balls...they hold up well.

I am of the school that believes the ball should be isolated just on principle.....the minute you connect two dissimilar metal you have some kind of voltage......and connecting direct to the wire with no isolation just aggravates the already existing equation......


If you add some zinc to your SS fin..you will get .80 volts

If you add some mild steel you will get .55 volts....

The most noble metal will be the Stainless...the least noble will be zinc or mild steel.....it will defer to the least noble even though you have Lead in the mix.

This would be with the ball isolated.........

And it still might have an effect on your wire voltage readings anyway...one way or another......

 

[Clint r]

My zincs are clean and look good. Still fairly new as they arn't pitted and barely scaled up yet. I do need to ground both batteries together as I'm running the main engine on its own dedicated battery and the battery for the accessories and downriggers off the kicker. I'm in the middle of installing a Perko battery switch right now. That will put both engines and batteries all on the same negative circuit. At the time we were on the island, my kickers charging circuit wasn't hooked up but I would charge that battery with a charger each night. But now that I think about it, I lost my steering connector for my kicker. I had to fab one up from parts from an auto parts store. The new one has plastic ends that snap on to a ball joint. The old one was metal all the way and did effectively tie the little motor into the main electrical system. It was after I made the new steering link that the fishing really turned off. Like 2 Cabezon and one dogfish in 3 days fishing.

 

[cuttlefish]

At the time we were on the island, my kickers charging circuit wasn't hooked up but I would charge that battery with a charger each night. But now that I think about it, I lost my steering connector for my kicker. I had to fab one up from parts from an auto parts store. The new one has plastic ends that snap on to a ball joint. The old one was metal all the way and did effectively tie the little motor into the main electrical system. It was after I made the new steering link that the fishing really turned off.

Got me to thinking you may have some stray voltage running around that new boat. That'll turn off the fishing for sure. Does the boat have a float switch for the bilge pump? Are the wires running to the switch in the bilge? Are there any loose connections or stray wires going nowhere? Are all metals, negative posts of the batteries, engines, tanks and thru hulls bonded together? These are some things that can be fixed/checked while the boat is out of the water. Good luck.

 

[Clint r]

Allright. Did some testing this weekend. Voltage with weight at 75' on the plastic clip runs at .60. With the metal clip .75. Just slightly higher than the recommended voltage. Managed to land a couple rainbows in the 2 lb range and a few decent kokanee. Fish were biting soft this weekend so we hooked up a lot more than we landed. Lucky to catch anything in the heat.

 

[Seafever]

You were fishing freshwater?
That will have a completely different voltage result on wirelines than if you were fishing salt. ( You are not running a black box , I assume).

If it's that high a reading in fresh it will be quite a bit higher in salt.

Don't forget that the deeper you fish with wire lines, there will be a voltage dropoff on the lower part of the line.

When you're down 200ft in the chuck...the upper part of the wire could be .75...but the lower third of the wire could be down to '65.

You get a hotter wire with the metal clip.......but this creates a "hotspot" that messes with the overall hull/wire/zinc equation.

Chinook,Coho and Sockeye all like different voltages anyway according to those who wrote the books on this stuff.

 

[Clint r]

Yes I'm in fresh water. We fish salt water for 2 weeks each year. This year not a single salmon. Was having a hard time catching rainbows in the lake too. The plastic clips seem to have solved that. Or it was just time. I don't know. It's been so hot that fishing has been tough so I'm still not sure. Probably going to switch to braid. Just to eliminate one more variable. Not really into the black box thing either. Just one more thing to worry about. I'd no doubt be
second guessing myself constantly.

 

[searun]

Another tip (I know this from experience), make sure your batteries are clean and DRY. Any water on your battery or in the battery box can act as a conductor and you will have voltage move from your battery through to the transom or hull. One simple test is to put voltage meter on negative then touch positive end on various spots on the battery casing or on your boat nearby the batteries. When you clean and dry the area you should see an immediate change. Hope this helps.

 

[TenMile]

You can chase your tail for years with voltage issues. Switching to braid in your case is going to be the cheapest and fastest thing.

 

[finaddict]

You can chase your tail for years with voltage issues. Switching to braid in your case is going to be the cheapest and fastest thing.

100% agreed. You could be chasing voltage ghosts forever Clint. Swap that stainless for braid and you will never look back, add in a short length of gangnon line from weights to braid for ease of lifting the cannon balls by hand and you will never consider s.s. again. ;-)

 

[Filletandrelease]

You can chase your tail for years with voltage issues. Switching to braid in your case is going to be the cheapest and fastest thing.

I'd have to think no voltage is better than not knowing what you have. Braid and Scottie rubber snub bers. Never leave home without them.

 

[Iwannagofishin]

You can also test the voltage on your weights. You place the weight in a plastic container with enough 'fishing water' to just leave the tip of the ring above the surface. Find a small piece of metal that is identical to the ring material (mostly stainless, brass or copper). Use a digital meter on 2 volts dc and preferably use alligator clips on the meter probes. Connect the negative probe to the dry portion of the weight's ring and the positive to the identical piece of ring metal (used as an extension of the meter probe and same metal gives you a zero base line to start with). Dip the extension metal in the water a few inches away from the weight and note the reading. Readings may be slightly lower than the potential because of the initial resistance of the water. The voltage should not vary much if separation is 2 inches or a foot. Compare to all other weights to find the culprits. Check out my downrigger video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elDMKAvl0Jg

 

[ericl]

I have some similar weights but the lead portion is coated with a vinyl paint. Dissimilar metals in close proximity in saltwater will create voltage/current - it;s basically a battery. i paint all my down rigger balls with a vinyl spray paint from Home Depot. This voltage/current is a different source than that conducted by the steel cable.

 

[sly_karma]

All this gets me thinking too. I have rubber snubbers and power pro braid on my downriggers. How do I test for stray current?