Downrigger help for newbie.

[vangoalie]

Started fishing a couple of hears ago but new to electric downriggers last year. It seems sometimes when I drop my line after hooking onto the downrigger the leader tangles itself back up with the line back towards the downrigger line. Most often i can tell as the line starts jumping around as if there is a fish on the line from the flasher running sideways under the water. I have tried to slow down the lowering of the rigger and speeding it up but it just seems to happen too often to me and its frustrating. Any thoughts as to what I might be doing wrong. Let me know if you need anymore information. thanks for all your help!

 

[Clint r]

Started fishing a couple of hears ago but new to electric downriggers last year. It seems sometimes when I drop my line after hooking onto the downrigger the leader tangles itself back up with the line back towards the downrigger line. Most often i can tell as the line starts jumping around as if there is a fish on the line from the flasher running sideways under the water. I have tried to slow down the lowering of the rigger and speeding it up but it just seems to happen too often to me and its frustrating. Any thoughts as to what I might be doing wrong. Let me know if you need anymore information. thanks for all your help!

Your keeping it In gear when your lowering it, right? Speed up a bit til your at near your depth then back off the throttle to your desired speed and fine tune to whatever your depth will be. Also have a look at the swivel to the downrigger ball. If your running a round ball it can twist And if your swivel is sticky it can get ugly.

 

[MikeyL]

This happened to me before as well. I found that the clip is too close to the flasher or your lure? try a longer leader before clipping onto the release clip.

 

[vangoalie]

Your keeping it In gear when your lowering it, right? Speed up a bit til your at your depth then back off the throttle to your desired speed.

I'm not losing anything nor is it coming unclipped from the downrigger line, just the leader is tangling back onto the line before the flasher, so the flasher becomes the front running under the water sideways.

 

[vangoalie]

This happened to me before as well. I found that the clip is too close to the flasher or your lure? try a longer leader before clipping onto the release clip.

View attachment 74135

ok thanks, depending on what i am using my leader from the flasher to the bait is usually 5-6 feet and about the same to the downrigger line, which one do you think i should extend and by how much? thanks

 

[vangoalie]

Also my scotty downrigger clips are about 4 feet long, cheers

 

[kingblazer84]

Started fishing a couple of hears ago but new to electric downriggers last year. It seems sometimes when I drop my line after hooking onto the downrigger the leader tangles itself back up with the line back towards the downrigger line. Most often i can tell as the line starts jumping around as if there is a fish on the line from the flasher running sideways under the water. I have tried to slow down the lowering of the rigger and speeding it up but it just seems to happen too often to me and its frustrating. Any thoughts as to what I might be doing wrong. Let me know if you need anymore information. thanks for all your help!

do you run finned rigger lead? if your run just the circle lead might be spinning while dropping causing the line to twist up.

 

[Brett83]

Clip on at least ten feet up from your flasher. I go about 15 feet. You should be able to drop as fast as you want without and tangles

 

[Rain City]

Keep your drag tight and the rod bent while you're dropping. Slack in the line will screw things up.

 

[MikeyL]

ok thanks, depending on what i am using my leader from the flasher to the bait is usually 5-6 feet and about the same to the downrigger line, which one do you think i should extend and by how much? thanks

i usually clip my release clip at the swivel clips on my snubber. my line is about 10-15ft from the boat.

 

[vangoalie]

do you run finned rigger lead? if your run just the circle lead might be spinning while dropping causing the line to twist up.

Hmmm, they are round canon balls, not finned, I just purchased two finned ones recently, i never had problems with my 10s that were finned but they were on manual riggers.

 

[vangoalie]

Clip on at least ten feet up from your flasher. I go about 15 feet. You should be able to drop as fast as you want without and tangles

Ok I will make that longer I am generally clipping about 5 to 6 feet away, maybe too close,

 

[kingblazer84]

Hmmm, they are round canon balls, not finned, I just purchased two finned ones recently, i never had problems with my 10s that were finned but they were on manual riggers.

id start with all of the above including the finned rigger balls and see how it all goes!

 

[vangoalie]

Keep your drag tight and the rod bent while you're dropping. Slack in the line will screw things up.

will tighten up too, I do usually remove most of the drag to drop, thanks

 

[vangoalie]

id start with all of the above including the finned rigger balls and see how it all goes!

Thanks appreciate all the advice!!

 

[Corey_lax]

Ok I will make that longer I am generally clipping about 5 to 6 feet away, maybe too close,

It's this. Let out enough line that your flasher is 15-20' back from the boat then clip it on. Way too close at 5'. That should be your leader length from flasher to lure.

 

[Tugcapitan]

will tighten up too, I do usually remove most of the drag to drop, thanks

And this

 

[Stosh]

Vangoalie
Not sure if anyone has mentioned it but, you may want to slow down how fast you are dropping the ball.
Stosh

 

[tinboatrobb]

I clip my flasher no more than 10 feet from flasher way more productive that 15 or 20 feet back for me.

 

[Reeltime]

Sounds like the ball is free falling with not much boat speed to straighten the fishing gear out, you said it never happened on your 10 lbs, 10's
probably took it's time going down as 15's will drop like stink if your not applying the breaks on the rigger while ball is dropping, just find the sweet spot speed on the breaks in and out, speed the boat up a tad.. You can go 5'.. you'll just have to either gun the boat or go really slow on the rigger.. but like what everyone said 10-15' is the sweet spot..