Lets talk Downrigger Braid

Fisher_dude said:
I pretty much do the same thing except I use a big swivel as my stopper. I use a 2 twist palomar knot connecting the braid to the swivel and then just a normal overhand knot with both sides to create a loop in the gangion. I then just loop the gangion through the swivel and back through itself. I do the same to the swivel/snap that I use to connect to the ball.
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Can I ask why you don't just use an overhand knot for the braid to swivel as well? I'm guessing it's because it weakens the braid?
 
advTHXance said:
with all due respect

what is the point of all those swivels and crimps and clips? what does that setup accomplish that braid+paracord+cannonball doesnt?

i see more drag, more points of failure, more time spent prerigging, sharp edges to cut your wet hands on, and you need a special tool to put it together, AND it costs more? even if its bulletproof, when you hang up on something youre not going to pull the bottom up and walk home, itll just break somewhere else.

as with most things in fishing, do whatever works best for you

but also keep it simple
Click to expand...
Perhaps I didn't take time to explain the benefits as I'm a little confused by some questions so I will take a crack at explaining the benefits.

Firstly the material is thinner (less drag) than tuna cord. Secondly, the connection between your braid and the extension is a simple loop in your braid - there isn't a swivel...the only swivel is at the cannon ball end and that is to reduce line twist, but isn't necessary if you want to eliminate it. The blue material with the swivel is the replaceable line for attaching a scotty release clip (see pic) - serves to replace the standard prawn trap style attachment clips many people use - again less drag, cheaper, and a lot less fuss to do a quick change if the clip itself requires replacement. The only sharp edges are the quick connects for the scotty clip, but I haven't experienced any issues with those yet after 3 seasons on the water 90+ days each season.

The real benefit to using this system is its durability and the fact that it really resists breakage when dragged across the rocks, whereas tuna cord will very often break. I fish a lot of rocky structure close to the bottom, so occasional bottom contact is a fact of life. Since moving to this system I have virtually eliminated loss of cannon balls. If you do hook bottom, this system provides a little more time to stop, back up and get the ball off the bottom before things really go wrong. No it is not 100% fool-proof and I do lose some cannon balls. 2 lost last season and 0 the season before. Everyone will have a brain fart eventually, and really hang up...but in most situations you can stop, back up and get her back. That is where the cost savings comes in...cannon balls are way more $$ than this set up. You can ask my tackle supplier how many cannon balls I purchase now vs prior to using this system. No longer contributing to the kids college fund with cannon ball sales....I've advanced to buying fishing rods.

Pre-rigging - yup, I always have lots of replacements ready for quick change to eliminate time wasted during the bite. Better to prepare ahead of time, than scramble when the bite is on. All my pre-rigs have the scotty clip already attached so its just a matter of attaching a new cannon ball, and attaching the rigging to the braid and we are back in the saddle.

Hope this helps explain the benefits, just sharing in case its useful for someone else.
 
searun said:
Perhaps I didn't take time to explain the benefits as I'm a little confused by some questions so I will take a crack at explaining the benefits.

Firstly the material is thinner (less drag) than tuna cord. Secondly, the connection between your braid and the extension is a simple loop in your braid - there isn't a swivel...the only swivel is at the cannon ball end and that is to reduce line twist, but isn't necessary if you want to eliminate it. The blue material with the swivel is the replaceable line for attaching a scotty release clip (see pic) - serves to replace the standard prawn trap style attachment clips many people use - again less drag, cheaper, and a lot less fuss to do a quick change if the clip itself requires replacement. The only sharp edges are the quick connects for the scotty clip, but I haven't experienced any issues with those yet after 3 seasons on the water 90+ days each season.

The real benefit to using this system is its durability and the fact that it really resists breakage when dragged across the rocks, whereas tuna cord will very often break. I fish a lot of rocky structure close to the bottom, so occasional bottom contact is a fact of life. Since moving to this system I have virtually eliminated loss of cannon balls. If you do hook bottom, this system provides a little more time to stop, back up and get the ball off the bottom before things really go wrong. No it is not 100% fool-proof and I do lose some cannon balls. 2 lost last season and 0 the season before. Everyone will have a brain fart eventually, and really hang up...but in most situations you can stop, back up and get her back. That is where the cost savings comes in...cannon balls are way more $$ than this set up. You can ask my tackle supplier how many cannon balls I purchase now vs prior to using this system. No longer contributing to the kids college fund with cannon ball sales....I've advanced to buying fishing rods.

Pre-rigging - yup, I always have lots of replacements ready for quick change to eliminate time wasted during the bite. Better to prepare ahead of time, than scramble when the bite is on. All my pre-rigs have the scotty clip already attached so its just a matter of attaching a new cannon ball, and attaching the rigging to the braid and we are back in the saddle.

Hope this helps explain the benefits, just sharing in case its useful for someone else.
Click to expand...
Interesting setup. What do you exactly mean by “simply loop in the braid to connect the lanyard extension”? Can’t quite understand that part.
 
terrin said:
Interesting setup. What do you exactly mean by “simply loop in the braid to connect the lanyard extension”? Can’t quite understand that part.
Click to expand...
have a large loop in your braid to make the terminal connection. put the loop thru the cannon ( for example ) and immediately put cannon into the remainder of the loop forming a bight
 
Aquaholic said:
That was my first guess but I didn’t want to be too cheeky.
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the brake is adjustable by the 9/16ths nut under the cover not the one one top under the manual handle for the electrics....
 
wildthing said:
the brake is adjustable by the 9/16ths nut under the cover not the one one top under the manual handle for the electrics....
Click to expand...
Good idea from time to time to adjust the nut tension while tied up to the dock. Just enough tension to hold the cannon ball, no more. If you do snag bottom the line will spool out giving you a few seconds to react, stop, back up and get the ball back. I also remove the brake pads occasionally and rough them up with sand paper and reinstall them. They do tend to glaze over after a lot of use. Sand paper touch up really helps.

Also check the braid near the loop end for wear, if there is any chop back a bit...that is the number one advantage of braid as its so much easier than wire to deal with.
 
I do recall that I have used Braid before and not had a problem with it caught lots of fish with it. Now does that mean I'm now a braid guy even if I don't want to admit it? Could I be a braid guy living and fishing in a wire guy?IMG_5952.gif
 
searun said:
Good idea from time to time to adjust the nut tension while tied up to the dock. Just enough tension to hold the cannon ball, no more. If you do snag bottom the line will spool out giving you a few seconds to react, stop, back up and get the ball back. I also remove the brake pads occasionally and rough them up with sand paper and reinstall them. They do tend to glaze over after a lot of use. Sand paper touch up really helps.

Also check the braid near the loop end for wear, if there is any chop back a bit...that is the number one advantage of braid as its so much easier than wire to deal with.
Click to expand...
You can also follow the recommendation from Scotty and set it between 30 and 40 pounds with a fish weigh scale. One service outlet I know of does it right in the middle at 35.
 
Using a scale works too...I'm a little more low tech and lazy when fishing every day, so opt for the least fiddling method. Dump the ball over the side and a quick adjustment with my wrench, done. Operative word = lazy. lol
 
Here’s my setup. Just make sure you make the gangion section first.
 

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Auto stop is a 3(100lb) and the snap swivel to the ball is a 4/0(350lb). Can’t go to big on the auto stop side as it won’t go through the pully. The knot is what triggers the stop. I run 15lb balls and have never had an issue. No crimps and I’ve always got the materials on board to tie a new one if need be. I’ve only ever lost one ball and that was due to the Scotty gangion snapping midway. I’ve tied up new ones for guys on the water multiple times though.
 
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