Downrigger Weight

4.  Choose your DR release carefully. I’ve come to really like clips with adjustable tension. The ones I run are very similar to a chamberlain release, which can be set light enough for 8” Kokanee, or tight enough for ocean salmon. Having the release tension set properly can make a huge difference in your hookup ratio. Too loose, it pops while they are still nibbling and the bait/lure will be jerked away from them. Too tight, and you may have slack as you try and release it from the clip by yanking on the rod aggressively.

That looks like a winner. I've always used the Scotty mini power grip, and there have been times when it did not provide enough tension, and I can't get as much bend in the rod as I'd like, and so on. It looks like the Chamberlain release should be ideal...

I've used Blacks releases for many years.  They work great, and can be adjusted very precisely.  For example, when I'm fishing for kokanee, I point the tension adjustment screw at 12:00 o'clock, and when I'm fishing for big fish like lake trout, I tighten the screw until it's pointing at 5:00 o'clock. If you use braided fishing line, clip-type releases like the Blacks and Chamberlain releases are the way to go.

I always want to be able to see my downrigger weight on my fishfinder, so I know where the weight, and thus my lure, is with respect to the bottom and suspended fish.  The heavier your downrigger weight is, the more vertical your downrigger cable or line will be, and the deeper and faster you can troll before your downrigger weight gets blown back out of the cone of your sonar. High drag lures like Flatfish and Kwikfish lures will drag your downrigger weight out of the cone of your sonar at shallower depths and slower speeds than low drag lures.  I use an eight pound downrigger weight with the Cannon Lake-Troll downrigger I have mounted on my Revolution.

4.  Choose your DR release carefully. I’ve come to really like clips with adjustable tension. The ones I run are very similar to a chamberlain release, which can be set light enough for 8” Kokanee, or tight enough for ocean salmon. Having the release tension set properly can make a huge difference in your hookup ratio. Too loose, it pops while they are still nibbling and the bait/lure will be jerked away from them. Too tight, and you may have slack as you try and release it from the clip by yanking on the rod aggressively.

That looks like a winner. I've always used the Scotty mini power grip, and there have been times when it did not provide enough tension, and I can't get as much bend in the rod as I'd like, and so on. It looks like the Chamberlain release should be ideal...

Wow, another one on the list of things I didn't know I needed. Ordering today!

I've used Blacks releases for many years.  They work great, and can be adjusted very precisely.  For example, when I'm fishing for kokanee, I point the tension adjustment screw at 12:00 o'clock, and when I'm fishing for big fish like lake trout, I tighten the screw until it's pointing at 5:00 o'clock. If you use braided fishing line, clip-type releases like the Blacks and Chamberlain releases are the way to go.

I always want to be able to see my downrigger weight on my fishfinder, so I know where the weight, and thus my lure, is with respect to the bottom and suspended fish.  The heavier your downrigger weight is, the more vertical your downrigger cable or line will be, and the deeper and faster you can troll before your downrigger weight gets blown back out of the cone of your sonar. High drag lures like Flatfish and Kwikfish lures will drag your downrigger weight out of the cone of your sonar at shallower depths and slower speeds than low drag lures.  I use an eight pound downrigger weight with the Cannon Lake-Troll downrigger I have mounted on my Revolution.

That’s the one! They are perfect for the kayak