DYI Down Rigger?

I have tried homemade and store bought down riggers on the kayak, and have not been pleased with them.  Too much work and gear on the kayak IMO.  BanjoTad turned me onto the Davis Fish Seekers.  Tie right onto your line and you can troll from 10-100 feet just by changing which holes you clip into.  These have worked great for trout in the lakes and salmon in the ocean.  I also have the Jet Divers and Deep Six, but like the fish seekers as they are so easy to adjust.  I have had such good luck with them I use them on my power boat rather than my down riggers.  Just another option for you:

This is a pretty cool product... Do you have any experience with adjusting the depth chart for different speeds? For example mos Kokanee gear is run between 1-2 mph and speedy shiners ( a must for lakes like almanor) run around 3 mph? Is there a conversion chart or does one just adjust which holes to use to compensate for a speed change?

Have I ever said what an awesome group this is? Seriously, this is the best place to learn! I appreciate all of the great advice and comments.

The fact is I don't have an extra reel to use at the moment....so I need to keep an eye open for one on craig's list or at a yard sale. I will check out the Scotty and the one Sonora Mike mentioned as well.

Great Bass 2 - great tips and suggestions! I am pretty handy and try to make my own when I can. But there are days when I will just shell out the moola if I can find a deal (I am all about bargain hunting, hehe).

I am VERY intrigued by these Davis Fish Seekers!

-Cherie

Tell us more. 9 mph to get 30 ft down?  I don't think so. 

Traildad. Think you are reading the chart wrong. Trolling speed is fixed at 2MPH. The chart simply reads in feet and meters.

If your really on a tight budget, the ones Sonora Mike mentioned are good cheap setups. In fact I'm probably gonna get one for a extra, I saw one for 20 bucks on eBay so they can be had cheap.

Whatever way you go, use spectra instead of wire unless you like the humming and drag.  You only need about 50 yards. If you go to a flea market, I have bought old trout rods and penn reels for less than $5.

I have never really tested the Fish Seekers for accuracy.  I have trolled them between 2-3 mph without too much trouble or excess drag.  They have worked well on my spinning rods as well as my heavier conventional reels.  The chart must be fairly accurate as after marking fish, I have set the depth and caught them.  I normally troll them set at 40 feet, but that seems to be the average depth for fish in Shasta Lake.  I have used them at 60-80 in the ocean for salmon.  My dad used one with an apex and caught a nice king out of Eureka at 60 feet.

It would be neat to get a buddy to meter the diver and see how deep it goes at different speeds.  I read somewhere, but can not find the link, an extra 1 mph makes it dive an extra 4-6 feet?  This was on a trout trolling board.  I carry several in a ziplock bag with my salmon gear, or when on the lake.  West marine usually stocks them.

Tell us more. 9 mph to get 30 ft down?  I don't think so. 

Those are feet and meters.  Not mph...lol  Trolling speed is 2mph for the chart depths.  You change depth by using the pre-drilled holes.

i generally prefer downriggers for trolling deep, especially when fishing for kokanee.  i don't want anything disturbing the fight. 

with my hobies, the best combo i've found is:
scotty laketroller+2 1/2lb fish weight
+shuttle hawk
+downrigger rod
= ???

i generally prefer downriggers for trolling deep, especially when fishing for kokanee.  i don't want anything disturbing the fight. 

with my hobies, the best combo i've found is:
scotty laketroller+2 1/2lb fish weight
+shuttle hawk
+downrigger rod
= ???

Plus if your trying to keep your lure with in a foot or two of the bottom a down rigger is the way to go.

Were you able to make one? I have the butt end of a stout rod and an old reel I am thinking about using.

just a heads up west marine in rocklin has 1 scotty lake troller left on clearance for $59, it was also 20% off fishing clearance items when I bought mine also had a 4 lb cannon ball set up with rod holder on clearance for $11, but I grabbed the last one.

AWESOME DEAL!!!!!

My first downrigger was made from bits and pieces I already had in the garage: a Penn Long Beach, some extra 50lb. braid and a piece of thin-walled stainless I had laying around, and a cannonball/clip I found on the bank..total investment = $0.  Fish caught= plenty. 

That said, it was more difficult to crank up, once I swapped over to the Scotty it made things much easier and more precise.  One crank = one foot, pretty fool proof.  If you can swing the Scotty, buy it.  It is rather satisfying to build your own device, put it into action and see it actually work though! 

Tell us more. 9 mph to get 30 ft down?  I don't think so. 

that is meters instead of feet

just a heads up west marine in rocklin has 1 scotty lake troller left on clearance for $59, it was also 20% off fishing clearance items when I bought mine also had a 4 lb cannon ball set up with rod holder on clearance for $11, but I grabbed the last one.

What's the deal with the bracket/post mount. It looks like some are called bracket mounts but look to be post mounts. Is there a way to be sure which one it is when ordering online?