help with downrigger weights

So I have a scotty lake troller attached to my revo13. Was wondering what type of weights should I use for my downrigger, I used a 2 pound ball with on a recent fishing trip, but it seemed like I wasn't getting the same action as the local boats. The boats seemed to be using 4 pound downrigger weights in the shape of fish. Do these weights make a difference in drag? The smallest weights i've seen like this is close to 4 pounds. Is that a little for my kayak? Also anybody know what a good distance I should let my lure out before I clip it to the down rigger?
Still new to this whole down rigger thing. Thanks

there's a lot of factors.  fish shaped weights will have less drag than a traditional ball. 

things that can result in less scope for you -
braided line on your lake troller instead of wire
more weight - but remember whatever goes down has to come up, so you will have to crank that back up
efficiency of downrigger ball - the wider it is, the less hydrodynamic it is.  a small fin will help the ball track
downrigger capacity - i think the laketroller arm is rated up to - edit, according to pdf, its 3lbs. I think you'll be fine with 4 but if it breaks you won't have anyone to blame but yourself unfortunately. http://www.scotty.com/scotty-support/documents/Laketroller.pdf
connection to kayak - how is your laketroller connected to your kayak?   i would be hesitant to put too much weight on it if the scotty mount was just riveted to the kayak and not backed, for example
speed - the faster you go, the more scope you will have

also, don't forget boats have the advantage of fishing two downriggers at once. its possible to do that in a kayak but i think it would just be too much hassle.

Sweet info bmb.. I have attached to gear track that has a metal backing plate. Im trying to find a fish weight thats less than 4 pounds, but it seems they don't anything lighter. Looks like i'll swap out the stainless steel line for braid. Thanks for the info

Fishermans Warehouse has 2.5 lb fish shaped DR weights.  I use it all the time.  It tracks straight.  I think they carry a 4lber too.

i'll have to pick one up before the next time i head out. I was going to go today to pick one up but they were already closed

Bass pro has a powder coated cast iron 4#er for about 15$. Great weight for cheap.

I'm able to catch fish with the smaller weight. You say you weren't getting the same action as the local boats. Do you mean they were catching more fish? If so then I would guess it's because they know the lake and were trolling the right lure at the right depth. Keep at it and things will get better.

I use a 4lb fish shaped one on my Laketroller. I would use heavier if I dd not have to wind it back up all the time.

I've used 4 lb and 6 lb. BPS has cast iron balls that have a fin on the back and track straight.

Thanks for all the info.. Traildad - your right those guys had it dialed in. I watched them catch quite a few fish while I had only
managed two fish all day. They had the hot ticket while I threw every lure i had at them, Hopefully i'll be able to dial it in on friday when i head back out.

I use a 4lb fish shaped one on my Laketroller. I would use heavier if I dd not have to wind it back up all the time.

Do you use a shuttle hawk? It works well and reduces the amount of weight retrieves needed.

4 lb weight on my laketroller here as well. Nobody chimed in for your distance back question. I usually run 20-50 feet of set back. If I see fish on my fishfinder that come up and follow my DR ball I will bring my line in closer. If the water is really clear I'll drop my line back further.

Setback depends on depth and clarity. If shallow run further back. Same as if more clear.  Deeper you can run closer to the ball. I tend to run further back than most people all the time. 100-150'. If dragging the bottom for Macs or Browns I run close to the ball in combo with flashers in the ball. I do run flashers on the ball most of the time too. The shuttle Hawk from Shasta Tackle  works well too, but is easier if you are on a pedal kayak.

Keep in mind that a 3-lb lead ball might actually result in less blowback (what you're calling "scope") than a 4-lb cast iron, given the cast iron will be significantly bigger (more drag).

As far as the shape, I don't think you'll notice a whole lot of difference in blowback between the fish shaped and round (especially at slow trout/Kokanee trolling speed).

My recommendation: Buy a 4-lb LEAD (!!!) weight of whatever shape you can find locally.


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