Downrigger Weight

That looks very cool!  Wonder if I can find something like that around town.

Where parts for old windows are sold, e.g. recycle shops have them for pennies. That is a 6 lb (see the "6" molded into) counter-weight for a double  hung window. You know it is not a "9" because the hole on top of the weight is where the rope gets tied to it. Those things come in a bunch of different sizes/weights for different weights of windows. The black paint is custom, they are always just unfinished cast iron.

I've only used DR a few times now with some success but thought of something that might be obvious to the more seasoned. Rather than doing math (I used to tutor calculus at one point but wasn't very good at that and usually talked fishing with my favorite student), I let my drafting program do the measuring.

It looks like a deep setting with a long setback is a bad idea as far as the amount of slack you have to recover upon release.
At 30' down and 30' back you end up with about 17' of slack!
At 10' down and 30' back it's only about 8'.
At 30' down and 10' back it's only about 8'.
At 10' down and 10' back it's only about 5.5'.

These numbers are bases on simple triangles and may not be accurate to real world situations but they give you an idea.
I would like to hear thoughts if this is a real world problem. Are people successful with deep long setbacks?

Not that I know anything really about doing a deep and long set back as I'm still usually trolling in the top 25' with my current setup.  But I do want to try deeper especially if trying during the summer or targeting kings.  However I've read a few times about doing it and using another scale if you will for how far to set back while trolling at what depth.  It basically said that you should put out 100' of line.  But for every foot you drop down, lower your setback by the same amount.  So if doing 25ft deep, troll 75ft back.  80ft deep, 20ft set back.  It sounds reasonable, but like I said, haven't actually tried that, and I don't even have a line counter reel     In general I like to have my setback far enough that when I'm trolling that the rod loads up enough to have a good bend, and that I can see the action on the tip that I expect if it's performing right.  Then whatever that works out to, I send on down to a desired depth.  This often means that if i'm not using a DR at all that i'm setting back really far, more like 200ft or more.  That can be a problem on busy lakes though as PB's seem to expect that if your trolling that they wont run down your line and I've lost a bunch of rigs recently due to this.

I don't think salmon are weight shy so you can use a short setback.  Many boats do.  Also when boats are using lead balls they are using short set backs.

I generally have been using a longer setback purely because I want the fish to tire out as they get really hard to net when they are full of energy. 

In terms of weight, I've been using a 4lb finned weight which has worked just fine for salmon.  I see it on my FF even when it blows back.  Only a small percentage of the time does it blow back out of the FF scope, but even then I can roughly how deep it is.

I use a downrigger snubber to add some stretch in case of snagging or touching the bottom.

I've never gone over 4lbs but for me on a Revo not sure how much more weight I want hanging off the side in terms of stability in rough water.

not a bad deal on those window weights on ebay: https://www.ebay.com/itm/391928652784?hash=item5b40c4a3f0:g:u74AAOSwvTpaDxO-

I troll for Kokanee a lot. My set back is usually 90-100 feet and I put the weight anywhere from 30-70 feet deep depending on where I’m marking them. Ocean is a whole different ball game. You don’t need to set it back quit that far. I typically set it back 30’-50’ but it’s not uncommon to drop it down 100’ deep. I can see my 6lb weight on my FF down to 60’ so there’s not much drag with 150 braided line and a coated fish shaped weight.

I may have to move my transducer farther back because mounted in my front hatch it disappears after about 20-30 feet.  Be nice to see it all the time like you guys do.

Yes it’s very helpful knowing how deep it is actually at! The depth counter on my downrigger is definitely not accurate so I never look at what it is saying and just watch the FF. Also having line counter reels when trolling is a must have in my book. You can always get an aftermarket line counter that will save you from buying an entire new reel. My reasoning behind saying it’s a must have is because once you find the right set back you can keep setting it back exactly to that same zone. Last year I had a late start fishing for Kokanee at Bullards so I didn’t know what they were wanting. I had started with a 70’ set back and didn’t get hit until I was at 90’ they wouldn’t touch it under 90’. So it became set catch and repeat.

So it sounds like deep and long setbacks are not the problem I thought they were with slack line. Is it just a matter of paddling forward to take up the slack once the line is released? 

Yes keep moving forward as you reel up the slack until you load up the rod. The deeper you put the line in the clip the more tension you can put on the rod when trolling so when the fish pulls it out or you pull it out of the clip the rod takes up a lot of that slack on its own.

Definitely I gun it if there is a strike with or without a DR, you want to be able to set the hook but you can first put tension by peddling at least a few strokes as you reach for your rod. 

OK, I do want a LC reel, but most of them just seem huge for trout fishing.  Think I'll start another post on small LC reels, see what people reccommend.

OK, I do want a LC reel, but most of them just seem huge for trout fishing.  Think I'll start another post on small LC reels, see what people reccommend.

I use daiwa lexa 100 line counter reels for the lakes. Small low profile reel with good gear ratio.

Hah, I just stumbled on the Lexa LC reel, not sure why I never saw it before.  It does look like a good low profile LC reel and left handed option.  Posted about LC's, wondering what people think about the 5500/1:LC's, reviews seem to be a bit mixed with the digital counters.

A few thoughts to contribute to this discussion…
1. One of the primary purposes of a long set back is to move your lure far enough away from your boat or kayak that fish are not spooked by engine noise or other sounds emanating from your boat or kayak. This is most necessary in shallow water. When trolling deeper, the setback can be shorter without concern for cancelling noise.

2. I have never experienced difficulties with slack line, no matter how deep I set the DR. If you tighten up sufficiently on the reel after setting the DR. The fish strike in most cases will release the DR clip. As long as you keep your forward motion and keep the rod tip high, you should be able to maintain all of the line tension needed. If the fish doesn’t pop it off the clip entirely, I reel while lifting and continue reeling as the clip releases. I’ve always been able to maintain constant pressure on the hooked fish this way. This is not to say I don’t loose fish occasionally, but I don’t think that’s a product of slack line or related to the depth the DR is set at.

3. You don’t need a line counter, though it can make things a little bit easier. Most reel manufacturers will tell you how many feet of line are released with each pass across the spool. All you need to do then is count the passes of line across the spool as you release to get an accurate idea of your setback. Even if the manufacturer doesn’t post this, it’s a fairly simple thing to measure yourself.

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.