For those folks new to or considering Seth Green (rig) fishing the best way to get a handle on it is to actually see a rig already set up and ask questions about it. A real good place to do this is at Fishy Business and the phone number and address are in my above post. Fishy is a real old school rig guy with a whole lot of experience and he is always eager to explain or discuss rig fishing with folks. Other than actually going out with someone and fishing rigs it is a very good way to get a quick handle on the basics and then put your own twist to it.
darkater1 - I've been with him when he deployed his rigs and after running rigs for most of my life I still would be perplexed doing it .....but t works! I'm still "old school" and much to the dismay of my buddy Arm Byrd I'm sticking with my tried and true methods
I fully agree Jason and I edited my above post to make it clearer that I was referring to my usual 3 rig presentation (2 down side rigs and a jug) when I go to 4 or more rigs I use the heavier weight as well for exactly the reasons you described.
As far as the weight issue of sinkers with rigs goes a lot depends on what you are running for rigs (e.g. wire vs. braid for main lines), what you are running on them (size and number of spoons or whether running cowbells at bottom etc.) and how you actually run them and at what speeds. The time of the season can also be a factor (when fish are up high for example or bottom oriented down deep) The amount of current present may also dictate how much weight you use.. It isn't simply just the amount of weight you get used to per se. You want to use enough weight to get you exactly where you wish to be in the water column (which is the main purpose of a Seth Green rig) and this position varies greatly according to the time of the season. I have sinkers of various weights in the boat from 8 ounces to 36 or so and I often combine these weights according to specific conditions or even changing conditions. There are times like during the summer months when the water temps are stratified that you want to use less weight so that your lures compress together a little tighter in a band within the water column for rainbows , landlocks or browns and at other times the use of additional weight is desirable when fishing deep or towards bottom for lakers. Jug rigs are another aspect....sometimes in high current you get a lot of additional drag through the water so you may wish additional weight to keeep things where you want them. I usually range between 24 ounces for a light rig up high to 48 ounces or so for my heaviest usually with a 3 rig presentation but I have also run 64 oz before with 4 or more rigs. Trolling speed will also dictate the weight used as you need more to keep your stuff down at higher speeds especially with large spoons (e.g. 88's Evil Eyes etc.).
P.S. It should probably be against the law for Hop to use those big sinkers because he is already too dangerous during derbies
I am chuckling a bit because I actually LIKE the slowness because I use 10 lb weights and my downriggers are without autostop as well. After years of using them fishing solo much of the time I can tell by the sound of them when they are nearly up and I have adjusted the "drag" so they will slip a little if they come fully to the top if I'm busy with something else. As far as the slowness coming up I appreciate it because I am often dealing with other things at the same time and it gives me a little time to do those other things (e.g. steering adjustments). I know autopilot is great and so are the high speed downriggers for many folks but I actually enjoy taking my time while fishing and not being in such a rush to get everything over with quickly (something that is a sign of our times). I could get those things if I really wanted them but I actually enjoy taking my time with things and fully enjoying myself (kinda like fun loving I guess ) but it helps being retired too so I'm used to not being in a hurry at this point.
The only "arm" that I have seen is the black plastic emergency handle that came with the downriggers originally. Maybe contact Cannon or someone on here may have an extra they would be willing to part with for you?
The retrieval rate of the downrigger mainly depends on the motor itself, gearing and the amount of weight you are trying to bring up. The recommended maximum weight for that downrigger is 10 lbs although some folks run heavier on them.
The guy's name is Gerry Pease. He is located at 3737 Pepper Road Bluff Point NY (607) 368-2306 or (315) 719-3673 (closed Tuesdays)
Toget there justgo to the road the Keuka State Park is on and go past the park about a mile or so it will be on the left (White House with sign in front) His shop is in the big pole barn there.
Pap and Jason are right save yourself some headaches too because when you are melting lead you want to be outdoors etc. Rich's (bikinibottom) weights are definitely the way to go and they are far superior to the ones you can do yourself more expensively. Troutman 87 (Harvey) also makes some great torpedo weights. I made my own for years and take my word for it it is not worth the effort or expense to mess with on a small scale for personal use.
Rich's email address:
Email address is richmatwiejow@live.com
Harvey O'Hara's phone number:
Troutman 87's phone number is 607 535 2390
They are both great guys to deal with.
Depending on the Lowrance model you can usually purchase a separate paddle wheel for surface speed on the Lowrance website. Be aware there are different ones for different unit models and they aren't real cheap (e.g. about $100) for some. Also they don't automatically setup on the unit you have to go into the nested menu find a questionable label (can't remember exactly what it is called)and set it up to recognize the paddle wheel sensor) otherwise it doesn't do anything and the procedure isn't listed anywhere that I know of you have to explore. The Lowrance folks have never been great about documentation
I've had most of my stuff ready since about a week after last years derby I look forward to it all year long. You'll have no excuses for not doing well with that incredible new rig Nick
The Okuma Magda Pro DX 45's aren't a bad reel and have pretty good capacity and an acceptable drag, they are sturdier than the 30's although the clicker is not real loud (you can probably tell I'm a dinosaur right? )
Shoulda had a pic of Joe biting the head of that lamprey...could have had it framed and put up in the galley....would cut down on having to buy groceries
I hear ya Mike....if things don't pick up at the north end before the derby I may have to ask one of the south guys to adopt me I'm doing a lot of praying right now
It also says OUR PRICE next to the suggested retail price that's where the difference is ADK1. A lot of times individual outlets for products are prevented by the manufacturers from directly disclosing or displaying deep discounts online.