Wire strength

[Thunderjet]

recently lost a fish hawk and ball in two year old cannon wire with a 15 lb  torpedo weight. Should the wire have held ?  Next day lost another ball on a different rigger with same wire. Just doesn’t make sense. Suggestions?

[Gator]

Switch downriggers. It seems like most lost probes are due to the jolting from Cannon's - and if you're using the 250 fpm rate, it's even worse. 

 

Otherwise, bad batch of wire, kinks, wasn't re-rigged at the terminal end this year (cut off five feet every year and redo the hardware). This is just my 2 cents. We ran Cannon for twenty years and donated four or five probes over that period. The Amish Outfitters rigger snubbers may help.

[HB2]

Fish Hawk and Cannon have teamed up . Big money in lost probes . 

 

 

[Thunderjet]

That makes sense. Wasn’t a problem until we went to a heavier ball to prevent blowback. I was leaning toward a bad batch because it happened when line is set or when setting line in release. Will reach out to cannon and the snubbers may help. It’s a bit unnerving. Tough to fish without numbers. 

[chinook35]

I run Mag 10 STX cannons. They are wicked fast. I run 16# torpedoes and fish thief HD snubbers.  One thing I’ve learned the hard way. NEVER let your weight get above the water line.  If it’s hanging in the breeze the rolling and jerking will take your weight every time 

[jollyroger]

USE SNUBBERS WITH THOSE CANNONS!!!!!!

[Thunderjet]

Thanks much. We do hang them to set release. Stupid question then. How do you set your release with it being out of reach?

[Gator]

Either set your release above the ball where you can reach it (ie, we use Scotty clamp type releases and they have a long wire lead) or, and I think this is what he's talking about above, don't just bring the ball up and leave it hanging, use your retroease so it's tight and can't bounce. The side of your boat will thank you too. Gelcoat!! Oops, sorry lol...

[Salty Nut]

I feel your pain, it happened to me twice! Second time just lost the weight, Blacks release and termination gear.

New Cannons, bad wire from their supplier.

I was told by Cannon that the get bad wire sonetimes, they just replace the wire and i had to send the junk wire back.

After the second break i replaced both downriggers with AWF wire someone recommeneded on here and its been fine even with the "speed" and "bouncing" issues.

I dont dislike my Cannons, but i dont understand why they dont put the high quality wire on new downriggers.

 

[HB2]

I took a Scotty power grip and made a 4 ft lead from scrap coated downrigger cable , and attached it to the tail of my cannonball on my probe rigger. I made a another with weed Wacker string and electrical crimps.  Worked just as well 

 

I took a wooden broomstick and put a cup hook on the end . I bring the rigger up and ball is just underwater . I reach down with the stick , snatch  the cable set line in release and throw it over.  Works great.  

[Thunderjet]

Thanks for the help and discussion. I still can’t wrap my head around how a 15 pound weight could so easily and consistently snap a cable rated at 180 pounds. That’s 10 times its max load. I’ve already ordered new cable, 12 lb weights and snubbers. You guys have been a big help. 

[chinook35]

I believe the cannon cable is 135# rating. I have always replaced it with AFW 150# cable.  Keep the weight in the water and use snubbers  and hope for the best 😆 

[Tlaemlein]

I run 15# torpedoes with a snubber on mag 10 cannons. (With fish hawk) No snubber with weights under 15#.(with fish hawk) Always been nervous I was going to snap a cable, but watch guys running there gear no snubbers. Ran them one day this week without snubbers with 15 and I got nervous quick with the bounce. My wire is over 3yrs old too 

[tech2526]

re-terminating the cable every year will help,   there are a lot of stresses at that union that metal cable is not intended to endure. 

[Cody191]

I switched to braided downrigger line years ago. Never looked back. I also don’t have to listen to the humming anymore. 2-3 times a year I cut off 5-10’ and re- tie, takes just a minute with no special termination kits. I also run snubbers but that’s just to give my gunnels a break when it’s choppy.

[seeyawader]

I use 180lb Scotty wire with the cannon mag 10 riggers, never had a problem with wire breaking after I switched to thicker wire..I don't use snubbers but do set the slip clutch on riggers 

[13owhunter]

I found a kink in my wire after one year of hardly any use and went right to braid.  Pretty sure the kink would have lowered the breaking strength considerably.  No idea how it got there.  Wire is simply not forgiving and difficult to terminate.

 

Very confident in 200# braid tied to a 400# swivel with a palomar knot and a snubber to ball.  I do use big john riggers and they take a few feet to come to a stop which seems like the way all riggers should act.

[seeyawader]

I don't think auto stop works on braid on the cannon mag 10's. Maybe someone else has tried the autostop with braid and give their experience

[Sk8man]

I'm anticipating negative reactions to the following comments, but the fact that it has worked for as long as it has speaks for itself. I have used Cannon 10A's since 1985. I have 4 of them. I have had the same wire on two of them since I bought them. They all have 150lb wire. The other two I bought after the first two and replaced the cables about 2000. The specs require only 10 pound weights max and I have adhered to this since I have had them (yest there is blowback plus 100 ft but I can live with it). I have run a Fishhawk Bluetooth probe since about 2016 on one of them. I have been able to afford the newest and latest and greatest replacements all along but I have stuck with the 10A's because of reliability. Other than replacement of the electric cables on each - never a problem in thousands of hours of fishing. Are they slow coming up? yes. Do I care about that? no. I use the time to re-rig my lines and actually view it as a "positive". I set my drag so that when it reaches the top the drag kicks in. I do not have autostop and that is also OK because of the drag setting. I also rigged my probe with a "safety line" via an additional separate wire connection rigged so that the probe will remain if the weight goes. The reason I am saying this is that the "newest latest and greatest thing" is not always the most reliable answer to things, and whatever works - reliability has its merits regardless of age or view regarding it's "outdated" nature.

Edited August 28 by Sk8man

[seeyawader]

Stick with the 10a's , the new mag 10's with the "fastest retriever" is where the problem lies. That discussion has been on the forum before. Last year I switched to 180 lb cable and solved the broken wire issue,,,this year the only issue I have is the new cannons have blown 3 fuses, they just too fast.