Cabela's Black Box Opinions ???

[Badhabit]

Let's get some feedback regarding the Black Box induced voltage theory. I don't believe in adding voltage to the downrigger cables, yet my fishing partner does. I believe salmon are repulsed by any stray voltage . How about the rest of you, whats your take ?

[Bad Habit]

Guess I need to find a new name!!!

[Badhabit]

Naw...............name is OK, I'm on the East shore, You're centrally located. My boats have been named Bad Habit since the eighties..........now it's your turn ! My Large boat days are over, I'm in a 16' side consol Starcraft now.

[kingslamon22]

my OPINION...black box is waste of money. dont need it if you have almost no voltage reading in the water. if you cannot get rid of voltage in the water, then you need it to regulate how much you have. whene i bought my boat i swore it was bad luck. then i found out how to test it and sure enough, bilge wires were touchin water and that was enough to circulate electrical current into to the water with downriggers down. fixed that and no more voltage. .002volts. whether it helped or not i dont know for sure, but im restin easy and i had a great year.

[Bad Habit]

Just kidding about the name! My first Bad Habit was in 1985, a 1971 16' Rinker. one other boat in between but now it's a 25 foot Regal. Unfortunately I don't know anything about the black box....Sorry.

Rick

[skipper19]

Got one on my boat. The static voltage reading is in the positive side of the current which is OK. It is negative current that supposedly repulses fish. If you have that problem, then you might find a benefit from the black box being able to counteract the effects of the negative charge on your cables. As far as the black box showing a significant change in the mood of the fish, I can't say. I have fished for hours and forgot to turn it on and then did so, only to find that nothing really changed on that day, but then other days it did soooooo, I am not going to say it helped for sure 100% but it didn't ever stop a good bite either. For the money it is worth finding out about your voltage on the cables hanging in the water. It will be different for different bodies of water and for different conditions of the water day by day. It also depends on how much cable you have hanging in the water column.

The only thing I can say after all this is that, for piece of mind as far as the unknown goes, it helps to see the consistency of a constant positive charge on the cables that is not repulsive to certain species of fish. If you have negative charge on your cables and the fish are in a positive charge environment then they will be subjected to a discharge from them the closer they get to your cable spread, and have the came result as us when we experience a shock, discomfort....There is a science involved here that fish are magnetically and electrically guided as they swim, but I am just a truck driver and I know little of the magic involved there.

Mark

[Badhabit]

Thanks for the reply Mark- we have taked readings with a low voltage meter, at the dock ,and away from the other boats at dock, but not with 100' of cable out. That would be interesting to see the difference. Pos/Neg voltage discharge is very obvious in a marina, where some anodes will corrode quickly, and others will never need to be changed. ProTroll has a pretty good explanation on line...........worth a look. - Jack http://www.protroll.com/books/?id=5 copy & paste this site.

[Jack]

Hi !

Was wondering if anyone used braided line instead of cable for their riggers and if it wouldn't eliminate the voltage problem ?

If you do use it ,will it last as long as the cable ?

http://www.scotty.com/fishing-gear-equi ... d-line.htm

Thanks

JT

[skipper19]

http://www.protroll.com/books/?id=5&p_id=3

Chapter 2 here has a very good explanation of galvanic action between an UNCOATED downrigger ball and the metal snap and stainless cables of the riggers. Often I thought that the coating was there to protect the boat from being beatup by a swingung ball or rolling around.....which it does ...but stopping the galvanic action is the biggest factor, and for what reason, IT IS IN YOUR LURE SPREAD, , specially with short leads from the ball. Lead is in car batteries for a reason, it only makes sense that a coated ball is your best protection, as well as a coated or heavy plastic attachment to the swivel on the cable, and eye of the ball. It makes mention of wheel weights as a source for manufacturing rigger balls, and the impurities of other metals in the weights being even more receptive to stray electrical fields.

BY the way, I have the Pro Troll Black box, but It is the same as the Cabela brand. I run my box on a constant .600 when starting out and usually leave it there unless I get the "feeling" for something to change. The natural voltage on the cables is usually between .200 and .300 depending on depth and days used and the condition of the water. I also have a fiberglass boat which is more insulated but it is the electronics on the boat and outdrives that are the biggest culprits of electrolosis.

If the ball is a visual atractor to the fish then it can't do any harm to make them feel goooood, when they come closer for a look. Hence, I have shortened my leads from the ball spread considerably. I used to use leads over 30 feet more often, but have found the results to be a little better with shorter leads now. I also run the current on all 4 downiggers to get a more even distribution.

Mark

[jimski2]

Using braided line has eliminated my need for downriggers. I can easily reach 100 foot of water trolling with a 3 ounce sinker, 30# braid and spoons, etc.

[Richard Bullen]

Badhabit

I do believe I learnt sumtin!! the site for the black box on how to check your current discharge said that the accessory battery has to be grounded to the main battery. Will check this and also noted the suggested use of Coated DR ballsVery Much Appreciate it hopefully I can Change the boats current discharge wid a minor adjustment worth looking into for sure.

Happy New Year

[coast2coast]

i also heard you should ground your kicker motor if you have one.

[Gator]

They're using electricity to deter Asian carp from getting into L. Michigan, and fish have the capability to generate/receive small electric impulses...some folks think that's why the e-chip works...but there is very little evidence that a low strength field affects feeding behavior. Of course, that means you can't say it doesn't, either. Jury's still out. The problem is, the initial "evidence" that supports this idea is very different from the way it's being put into play.

I knew a guy once who did some research on using electricity to impede the formation of dental plaque. It was published in a mid-tier peer reviewed journal, but never got much press. Then the guy started doing infomertials to sell his new "electric toothbrush...scientifically proven to work!" and now he's a gazillionaire. Go figure. Does it work? I don't think even he knows...

I guess I'm a skeptic.