Downrigger set-up

[nyforests]

I ahve been having difficulty this year trying to run 4 riggers. My boat has an 8 1/2' beam, I run a rigger at each end. In addition I have one on each rail pointing 90 degrees to the boat. I run cannons and I think they have a 4 or 5' boom. My problem is down rigger lines crossing. Is this a fixable problem, or do I need to find a way to extend the side riggers to say 8'? I have tried the "directional" balls with little luck running a blacks release above them (I may try attaching to the ball, like a rudder, to help it run true ) and I have tried pancake weights with a near disaster (lowered the weight and it caught water , went sideways into the prop, luckily all I lost was the weight).

I am open to suggestions. thanks!

[ray koziatek]

Jim, the only time i try 4 riggers is when im way out deep and running straight for long ways,in close the currents are pretty goofy as you know all to well ,,center riggers deep with side upper depths helps me a lot ya got to take forever to turn and bump it up a bit helps too also i run the fish weights with just a "slight" bend in there tails to the sides (dont mix up sides like someone did on my boat )and balls down the shoot and i never put release on the weight as it kinda steers the weight around.when the temp drops to 80ft plus i never run more than three and will sometimes pull the downwind side befor the turn kinda a pain but much quicker than a good ol 4 cable weave job in 3ft chop.. ps i have axcess to the fish mould if ya wanna play with some molting lead..

[windburn]

Ray, I run those 10# fish weights also. What I did to avoid mix up is to mark my side "out down" riggers with a strip of spoon tape (different color per rigger) and then marked the appropriate fish weight (with bend) with the identical tape. My starboard corner gets a fish weight with a straight tail. The port probe rigger gets a 12# true-trac, yeah I get a lot of blow back (ST900). This way even I don't mix them up!

[waterlogged]

nyforests,

We run 4 riggers all the time on our BlueFin 19'. Haven't experinced any crossing. All have 5 or 6 foot solid booms and they are in close proximity to each other. Even when I used 8# torpedo (yellow plastic coated weights) we had no problems in shallow waters or out deep. I thin my beam is just shy of 8'. We don't even keep track of which weight goes on which rigger - just throw one on.

When you say "fish weights" are they the ones that actually have side fins or do they just have a keel on the bottom? Also if they are the torpedo style is the keel bent or straight? The soft lead can get bent on the keel and cause the weight to track in or out.

Clarke

[MANIAC]

Jim, I run 4 riggers often and haven't experienced much of any problems. The outdowns have 6' booms, 2' booms on the corner rigs. I run all 12 lb tru tracs and put them on wherever. I use Scotty pinch pad releases snapped to the tail fin of the weights. On my probe rigger I use a Scotty stacker above the probe and have noticed that the ball will sway around since there is no pull on the tail fin to help stabilize it.

[Richard]

Jim,

I have a 19' smokercraft with an 8' transom, Cannon downriggers witht the extendable booms. 4' extentions on the out/downs and two foot on the corner riggers. I use 13lb. torpedoes on Lake ontario and 6lb. balls on local lakes here on Cape Cod. I have yet to have a problem with balls tracking. I have had the torpedoes from 15 feet down to 150 feet down in the big lake and the balls from 5 feet to 60 feet down without issue. Like posted above check to see if the fins are bent. Bent fins will cause a lot of problems.

Good luck

Richard