sub-troll//canon positive ion question

[wnysteel]

just installed a sub-troll, upgraded from a canon speed and temp. in the directions, it mentions that they recommend disabling the positive ion "thing" on our canon electric downriggers.

so 2 questions...

1) is it really necessary?

2) if it is necessary, any clue on how to do this?

thanks in advance. hoping to get out this weekend for a shakedown!

[wnysteel]

bumping this up, many views, no replies. no one has a thought or opinion on this?

[tangler]

I'm going to assume that they are concenned about interference since the sub troll is wireless. "Positive ion control" applies a very low voltage to the rigger cables as an attempt to attract fish, or to prevent the cables from picking up stray voltage and thwarting them. If you have not read the BLACK BOX BOOK, then you should. You can buy the book from pro troll or just borrow one. U probably should disconnect that feature of the downriggers to eliminate any false info. I dont run cannons and cannot tell you how to do this, but it cant be too difficult. Good luck, JUSTIN

[ERABBIT]

If your sub troll is like mine you hve a coated down rigger wire. When you put the coated wire on did you strip the end clean and make sure that it touches the steel shaft on the down rigger ? If you didn't then the PIC on the Cannon downrigger is disabled. If you did hook it up so the bare wire is against the shaft seem like the coated cable is going to do away with most of the current getting into the water........

here is a link to contact Cannon by e-mail :

http://www.cannondownriggers.com/contact_us/

Here is what they have to say about the PIC on that site :

The Positive Ion Control System

Your boat has an electrical charge around the

hull in water. If a boat is properly bonded and

properly zinced, that charge should be slightly

positive when measured from ground to the

downrigger cable. Positive Ion Control (PIC) is the

use of electricity to control that charge and its

fluctuation so that it is always maintained at a

specified set voltage.

The practice of setting up and maintaining a

slight positive charge on fishing gear has been

used by commercial fishermen for many years.

This practice has enabled some fisherman to

increase yield when used along with other good

fishing and boating practices.

Cannon’s electric downriggers offer fishermen

a big advantage in being able to stabilize and

control the positive charge around their boat.

Because of the Lexan® construction of the frame,

Cannon downriggers are insulated from your

boat’s hull charge. When the stainless steel

downrigger cable is lowered into the water, the

natural ionization between the cable and the boat

creates a positive charge of 0.7 to 0.9 volts in

saltwater and 0.3 to 0.6 volts in fresh water. This

natural voltage is dependent upon salinity and

mineral content of the water. Your actual voltage

may vary.

How the Positive Ion Control System Works

The PIC system uses an internal circuit that

passes the voltage through the drive train of the

Mag 10HS \ Mag 10TS \ Mag 5HS to the reel set

screw. The set screw contacts the cable. Care

must be taken to ensure contact between the

cable and the set screw when replacing the cable.

The positive Ion Control system applies a

constant 0.6 volts on the trolling cable at all times.

Measuring the Natural Electrolysis and PIC

Voltage on Your Boat

A voltmeter with a scale of zero to one volt will

measure the natural electrolysis. Place the ground

lead of the meter on the motor or the battery

ground. Place the positive lead on the stainless

steel downrigger cable while it is in the water. The

downrigger must be unplugged. The voltage you

measure on the volt meter is your boat’s natural

electrolysis voltage. Use the same set up to

measure the PIC voltage; just plug in the Mag

10HS \ Mag 10TS \ Mag 5HS.

Using Positive Ion Control

Positive Ion Control is very effective when

trolling. The zone of attraction created at the

downrigger wire will attract the fish. It is best to use

a short drop back between the downrigger release

and the lure. Drop backs of 10 to 20 ft. are typical.

A drop back of 50 to 100 ft will entirely negate the

effects of the PIC circuit.

The PIC can be one of your best fishing

advantages, depending on fish type and location.

For example, Puget Sound Steelhead may not be

effected the same as Great Lakes Steelhead. To

fully benefit from PIC technology, it is important that

your boat is properly grounded. For more

information on this subject, refer to “Secrets of

Fishing with Electricity†by Ollie Rode.

Blowback

Simply stated, blowback is what happens to the

downrigger weight when you pull it through the

water behind your boat. As your speed increases,

so does the horizontal distance between the weight

and your downrigger. The faster you go, the farther

the weight is behind you. The farther the weight is

behind you, the shallower the weight is.

The following charts provide you with blowback

information for three sizes of Cannon downrigger

weights pulled at three different speeds with no

lures attached and with no current. Current drag,

water salinity and the use of non-Cannon products

will affect your actual trolling depth.

As an example, the first chart shows that if you

are trolling at 4 MPH with an 8 pound weight and

you have 100 FT. of cable in the water with no

current; the downrigger ball is actually at a depth of

about 80 FT.

POSITIVE ION

[holy mackerel]

I 've had no problems with Subtroll and Cannon riggers. You need to to strip the cable against the spool if you want the short stop

to work. I haven't done anything to disable the positive ION. Maybe i've just been lucky.