Is rigger blow back really a concern or not ????

[Trout Bum]

Maybe I'm thinking wrong but I don't see why rigger weight blow back and actual depth is actually a concern.

If I'm marking fish at say 80' and my rigger weight is showing on my Sonar at 80', then does it really matter exactly how deep my weight is?

Don't I actually want the rigger at a specific depth relative to the fish I am making?

If this is true, then the actual rigger depth is not significant.

Or am I all wet ???

Thanks,

Trout Bum

[hermit]

The FF shows the distance to the object, not the depth. If the object is directly under the boat they are the same. If the object is off to one side, for example your DR ball, then it shows the distance to the ball as measured by the diagonal. The greater the blowback distance the further off this distance will be. It's a right triangle, with the blowback the short side, the reading on the FF the hypotenuse, and the actual depth the long side of the right angle (middle length of the three sides).

So yes, blowback makes a difference- the greater the blowback the less accurate your readings will be and your ball is in reality going to be shallower than the FF is reading. Of course the fish may not be directly under the boat either and those readings may not be perfectly accurate either... best to err on the shallower side with the DR as fish are more apt to be looking up than down.

[dbutts]

Good explanation

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[Rippin'Line]

Also fish tend to look up when they're feeding so you don't want to be knocking em out with your weight. Lol

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[mr 580]

Not sure how many riggers you are running, but with multiple rigger setups less blow back means easier turns and fewer tangles. Also easier to get a good release set with less blow back. Need to match your weight to your rigger but heavier is better. Yes, rigger blow back and controlling it is a concern.

[Big Water]

The FF shows the distance to the object, not the depth. If the object is directly under the boat they are the same. If the object is off to one side, for example your DR ball, then it shows the distance to the ball as measured by the diagonal. The greater the blowback distance the further off this distance will be. It's a right triangle, with the blowback the short side, the reading on the FF the hypotenuse, and the actual depth the long side of the right angle (middle length of the three sides).

So yes, blowback makes a difference- the greater the blowback the less accurate your readings will be and your ball is in reality going to be shallower than the FF is reading. Of course the fish may not be directly under the boat either and those readings may not be perfectly accurate either... best to err on the shallower side with the DR as fish are more apt to be looking up than down.

So you're saying the actual depth is the length of cable out times the cosine of the angle of deflection? Now my brain hurts!!

[Don Supon]

I adhear to the reasoning that I want my rigger balls to show on the FF. I also want them to be tracking in a depth close to where the fish are showing.

My only real concern about the depth is when fishing in close proximity to the bottom. In that instance I like to use BOTTOM LOCK and SEE the balls. However, with a lot of blow-back, because of boat speed or underwater currents, sometimes I can't see them. I rarely fish with these conditions, typically changing direction to decrease the blow-back. When that fails, I abandon the plan and form a new one as fishing blind is useless.

As you've read, for me the FF screen and transducer angle are the issues to consider. I don't care what the depth counter on the FF or on the rigger counter says, I want to see the fish and their relative position to the downrigger balls. When fish show on the screen and are in position with the lure, but don't take, especially when following, then I have to make adjustments on lure color, lure brand, or lure speed. I do however, take notice of the downrigger counter depth before bringing them up for a fish take, lure change, or false release. That way I can return it to the same depth when corrections are made. Then I watch the FF to make sure they are tracking the same depth as before.

Radio talk about rigger depth only gives you a "ball park" number to start with. Because of differences in readings on different boats, you can use that depth heard to begin the process for YOUR boat. Same is true if the information received is from a close buddy.

A FF is the starting point, and a speed-and-temp unit allows you to fine tune the presentation. Seeing is believeing. Depth counters are not accurate enough to rely on. I run 2 riggers, and both have a different counter number on them when I watch them track at the same depth. And the depth on the FF is a third number. I go with what I see happening.

[momay4000]

Good feedback on this - I always like to apply science whenever I can to fishing, but not at the expense of making things complicated.

In my opinion blowback does matter and it's something to keep in mind. I actually carry a depth chart on my boat which converts actual cable length out on your downrigger to actual depth of your ball, relative to the blowback angle. At most of our fishing depths (i.e. 75-130 feet) and at a typical blowback angle around 30 degrees, your actual downrigger ball depth is about 10-15 feet higher than what the cable reads. At higher depths it's much less (usually only about 5 feet) and at deeper depths (over 150 feet) it can be much more - even approaching 25 feet higher than what the line counter reads. Keep in mind the downrigger line counters are also not that accurate.

Many times my FF doesn't even read my down rigger ball depth b/c of too much blowback and it's a very old unit. However, Hermit hit the nail on the head when he stated that it's reading distance to the ball (i.e. the hypotenuse) not the actual depth of the ball.

So what does all this mean to me? Not much, other than it affords a starting point for me when I first go out or if I'm fishing the bottom and I want to be within 2-4 feet of the lakefloor. If I'm marking fish at 80' and 100', I'm putting my DR's at 80' and 100' on the line counters knowing that they're about ten feet above those fish. After that it's simply repeating what you're doing when you get a hit.

Good luck,

- Chris

[LongLine]

The reading on your rigg'r is important after you catch a fish. Always look at it as your taking the rod out of the holder and befor you crank it up. That way you can get it back to the same place.

Tom B.

(LongLine)

[Yankee Troller]

My reasoning for less blow back is netting fish. If your riggers and lines are blown back bad it makes it tougher to net, and gives the fish more opportunities to run under a cable and crack you off.

Do not angle your ducer back just so you can see your downrigger balls. All that will do is give you false distances to fish as well. Some days currents are bad and your cranking and you wont see them. Slow the boat a little and they will show up so you have an idea of where they are. After you confirm where they are get back up to speed.

It also helps if you have dual frequency transducers. I know Lowrance and Humminbird come with 83/200 ducers. These have wider beams than the 50/200 I am running on my bird, so you should be able to pick up them balls easier. It could be a settings thing too.