how much line for downrigger reels

[tbulhead]

How much mono should I plan on putting on daiwa 47LCD reels for use with downrigger s and what pound test would you guys recommend?  This way I know what to buy.

[rustyrat]

I fill mine with 30 lb ande. Buy the big spool much cheaper. Then you can attach lighter leaders for the application.

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[kingfisher8]

I fill my mono reels with 20lb. Fill them up. Mine have about 550 yards (1650 ft) of line each. The kings will run 400 ft, 600 ft, and even push 1000 ft at times.

[YodaMage]

25lbs Big Game is what I run, minimum 400 yds.

[burrows256]

I have my reels filled with 20lbs flea flicker and I haven't had any problems with fish or water fleas

[Jammer]

Fill it with 30 lb mono which is fat enough to keep most of the fleas off. I use Big Game. Then add a 20 lb fluorocarbon leader.

JAM

[Xxx]

I use the 30# sea flea line 330ft I know a lot of the guys say the strip a lot of line off but with the 30# line I can usually put the brakes to them, just have to remember I only have 20# leader. I always fish with just 1or 2 guys and if we get a monster on we clear the poles and just fight the one fish on and if need be I'll back to them if it looks if we are down on the spool. And then what ever were fishing for I use a 12 # fluro for walleye and 20# for everything else. I use 50ft of the fluro when fishing for walleye and 20ft of the 20# fluro for salmon. I mostly walleye fish. 

Edited November 8, 2013 by pap

[Sk8man]

One of the things missing here is what are you fishing for and where? It is critical to your decision. If it is Lake Ontario that is one thing, and fishing the Finger Lakes is too but if it is a lake without fleas that is another matter.

[mudflat]

A 47 size reel works well with 20lb line and will hold 280 yds, if you want to use 30lb line for fleas you will  only fit a little less than 200 yds on one.  Probably still ok for a rigger rod but I would prefer more line just in case.  I use either a 57 or a Saltist 40 for 30lb line.

 

http://www.fishusa.com/Product/Daiwa-Sealine-SG-Line-Counter-Reels

Edited November 8, 2013 by mudflat

[Sk8man]

If it is Lake O fishing (in late Spring through early Fall) 30 lb Big Game mono would be a good choice and about 240 yds will fit the 47. The main reason for using that lb test is because of the fleas (i.e. larger diameter harder for them to cling to). I have the 30 lb Sea Flee (275 yds fits on them) on two of my 47H's and although it sheds the fleas great  it has way too much stretch to it for any use but on downriggers (can"t even release a small dipsey with it because stretch is so severe).  I have some dedicated 47H reels as well with just 12 lb test Big Game for non-flea parts of the season on Lake O and the Finger Lakes and bodies of water without fleas as well as for early Spring browns on Lake O and they hold about 450 yds of 12 lb Big Game each. You can get about 280 yds or so of 20 lb test on them but it doesn't do as well as 30 for the fleas at least in my experience. For non flea bodies of water I'd go with the lightest line you can get away with for the species you are fishing for.

Edited November 9, 2013 by Sk8man

[Tim Bromund]

I fill my down rigger reels with 350 yds or so of 17 lb trilene XT then back to back uni knot in approx 150' of 30 lb Big Game to deal with the fleas, then a #10 spro power swivel to 6' of fluorocarbon leader to just a duolock snap to the lure. I've been doing this for as long as fleas have been in the lake without issue. I've had pleny of big kings get way into the 17. Personally, I don't trust that straight 30 lb gives you enough line capacity on a typical rigger reel.

I also like that setup for spring shoreline brown trout trolling as the increased water resistance of the large diameter of the 30 lb keeps the stickbaits from diving too deep and hanging bottom in skinny water, I just replace the 20 lb Fluoro with 10 lb.

Tim

[Has Been]

I do pretty much what T Bro does. I run 15, then when fleas so ,put the 150' of 30.

 

 

 Also I keep a bouy w/ a rope to tie on rod & throw overboard if I get spooled. Never had to do that but came close during the Orleans derby w/ my dipsey rod.

[Sk8man]

Tim's method is a good one and "flexible" too. As far as the "getting spooled" issue -  If drags are set right (and operating properly) you should never get spooled....I've never even come close to it even using 12 lb test on 30 lb kings... you make the fish work against the boat and if necessary with large aggressive kings you pull up lines and use the boat against them by going after them. As long as you remain connected they lose.  But it does entail patience and not "horsing" the fish like you see on some of the videos.  The charter guys may be in more of a hurry (time is money) and may not feel it practical to "pull" lines and "chase down" big fish (and it sure is easier with smaller boats) but  the objective is: once hooked to get them in the boat by staying connected to them.  If they can do it with several hundred pound sharks on 10-15 pound test line and light tackle it certainly can be done with kings etc. When you think about the fact that 200 yds is the distance of two football fields...much of the time the "high capacity" issue is more in the minds of the fishermen than in reality.

Edited November 10, 2013 by Sk8man

[Has Been]

I've had a few in my life that took off & would not stop. The one I had in the Orleans had almost 700 ' out & was still going Strong & the spool was getting pretty narrow. Turned the boat to chase him into a rough sea & he   threw the hook.

[MTpockets]

Had 1 out 900 + couldn't turn the boat & shook the hooks we lost it!!! 30# Andy's never go wrong

[Sk8man]

I hear you on the throwing the hook issue. You really have to have very good boat control to do it right because of the "slack" problem and whoever is driving the boat has to be totally focused as well as experienced. Slack line (even momentary) is the number one enemy of the fisherman.

[Tim Bromund]

We had a big king flip a line counter last season (2012).  It hit a braid diver out 200 and the counter was over 500 before i could get it out of the rod holder.  Ended up at 1054 total.  I know it wasn't actually 300+ yards as the line counter gets inaccurate as the spool empties, but it was well over 200 yards.  This was 50 lb power pro, so I wasn't worried about breaking the line, I kept tightening the drag but it didn't matter.

 

Dad fought it to 25' behind the boat and couldn't get it any closer, it just laid back there wallowing and head shaking and eventually the hook pulled out.  It was just the 2 of us on board and I had the boat at idle with a bag out.  Looking back on it I should have 1) cleared the other rods and/or 2) put it in neutral and dealt with any tangles after that fish was in the net.  This was during the fall derby.  My biggest weighed salmon was 38lbs so I have a decent idea what a fish that size looks like and this fish was between easily 35 and 40.   Oh well, who needs 20 grand anyway.  

 

here's the line counter in the 900's

 

 

Tim

[Gill-T]

I think your dad hit the reset button with his watch and the fish was a 12lb coho ......this fish from this fish story keeps getting bigger and bigger LOL.

[Tim Bromund]

No it hasn't. and no he didn't, and besides, would that have made the number smaller?

Edited November 13, 2013 by Tim Bromund

[Sk8man]

I think Tim's example is a good one. One of the factors about drag settings is that for most of the commonly used reels the maximum drag setting is about 15 - 20 lbs. This assumes that the drag is functioning properly and is probably figured on new drag disks. How many times have you ever actually applied the maximum drag to a fish to try to stop him ? I'm betting for most of us it would be never.  The reason is that many experienced fishermen set the drag and leave it at the desired setting which is usually by "feel" and they think that they don't want to "chance" breaking the line. A lot of folks feel that when fighting a fish the drag shouldn't be messed with. I do just the opposite... I constantly manipulate the drag setting according to how the fish is fighting and as he starts to go with the line I gradually increase the tension on him and over the years I have lost very few fish. This year it was one big king and that was because he broke the 40 lb. fluoro right at the fly on his fifth jump (since that I've gone back to 40lb. mono on my flies so they will "give"). When you start to approach the max capacity the fish is actually pulling against the boat itself and when I had my13ft Whaler in the old days a big king would actually pull the boat for short distances so I knew it was just a matter of time...Rather than put the boat in idle I just lowered the speed to the lowest trolling speed I could get...making the fish really work against the boat ....again another advantage to a small boat where you can get better control sometimes.  I know this process may be quite different for the charter guys because they have more unknowns and usually more equipment out (e.g. novice anglers, unfamiliar with the equipment and it's limitations etc.).

Edited November 13, 2013 by Sk8man

[Trouthunter]

10 LB GAMMA   FINGER LKES     OR      20 LB  LAKE ONTARIO    BULK SPOOL   CAN NOT MISS

[Has Been]

All these things I have to remember.Set the drag properly, Don't get slack in the line. Focus on how to turn the boat. It's amazing I  catch the fish I do. Thanks for the tips  so I can do better .

[Sk8man]

Has Been  - Most of the info I post is geared toward the many inexperienced or novice fishermen who frequent the website looking for basic information I certainly don't intend to "talk down" to anyone here regardless of experience level. 

[BAZOOKAJOE]

If your talking about salmon...i'd recommend filling them with 20 lbs flea flicker or Blood Run see flee mono.