Z wing downrigger weight

[Fishtails]

Has anyone tried one ?  I purchased the 350 to use in the Florida Keys, as I was down there with my boat all of January but I only used it one day.  Traditional weights don't perform so well down there due to the super high trolling speeds.  My limited observation was that they might work exceptionally well on a center deep deep rigger in place of a 20 lb weight but I just don't know how they pull at slower trolling speeds yet ? They do seem to track very strait, much more so than a trolling weight.  I purchased the 350 specifically because it says it's designed to work at all trolling speeds. They definitely would work nice if you want to troll a fast paced spoon program to cover water, as that is their intended design. I am a little concerned that mixing it with weights on other riggers could create a mess with the two getting crossed so my plan is to run it all by itself in the trial run, and cautiously go from there. 

 

I found it interesting and the only negative observation I made in my limited use was that while it appeared to track very nice, once it was brought to the surface and lost the compression created by the water and speed it darted a lot to the left and the right very erratically.  Mind you, that was at a 7-8 mph trolling speed.

 

Interested in any input if anyone has actually used one. Seeing I have a Zwing 350,  I will give it some water time this spring and report back.

 

http://zwingdownrigger.com/

Edited February 8, 2015 by Fishtails

[baitrigger]

I was hoping someone would answer you. I read about these a couple years ago and wondered if they were a gimick. They seem like your adding additional variables. Or they could work great?

[John E Powell]

I have no experience running these but intuition tells me that since they do not rely so much on gravity that they would be more influenced by currents than weight.

 

Maybe the effect would be trivial in the real world, but I suspect running them at different depths, say above and below a current shear line, is a recipe for tangled lines. 

 

I think at much higher saltwater trolling speeds this effect would be a lot less, but at the slower trolling speeds the effect would be more.

 

Wouldn't these react to currents in a similar way that divers react? We all know a slow troll in heavy cross currents will pin a diver behind and around rigger lines. But speeding up, without changing trolling angle, to some extent pulls the diver straighter back behind the boat. I suspect our comparatively slow trolling speeds would prevent this style planer from working in the manner in which it was designed to work.

Edited February 10, 2015 by John E Powell

[Fishtails]

That is certainly a possibility John, I honestly don't know exactly what will happen?  There are real world forces at play in this situation that are beyond my furniture restorer mentality.  I would think the deeper you run a Zboard the added downward pressure would help stabilize it above what could be expected at shallower depths, but in reality it may not work that way at all ?  That's why I restore furniture  lol

 

I did use it, so I was able to make real time observations. I ran it 40 to 60 foot deep and used a scotty pinch pad release above it.  It actually appeared to work great and track strait at high speeds with fairly minimal blow back.

 

I am not suggesting they would replace weights in our fishery. Not even close.  I am more curious if they will work better than what I now use at depths of 150 - 200 feet, which is water I tend fish a lot. I am also curious how they track at such depths.

 

 What I do know is that they are not a gimmick. They work as suggested. What I don't know are the effects of running at slower speeds and as John points out - currents, etc. 

 

Only one way to find out !   I thought maybe someone else has tried one on Lake O. I will use in the spring and let you all know.

Edited February 10, 2015 by Fishtails

[bandrus1]

Look forward to a report next fall after a season of ise

[John E Powell]

Yes, give us a follow up report some time down the road.