Blowback what is it?

[870]

Ok guys I guess you can say I’m old school. I was raised with my dad only flat lining. I’m getting all my gear up for this season and I want to try downriggers. I’ve learned a lot here ready reading your post, but have one question. What is blowback on downrigger weights? :?

[MANIAC]

When you are trolling with downriggers the weights and cables will not be hanging straight down. The drag on them from moving thru the water will cause them to swing back, thus blowback. Heavier weights and slower trolling speeds will reduce the amount of blowback.

[spoonfed-1]

Blowback is caused by the resistance of your moving downrigger weight against the water. The faster you go the more resistance, therefore the more blowback you will get. It will cause your weight, and lure, to run higher than the amount of cable you have out. Sometimes considerably higher.

Watch your cable angles this season at different speeds while you are trolling and it will be real obvious to you, Watch for cross angles caused by underwater currents also. It is usually not a good idea to raise or lower your riggers under the cross current conditions or you wll increase your odds of crossing your cables. The heavier and more streamlined your weights are the less blowback you will have. I fish with torpedo shaped weights especially when fishing deep.

Hope that helps.

Glen

[nyforests]

In a perfect world your downrigger weight would hang perpendicular to the rigger. Blowback is a dose of reality. Due to drag/resistance against the weight and wire, the weight will be somewhere other than beneath the boat. How far back depends on speed, depth, size and shape of weight.

[870]

Thanks for the lessen guys Good luck this season

[LongLine]

What the guys said - in a picture:

You get more Blowback:

- the faster you troll

- the faster the current your trolling into

- the lighter your cannonball

- the heavier your cable

- the deeper you fish

- the more hardware you have on the cable (probe)

- the more hardware on your line (flashers)

- the more lines your running on that rigger (stackers)

Tom B.

(LongLine)

[ray koziatek]

i think it has to do with how long your hair is in a strong wind ,,Inever had that problem Im bald <<<

[nyforests]

Tom....

I think you are ready for a new boat!

[muskybob]

i think it has to do with how long your hair is in a strong wind ,,Inever had that problem Im bald <<<<

Was that a result of blow-off?

[LongLine]

Ray – That’s why you guys should wear a hat: When it blows off your head you’ll know it’s windy & the direction it flies will tell you if blowback is on the rise or not. When icicles form on the brim, you know its cold, hence generally denser water & more blowback, etc.

nyf' – nah, this one’s paid for. I’m thinking about the color though.

MuskyB' – or a blow-hard?

:mrgreen:

Tom B.

(LongLine)

[Toonfisher]

Hey Longline,

Good reply except for the part about the current you are trolling into.

Your speed relative to the water will always be the same regardless of the current, with or against it. Hence, blowback will be constant, all other things being equal.

You can tell it's off season. We have too much time on our hands.

[870]

Tom you are the man!!! Will there be a test on this?

[LongLine]

ToonF' - So if I troll up the flowing Gennese river with the North wind pushing me, the amount of blowback will be the same as if I troll downriver against the same wind :?: :?: Ground speed, Surface current/speed & current/speed at the ball are different things. Going into a stronger current at the ball will greatly affect blowback as well as probably making your lures go crazy. As long as you adjust your throttle to keep your down speed constant then yes blowback should be fairly constant. But you won't know what it is without a down probe, however some guys can judge their down speed and which way the down currents are going without a probe simply by watching the angle of the cable due to blowback.

Tom B.

(LongLine)

[muskybob]

some guys can judge their down speed and which way the down currents are going without a probe simply by watching the angle of the cable due to blowback.

Tom B.

(LongLine)

Ahh yes, the old angle of the dangle theory.

[Erbyjoe]

Tom I didn't know you were an artist also Your one hell of a multi tasker.And they say men can't do that :?: :?: Great picture

[Fishstix]

I would like to make another point. I awalys run my stuff a little above the fish.Ive been told the fish look up to feed.Seems to work.I figure if I can go down 80 they can come up 5. If you think about how they feed fish when they are babies [Throw it on top and down it comes]. Probably why you catch so many seting up.

If anyone has the picture of LL statue in front of the LOU building post it please. I lost mine when my other computer crashed.

[LongLine]

Fishstix - I agree with your theory based upon "Laws of survival/evolution" and fish having a lighter belly than back.

If you get too scientific about it, lures will reflect the most light back towards the surface. Anything below the lure will only see a shadow or faint reflection. In fact only those fish on the "sunside" of the lure will see any reflection of flash/color. (Unless the flash is reflected by micro-organisms/plankton surrounding the lure.

It used to be thought that fish always look upward but recent study has revelaed that the geometry of the fish eye allows them nearly a full 180 deg vison vertically & horizontally with each eye.

If you "google" strike vision videos, you'll find the most recorded hook ups are from behind and and on the same plane or just slightly below the lure.

Tom B.

(LongLine)