Which downrigger?

[DaveF]

Which downrigger?

Just picked up a '07 G3 and want to put downriggers on it for the finger lakes. I have 0 experience with downriggers. Give me the scoop on brands...Cannon or Scotty, type....manual or electric and whatever would be helpful in choosing the right setup. Don't want to break the bank either. Looking around $500 for a pair. Here's me new baby......

[Firechief48]

Downriggers is a matter of choice, you ask 3 different people and you're likely to get 3 different answers. I myself prefer Cannon. When I started a long time ago I had all manual because I couldn't afford electric, a lot of cranking on good days but didn't really matter. Now run all electric but there are other preparations for those to run. Watch the classified on here, usually very good deals either way you decide to go. Good luck to you. 

[Fishy]

My choice for the Finger Lakes would be 2 thermocline rods to start with .I get more fish on Keuka Lake with this setup than with my downriggers.Dipsy rods run a close second. Fishy

[ifishy]

Start with manuals that way when you switch to electrics you'll appreciate it more.

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[ifishy]

In reality with that budget get a pair of used electrics and save up till you can upgrade

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[weekend hooker]

I have manual Cannon and don't mind the cranking we used a swivel setup before 3 swivels 15 ft apart and 3 leaders and heavy lead weight on the bottom it was productive as anything but a pain with only my 12 year son and me in the boat

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[Xxx]

If it were me I'm a cannon guy, I started with the crankers and it didn't take long to get a set of mag 10's I paid $350.00 for the pair, I searched on eBay, Craigslist, on here, finally I found the ones I have today yet. There was a set of cannons for sale on here not to long ago. Scotty's are good also, it's a Chevy vs. Ford like mentioned above. Hang in there in due time something will come about soon.

[weekend hooker]

If it were me I'm a cannon guy, I started with the crankers and it didn't take long to get a set of mag 10's I paid $350.00 for the pair, I searched on eBay, Craigslist, on here, finally I found the ones I have today yet. There was a set of cannons for sale on here not to long ago. Scotty's are good also, it's a Chevy vs. Ford like mentioned above. Hang in there in due time something will come about soon.

Chevy is the best there isn't really any comparison lol

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[Xxx]

Well, I wouldn't go that far, for one reason only Cannan been around many years but and has units out there that would work flawlessly if they still made parts for their products. I feel Cannon's a lot like Lowrance, after a few years they forget about their loyal customers!!  "F' you Buy New" I feel this is their motto. So one looking for affordable riggers might buy a set of mag 10's and if you smoke a motor good luck!! Finding another! In this case I feel cannon not the best out there, another big thing is the touch pads, they go bad, they are very expensive. This new fast rigger is rediculous fast ask the the guys that lost probes due to the abrupt stop that caused people to loose probes and weights. Yes they are a great product but it's not a one rigger only deal out there, I have yet to hear as much shyt about Scotty's but I'm not sure they've been around long enough to forget the early buyers that got them where they are today. I have a set of mag 20's that I'm still getting used to the soft start then fly up like a mofo then stop at the water with my 16# weight and probe swinging in the breeze.

[LakerTaker]

I paid $35 (or something cheap like that) each at a garage sale for 2 Cannon Mag10a's. White with stainless long arms and 3 rod holders each. Even came with the old style swivel bases. Nice and slow, and they still work great. I also have one old Big Jon electric which is good for bottom bouncing. If they stop working, I'm not out much!

Regarding the Ford vs Chevy debate, I own a Found On Road Dead 2005 Expedition and it's taught me a lot about vehicle repair! 176K and still counting.


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[Xxx]

LOL I own a 2003 Expedition with a 5.4 head gasket eating piece of Shyt in it, now that I had the heads redone and the block decked it hasn't given me any grief, and I actually get 12mpg going down hill!!!

[bobby416n]

That's funny! My neighbor has the 03 expedtion also and they said a few months ago they had around 285k on theirs so far. Lots of wheel bearings and front end suspension parts

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[bobby416n]

My 03 F150 superrcrew with 5.4 only gets 11-13 city driving and 15-16 highway until I hook my boat behind it then I only get maybe 10-11 if I'm lucky

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[LakerTaker]

My 05 Expy sounds like a Diesel. Everywhere we go people ask me if it's a diesel. Might be the cam sensors, not sure. I average 15 and can get as high as 19.5 on the highway and about 8-12 when towing something heavy. Overall though, it's been a great truck for my family. Very good in the snow.


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[Xxx]

Oh yea my expedition works great now. I love it to tow with, I hook my 22fter up she doesn't even squat, where my father in law new 1/2 ton GMC pick up really squats down bad. With the 3rd seat I can take a pile of people with. Towing I get 9mpg but man does this truck have power!! Plus I have a performance chip in it, that actually brought my mileage up, I used to get 9.5 - 10mph. I miss my pickups but I'm not sure what I'd get next as I like my expedition a lot. Really the only thing I had to do is fix the motor, and your normal everyday stuff. 

[Todd in NY]

I had some older Cannon Mag 10A's that worked real well. They were slow, and I wouldn't trust them with any more weight than my 10 pounders because of the old motors (probably late 1980's models). I sold the boat that they were on and the riggers went with the boat. By that time I had decided on switching to Penn manual riggers. I don't fish as often as many other members on here, but I have no regrets about switching to these Penn manual riggers. I use 12.5 pound torpedo rigger weights that are made by one of our members (Troutman87), and I have no problem with reeling them up by hand. The Penn riggers are rated for up to a 14 pound rigger weight. I have a 16ft row boat with two short boom (2ft) Penn manuals, and I have up to four long boom (4ft) Penn manuals on my 21ft Bayliner Trophy. I like not having to deal with wires and a bunch of electronic stuff that can go bad. I like to keep it simple. Both of my boats are used on multiple lakes and for multiple fish species.

 

With all that said, I think electrics are better for most people, especially if you fish real deep and real often. Every downrigger is rated for a certain amount of max weight. Some electrics have all kinds of fancy features, and some are pretty simple and straight forward. Some have auto stop and/or short stop so they don't keep winding up the rigger ball after it clears the surface of the water, which is a great feature to have. Some have short booms, long booms, and extendable booms. I like the short booms on my row boat and the long booms on my 21ft boat.

 

Manual riggers are available with different rates of retrieval. Some manual riggers have a simple clutch that you loosen a little or a lot to control how fast you want to lower your rigger ball. Some manual riggers have faster or slower rates of return, such as 1 full crank equals 2 feet of cable put back on the spool. I'm not sure what the Penns are rated at but they are real smooth to operate.

 

I'm know I missed a bunch, but that's my take on riggers. Good luck sorting through the myriad of options and features.

[jigstick]

I have manual Cannons with telescoping booms.  They get the job done.  I don't mind cranking them.  And i have had nothing but good experiences with Cannons customer service.  I managed to strip out the handles on both of mine, and they sent me 4 replacement handles at no charge.   I also managed to lose an end cap on one of my Cannon Dual Axis rod holders.  they sent me that replacement at no charge as well.

 

If you are going to go electric, then id bite the bullet and buy the stainless steel Cisco ones and rest easy knowing that your grandkids will pass them down to their grandkids.