Down Rigger Weights

[Dad with Twin boys]

I just ordered 2 Cannon Mag 10’s. What is the best all around ball weight? Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[IrishGoodByes]

Where do you plan on fishing? Finger lakes generally have less currents than let’s say Lake Ontario thus the need for heavier weights to counter act the blowback isn’t needed as much. Also depends on how deep you are fishing. I like 12lbs weights in the spring and fall fishing 50ft or less. 50ft or more and generally summer fishing I prefer 16lbs


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[Dad with Twin boys]

This is my first year with my own boat and plan on fishing Lake Champlain until I am comfortable with it before fishing Lake Ontario. Also, my kids are 9 and it’s closer to home if we need to head back. Thanks for the information. Is there a particular brand of weight that you prefer?

[whaler1]

Tens are fine. Doesn’t matter what brand. As long as they track straight.


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[greenboatluke]

Both BikiniBottom and Troutman87 on this site make fish shaped (like shark brand) and torpedo weights respectively. I have both, they both track well and minimize blowback. My sharks weigh less than my torpedoes.

 

 

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[Dad with Twin boys]

Thanks for your help, I will order them tonight

[Sk8man]

You will be happy with either option Unless you are trolling a lot of high speed and real deep water (e.g. 100 ft plus on riggers) 10 or 12 lb weights will be just fine)

Edited March 13, 2020 by Sk8man

[wrinklestar]

I use 10s and fish all summer from 70-150 feet.  I am kind of paranoid about going heavier with the stress at the rigger mount, and I can always let out more cable.  But I did buy a fishhawk so I would have a better idea of  what water temp/depth I am at.

[TyeeTanic]

I had a smart troll system, and I could accurately measure true depth vs. length of rigger cable out.

The 10 lb weights had A LOT more blowback than a 12 lb.  Based on that, I would say the minimum size should be 12 lb.

A 16 lb weight is even better ... so take your pick.

 

I would not recommend anything under 12 lb.

[chinook35]

I just ordered 2 Cannon Mag 10’s. What is the best all around ball weight? Any suggestions would be appreciated.

I have mag10 STX cannons they handle 16 lb troutman weights without a problem. I’ve been fishing Lake O since the late 70’s. My experience with weights: stay away from pancake weights , in a current they take on a life of their own and wander causing MAJOR tangles. I have 10 and 12 pound finned balls. Hardly ever use them. Keep one on board as a spare ( hope I never need it lol) 10 lb would be ok down to about 50 ft. After that the blowback becomes problematic 12 is minimum 16 is better , especially if you are sending a probe down


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[Dad with Twin boys]

Thanks to everyone 

[Sk8man]

Just another couple things to think about . The decision regarding the size of weights also depends to some degree on the size/weight of boat as well. For large heavy boats a sixteen pound weight may be the way to go. For small boats a 10 or 12 lb weight may be appropriate. Something that hasn't been mentioned is the stress on the gunwales and transom. On smaller lighter boats with narrow aluminum  gunwales the smaller weights may be desirable. Lifting a 16 lb weight while bent over in waves can be a problem depending on your physical situation too and if you run three riggers you are adding nearly 50 lbs to the back of the boat. On a big boat it doesn't matter but after previously fishing a 13 ft Whaler for 22 years I can tell you it does matter in a small boat. Blowback can be a problem at speed with lighter weights the deeper you go but you can also adjust according to marks on your fishfinder and/or slow up a bit drop down and still be into the fish. Some folks seem to think that having your downrigger wires straight down is critical to success but there are other things to consider as well.

 

P.S. The shape of the weight is really more important than the weight in most cases. Sharks and torpedoes outperform other shaapes.

Edited March 14, 2020 by Sk8man

[wrinklestar]

18 minutes ago, Sk8man said:

Just another couple things to think about . The decision regarding the size of weights also depends to some degree on the size/weight of boat as well. For large heavy boats a sixteen pound weight may be the way to go. For small boats a 10 or 12 lb weight may be appropriate. Something that hasn't been mentioned is the stress on the gunwales and transom. On smaller lighter boats with narrow aluminum  gunwales the smaller weights may be desirable. Lifting a 16 lb weight while bent over in waves can be a problem depending on your physical situation too and if you run three riggers you are adding nearly 50 lbs to the back of the boat. On a big boat it doesn't matter but after previously fishing a 13 ft Whaler for 22 years I can tell you it does matter in a small boat. Blowback can be a problem at speed with lighter weights the deeper you go but you can also adjust according to marks on your fishfinder and/or slow up a bit drop down and still be into the fish. Some folks seem to think that having your downrigger wires straight down is critical to success but there are other things to consider as well.

Agreed down 120 is 120 regardless if you have 120 foot of wire out or 160.   The stress at the rigger is why I run 10s.  I do run torpedoes and not balls to help reduce the blowback

[sherman brown]

I like the 13# pancake weights I bought of ebay. some people say they have trouble with tracking. but you can adjust tracking by bending the fins. but i've never had that problem with mine. the heaver the weight the less blowback you have. but you have to know how much weight your riggers are rated for. the 13# pancake weights has very little blowback at depths up to 60' that I fish. look on ebay for weights before you buy any.

[Dad with Twin boys]

Thanks gentlemen, there is a lot of information in those posts to absorb that I wasn’t considering. In reference to the size of the boat I am starting out with a Lund 1775. It’s my first boat and I am trying to get it set up right.I have 2 Mag 10’s in the back and I think reaching the weight would be ok. Also, I didn’t install the riggers on the gunwale of the boat. Instead I installed them on the decking using Cannon track with dual axis Rod holders.  I don’t have any idea how to gauge the actual blow back at different speeds. At this point if I saw a fish a 75’ I would consider the lure I am trolling with and consider how deep it goes by itself ex: if the lure trolled with no rigger at 3-5’ I would set my rigger at 70’.

[chinook35]

Thanks gentlemen, there is a lot of information in those posts to absorb that I wasn’t considering. In reference to the size of the boat I am starting out with a Lund 1775. It’s my first boat and I am trying to get it set up right.I have 2 Mag 10’s in the back and I think reaching the weight would be ok. Also, I didn’t install the riggers on the gunwale of the boat. Instead I installed them on the decking using Cannon track with dual axis Rod holders.  I don’t have any idea how to gauge the actual blow back at different speeds. At this point if I saw a fish a 75’ I would consider the lure I am trolling with and consider how deep it goes by itself ex: if the lure trolled with no rigger at 3-5’ I would set my rigger at 70’.

There are tons of information about blowback and depth. The thing you have to consider is geometry. The angle of your cable has to be considered. I made charts years ago telling how much cable must be out to reach a certain depth at a certain cable angle. There are times , especially in currents , that it takes 150 ft of cable to reach a depth of 100 ft Don’t make the mistake of thinking that havingv70 ft of cable out , you are fishing at 70 ft. And don’t let your sonar (distance finder ) trick you into believing that your weight is at the same level as the fish. It’s not.


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[Frogger]

Fish Hawk X4D It’s made me an absolute believer of how much blowback you get.


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[Dad with Twin boys]

I just read the information on their website and that looks like the way to go. Without that information it would be a guess at best even using the math to figure it out.


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[sherman brown]

14 hours ago, Dad with Twin boys said:

Thanks gentlemen, there is a lot of information in those posts to absorb that I wasn’t considering. In reference to the size of the boat I am starting out with a Lund 1775. It’s my first boat and I am trying to get it set up right.I have 2 Mag 10’s in the back and I think reaching the weight would be ok. Also, I didn’t install the riggers on the gunwale of the boat. Instead I installed them on the decking using Cannon track with dual axis Rod holders.  I don’t have any idea how to gauge the actual blow back at different speeds. At this point if I saw a fish a 75’ I would consider the lure I am trolling with and consider how deep it goes by itself ex: if the lure trolled with no rigger at 3-5’ I would set my rigger at 70’.

fish usually go up for a bait so its better to have your lure 5' above the fish than below the fish. so with blowback 70' on the rigger would be a great starting point with a lure that dives 5'.

[Dad with Twin boys]

fish usually go up for a bait so its better to have your lure 5' above the fish than below the fish. so with blowback 70' on the rigger would be a great starting point with a lure that dives 5'.

Thanks for the reply, I think I will order a Fish Hawk XD to make sure I am on target.


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[jimski2]

Consider the breaking strength of your cable especially if you add a contraption like a Fish Hawk for speed and temperature at the ball.

[chinook35]

Consider the breaking strength of your cable especially if you add a contraption like a Fish Hawk for speed and temperature at the ball.

I always use Mason 150# coated cable on my probe side. The fish hawk doesn’t require coated cable , that’s a plus. If you get the fish hawk , spend the extra $ and get actual depth. It is an eye opener


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[Dad with Twin boys]

I always use Mason 150# coated cable on my probe side. The fish hawk doesn’t require coated cable , that’s a plus. If you get the fish hawk , spend the extra $ and get actual depth. It is an eye opener


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I ordered a Fish Hawk XD blue tooth


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[Dad with Twin boys]

Where do you plan on fishing? Finger lakes generally have less currents than let’s say Lake Ontario thus the need for heavier weights to counter act the blowback isn’t needed as much. Also depends on how deep you are fishing. I like 12lbs weights in the spring and fall fishing 50ft or less. 50ft or more and generally summer fishing I prefer 16lbs


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I plan on fishing Lake Champlain until I am comfortable with the boat then moving on to Lake Ontario.


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[TyeeTanic]

OK, so are we really saying blowback isn't an issue?  I think it is for these reasons:

 

1) You only have so much cable on that rigger ... so blowback means you can reach down as deep with that amount of cable ... and yes, I know you might ask, well how deep you planning on going ... you know some guys are trying to hit 150 ft down ... that's an insane amount of cable out on a 10 lb weight (12 lb as well).

 

2) Time it takes to get up and down ... blowback can add 30 to 40% more cable ... so that motors gonna be working, and you're going to be waiting!

 

3) If you also have your dipseys deep ... much better chance of tangles with blowback, especially if there is cross currents at deeper levels.

 

I'm sticking to my original argument ... 12 lb minimum, 16 lb if you can.