top 3

[Jimcarp1o1]

just trolling around for some rod and reel tips

 

looking for some of your top 3 downrigger / dipsy rods and reels.

Just getting into  the bigger boat sport always putted around in my 10' playing with the smallies. just bought me a retirement present a 17' tracker 70hp. will be putting my 9.9 merc on it as a kicker. hitting lake ontario for salmon, lakers, bows, then erie for the walleyes.

 

Any suggestion would be greatly appreciated.

[NymphO]

I'm slowly upgrading my convectors to cold water high speeds. Love them. There are Def better reels out there, but for a " weekend warrior" they are slick. BUT. I have different reels for browns and for salmon and for walleye. Most of my reels are convectors but I have a pile of smaller inexpensive Diawas I use for browns. Spend the money on your salmon reels as they are the ones that get beat up.

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[ThreeDogsDown]

My favorite all around reel is the Okuma Convector CV30DS. I put the reel handle on the back hole. With that and the high speed feature, it is well suited for divers, short leadcores, or long lead walleye trolling. You can get lines in fast.

For silver fish I like the Diawa Wilderness rods. For walleye, I like the Cabela’s Depthfinder telescopic rods.


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[Legacy]

10 hours ago, Jimcarp1o1 said:

just trolling around for some rod and reel tips

 

looking for some of your top 3 downrigger / dipsy rods and reels.

Just getting into  the bigger boat sport always putted around in my 10' playing with the smallies. just bought me a retirement present a 17' tracker 70hp. will be putting my 9.9 merc on it as a kicker. hitting lake ontario for salmon, lakers, bows, then erie for the walleyes.

 

Any suggestion would be greatly appreciated.

 

 

For reels... Okuma Convector high speeds are a great choice. They are virtually bulletproof!

For rods... I love the Okuma White diamond series. They have specific models for divers, riggers, coppers, leadcore, Im also a huge fan of the Blue Diamond series and use the ML downrigger rods for early season.

 

[jerryriggin]

Tekotas or saltist only good okumas are the 55 size.

[Lightbringer]

Okuma 30ds will do the trick. Quick reel, handles well, well made.

You could go bigger for more torque or longer line coppers, but a 30 should do you well. I have 30s, 45, and 55s, 30s are nice, 45s are worry free and the larger one is probably overkill for anything other than big copper.

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[letsfish2day]

just trolling around for some rod and reel tips
 
looking for some of your top 3 downrigger / dipsy rods and reels.
Just getting into  the bigger boat sport always putted around in my 10' playing with the smallies. just bought me a retirement present a 17' tracker 70hp. will be putting my 9.9 merc on it as a kicker. hitting lake ontario for salmon, lakers, bows, then erie for the walleyes.
 
Any suggestion would be greatly appreciated.

Sportsman warehouse has Coldwaters for $79


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[Wise77]

I always loved the convectors with blue diamond okuma rods. This year I'm trying out the cold waters. I caught a few salmon on a friend's boat with the cold waters and really liked them.

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[Lightbringer]

Cold waters are great reels. Only issue I have had to date with mine is wire line getting behind / around spool once when it got too much slack on it (my fault there). Thankfully it was near enough to boat to manage fish in. Wire slid in to spool/housing gap and bound up good, had to cut it and manage it at home.

Definitely good to keep a set of wire cutters handy if you are using diver wire. Never know when you'll need 'em.

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[Lightbringer]

I have convectors too. Have not had an issue with them and I've got 4 or 5. Cold water feels a little nicer, but both perform.

Cold waters are great reels. Only issue I have had to date with mine is wire line getting behind / around spool once when it got too much slack on it (my fault there). Thankfully it was near enough to boat to manage fish in. Wire slid in to spool/housing gap and bound up good, had to cut it and manage it at home.

Definitely good to keep a set of wire cutters handy if you are using diver wire. Never know when you'll need 'em.

Sent from my SM-G986U1 using Lake Ontario United mobile app

Sent from my SM-G986U1 using Lake Ontario United mobile app

[VanderLaan]

Another vote for Convectors.  Have 30s, 40s and 55s with no issues.  Get the high speeds for your longer copper and core rigs.  I also run the older version of Diawa's Accudepth 47LCs for my wire lines as well.  

 

If the price was the same, I would give the Coldwaters a hard look.  Have heard good things about them.

 

Regardless of the brand/model, a smooth drag is key. For older reels, Tuna Tom sells upgrade parts. You can find some shops selling new reels with the drags slready upgraded.

Edited April 8, 2021 by VanderLaan