Running 4 down riggers

[Erbyjoe]

Ok here is my dumb question. I'm going to be running 4 riggers this spring and was wondering what would be the best way to do it? I have alway ran 2 so this will be new to me Like should I run the side riggers the deepest so they won't tangle the back riggers or vise versa?I have an 8 foot beam on my lund and all 4 riggers have the 5 foot booms so I think that should seperate the riggers good enough. Any input from you guys would be great Thanks

[Richard]

A standard spread would have the center riggers deeper than the side riggers. But when fishing is tough I have had them the opposite. With the five foot boom you should be fine. I am in a 19' Smokercraft with an eight foot beam as well. Sounds like the same set up an have had no problems.

Richard

[GAMBLER]

When I run 4 riggers, I run them in a V pattern. One corner rigger deep out of temp, the rigger to the left and right of the deep rigger in temp and the final rigger high out of temp.

[CBish]

Both of the above posts I agree with.

Choose a way you are comfortable with and change if it does not work. I would be concerned about long arm riggers off the back, as I prefer to have my stern riggers just out of harms way of the prop.

It may not be a problem, if you do run into them crossing then shorten the booms on the long ones.

Good luck,

CC

[Erbyjoe]

Thanks for the replies guys

Cbish that's good to know because the back riggers when put strait back are just like you say just behind the prop on the kicker so they should be good right?Would I be better off clicking the side riggers on a 45 deg angle it would put the balls back a little farther so it wouldn't be as forward(I hope I said that right)? By the way great fishing reports very detailed.

[GAMBLER]

Erin,

I keep the side riggers out on a 90 degree angle. The further apart the better. If you don't make wild turns when the riggers are 80' or deeper, you will be ok.

[larry]

The tangles you're worried about come from poor driving, slack lines, wave or currents and are not usually the result of a fish strike or the pattern you set up, although sometimes crazy teenage kings or bound for the surface bows will take out a higher line. We run 6 riggers in fair to good lake conditions with no problem. Tight turns and strong currents are the usual causes of crossed cables and tangled lines. The temp rigger is the most important and will always be the first one in and usually the deepest. Once you know where the break is and adjust the boat speed for the depth and lure type, you can then stack your pattern above it or match the break rigger depth with another rigger and two above, it all depends on what depth you start getting your hits at. Once you do get a strike don't wait to get another rigger to that depth (eventuallly with the same lure) whether you raise one or drop one down shouldn't be a cause for worry as long as the boat doesn't take an abrupt change of coarse. When setting the riggers, tighten the slack out of the line, a bowed line to the release is only useful in running free sliders, other than that it causes more problems such as tangles and lost fish because the slack time before you notice the rod has gone off is much longer and there is no pressure on the hook to keep it set in the fishes mouth, our rod tips are about a foot off the water. The long arm rigs on the back will be helpful when landing the fish to open up the lane and give room to net away from the other cables, you can 45 the other stern rig or both if the outside rig went. Your set up will be fine no matter what letter pattern you put down V, ^, / , \ ,T as long as understand that what happens on top of the water will have consequences below. The last thing you have to remember and be conscience of is resetting lines, the rigger person and the helmsman need to be on the same page and when the lines go down the boat needs to be going in a straight line and the cables should be straight as well.

[Gill-T]

Poetry in motion if you see Larry and Jerry running six riggers. To add to Larry's post, you might want to try pancake weights with slightly bent fins on the outside riggers to increase the spread distance. When it is lumpy out, however, those pancakes will start to swim and probably tangle on the inside rigger cables. If you are doing LONG straight line trolling you should be able to determine by cable sway, which way the subsurface currents are running. You can keep at least one pancake in the water even in waves by placing the weight on the side of the boat the current is moving towards. The side current will catch the fin and push it out even further than bending the fin alone. Larry could expound further on how they use pancakes.

[Erbyjoe]

Larry that's for the detailed post I will print that and put it in my log.Gil-t I have tried the pancake weight and no thanks I lost alot of gear once from a tangle and AI swore never to use them again I use the torpedo's from A-tom-mik.Thanks for all of the replys