Whats your 2 cents on downriggers?

[fisherdee]

I fished Lake Michigan today after a 20 year absence. Still using that 20 year old equip, it works but holy cow. Cranking that manual downrigger up 140 feet just to change a lure was not my cup of tea. So I am going to go electric to be ready for next year. Whats your take on the electrics on the market these days? I dont want the most expensive but I dont want junk either. I am planning on two short booms on the rear corners and 2 longs booms on the sides. Lund 1850 Tyee . Water was beautiful today, got a 12 3/4 lb. laker on a big flasher and fly. Lost one other half way to boat. Out if Mich City.

[SPOONWASHER]

Sounds like you might want to check out the Big Jon Captain's Pak or the Pro Sportsman.

[jimbobber]

IF YOU CAN AFFORD CANNON MAG 10S I JUST GOT A SET AND I LOVE EM THEY ARE FAST AND THE AUTO STOPS WORK VERY WELL WITH NOTHING ON THE CABLE . i HAD BIG JONS BEFORE AND THEY ARE JUST FINE BUT THE AUTO STOPS NEED A BEAD ON THE CABLE WITH A CRIMP AND THAT JUST INVITES A SNAPED CABLE . JUST MY 2 CENTS

[DarkBlue]

Another vote for Big Jon Capt's Paks.

[pikeman8]

Your question is like asking to choose between ford chevy or dodge. IMO Big Jon, Cannon, and Walker all make quality products. I have fished on boats with all three. Do some looking and find the one that has the features you like and go for it. Each one has it's own unique features and style. I have ran both cannons and big Jon but I prefer the Big Jons. I have pro tournaments now and love em. I really like when you are running long booms you can swing up the boom to clip a lure. Three years now on this set and not a lick of trouble. Bottom line is any of the major brand electric downriggers are nice and as long as you take care of them they will take care of you and provide years of service.

[allout280]

scotty get my vote 15 lbs weights all day long not an issue 3 seasons now

[mattmishler]

big john brutes, i love them things, fast strong and work everyday

[sherman51]

like someone elce said theres alot of good riggers out there these days. if your looking to save some money i would check out those used walkers for sale. walker makes a top rigger as long as there not just old junk.

early every year theres a couple of sellers on ebay sells the big jon,s real cheap. i already had rod holders and 1 set of swivel bases so i was set. i got a set of striped down pro tournaments with auto stop for 525.00 and another set with swivel bases for 659.00. another way to get good prices is to email [email protected] that way you can get his best prices on what you want. and the capt pack would make a great set. but i wanted the auto stop on mine so i got the pro tournaments. good luck and good fishing.

sherman

[killerbe20]

everyone is going to have their own personal preferences on this one, including myself. Leaving my own opinions out of it, make sure you do enough research yourself to make your decision. Buying four downriggers will be a major investment that you only want to make once. If possible, look everywhere and on other people's boats. Try to play with as many different ones as you can. They are all different and each have pros and cons. Some things to think about are whether you want plastic parts or all metal, high profile or low profile, rod holder options, speed, swivel bases or not, best bang for the buck, clutch system, how they are going to look on your boat, etc......

bottom line, take other peoples opinions into consideration but ultimately make sure you find what you want and am happy with your selection.

[Just Hook'n]

Everybody likes a good BJ.

I will say if you are looking for speed, go with Brutes or Cannon Mag 10s.

If you want economy and just don't want to drag stuff up by hand a couple Captains packs or Pro Tournaments are the trick.

[Sea Eagle]

I sure love my Big Jon Pro Tournaments. They seemed to be a good choice between the captins packs and the brutes.

They came with the ball holders, two rod holders per DR and auto stops.

I paid around $900 for a pair.

Whatever brand you choose, buy them at one of the winter/spring fishing shows. There will never be a better price that at the show.

[ericjeeper]

I have cannons as well as big junks on my boat. The Bjs flop and rattle all the time going down the road. You must fasten them down to the boat or they will bounce violently. I just bought a used Cannon mag 10 for 240 bucks delivered with dual rod holders .

The only good thing in my opinion about a bj is their ability to lift back to rig.

[steeliebob]

Between now and next year look on craigslist, you can buy whatever you want at a very reasonable price, get the best deal and go for it.

[silver one]

I have used bolth Cannons and Walkers. I like them bolth. I prefer the walkers as there is a authorized walker service dealer 5 min from the house and will get me what I need any day of the week as long as he is home. Service and parts should be a part of your decision. I also like the pulley ends better on walkers as the cannons are smaller diameter so when rigging stackers or sliders if the fleas are bad then the walkers are more forgiving on the pulley ends. other then that no mechanical or electrical issues with either. 9 year old walker captains pacs with auto shut off and never an issue until I sold the silver one this last spring. When I bought it in 01 it had cannons on it and they were 10 yr old and was told never had an issue.

[fishsniffer]

cannons here also..never had an issue

[danthebuilder]

buy 2 not 4.

[MY2SONS]

IF YOU CAN AFFORD CANNON MAG 10S I JUST GOT A SET AND I LOVE EM THEY ARE FAST AND THE AUTO STOPS WORK VERY WELL WITH NOTHING ON THE CABLE . i HAD BIG JONS BEFORE AND THEY ARE JUST FINE BUT THE AUTO STOPS NEED A BEAD ON THE CABLE WITH A CRIMP AND THAT JUST INVITES A SNAPED CABLE . JUST MY 2 CENTS

I have two DigiTroll IV's, and a Mag 10 on my rig. I'm partial to Cannon's, but the other big brands are good to. I actually line my Mag 10 better than the DigiTrolls. Very simple to operate w/no programming.

[Priority1]

Any of the electric Big Jons. Tony @ Lord of the Riggers would be my suggestion for a new set.

I have older Cannons electrics that came with my boat. They are functional, but when I broke a gear in it a couple of years back the part was not available. I was able to weld the old part and keep it going. Cannon changed ownership and their policies are not what they used to be.

[Tad Pole]

Well you can settle for a rigger that may not be exactly what you want and buy new,or you can get what you want and buy used ones.If you shop you can find just about any brand and style you want used,and just because its used dont mean there all used up.I have four Big Jon's on my boat and I baught them all used the oldest pair are 1986 models and they work just fine.

Thats just my thoughts on it

[fisherdee]

I think I am leaning toward the scotty pro pack. extended boom, has very low amp draw and heavy wgts dont seem to bother them at all. Looks like they are about 500 to 600 new. booms tilt up and lock. Now I am wondering, do you wire them to your main battery or auxiliary batteries.

[tbromund]

Good choice on the Scottys, I have had mine since 2003 and couldn't be happier with them. Can't help on the wiring. I have 2 combination batteries, one on each side of the transom and each of my 2 riggers is wired directly to battery directly below it.

Tim

[danthebuilder]

You can wire them to your main & have no issues. You're not really running the motor on the down-riggers all that much to matter. The main should recharge the battery just fine while you're using it. I would keep the 2nd battery as a backup on a switch by itself.