Finned rigger weights and releases

[wingnut]

Are the finned or fish style weights the way to go for rigger weights If your just getting set up. Should I use a Blacks release off the front ring of the weight or find a different release to use, hooked to the rear ring.

[Nailer]

Regardless of weight, the blacks (or Blacks types) are the way to go. I have a mold (and the lead) for the fish weights, but would rather use the round (with) fin type weights.

If your just getting started, get some 12# weights/ rigger balls, and Blacks releases.

[mattmishler]

Yea that...we run black round balls with blacks.

[sherman51]

everybody has there own choices. i love my pancake weights. i use the 13 lb weights myself. they work great in shallow water and get very little blowback when i go deeper.

another great release is the chamberlain, it is based on the blacks release but it has 2 adjustments. 1 for rod tension and 1 for lure tension. you can set the rod tension tight enough to really crank your rod down, then adjust the lure tension light enough that the shakers will trip the release. they also make a great stacker. you can check them both out at downriggerrelease.com then just watch the video,s. they are alittle pricey but worth every penny when your getting small fish. you can contact keith and get alittle better price. or you can get them for around 15.00 each at midwesthuntersoutlet.com, hope this helps.

sherman

[fishsniffer]

round ball with about a 2 inch fin(do-it molded 15 lb) and blacks releases

[tbromund]

I always seem to go against the grain here, but i absolutely HATE blacks style releases. I just find them very difficult and cumbersome to set. I use the Scotty Powergrips and find them much easier to set and they hold like crazy, I cal load the absolute crap out of the rod and never get a false release, yet with the long tether on the Scotty, shakers are very easily detected. That's frequently not possible with the blacks style.

I mostly use Atommik torpedo weights, except for the 16 lb torpedo diver rigger weight on my probe rigger. I use the Scotty releases with the stacker clips on the cable just above the weight.

Tim

[AHAB KS1]

Switiched from Blacks to Chamberlain. Shakers don't have a chance with the Chamberlain. We have balls on the back and pancakes on the booms. I would prefer to have all balls.

[wingnut]

I like the blacks releases and would like to use them but if you hook the rigger cable to the front ring on the weight and the release to the rear ring would they still work in a horizontal position. Thanks for the weight recommendations also.

[Fishme00]

i use football shaped weights with fins and have blacks on top but also run the scotty power clips sometimes. When I run above 60ft i use the scotties and when i am deeper I use the blacks. I think my scotties are mini's so they dont hold for me when i go past 60ft. The extended cord and clip shows shakers best. I have tried bands on the blacks but never had luck with them, probably because I never stuck with it (bands might have been crap too). I grew up using blacks and feel most comfortable with them but wanted to try some new stuff too. GOOD LUCK

[ALLEYES]

Switiched from Blacks to Chamberlain. Shakers don't have a chance with the Chamberlain. We have balls on the back and pancakes on the booms. I would prefer to have all balls.

Chamberlain releases are the only way to go. Completely adjustable for any situation. Both vertical and horizontal settings for the rod tension and the release tension back to the fish. Love em !

[sherman51]

Chamberlain releases are the only way to go. Completely adjustable for any situation. Both vertical and horizontal settings for the rod tension and the release tension back to the fish. Love em !

hey dude

i just got my stackers yesterday. i have been thinking about just using the stacker about 1 ft above my weight and use them that way for my main release. as you can put them anywhere you want on your rigger cable. can you think of any reason this wouldnt work??

[ALLEYES]

That will work just fine Sherm.

One great feature about the Chamberlain stacker is that when it come up and hits the rigger pulley, it automatically drops back down to the ball.

[SUPERTRAMP]

12# round ball with fin! Thats the ticket. I run them on all 4 riggers, and they never give me any problems. I bought 2 15# pancake weights and they can be troublesome in a high current situation, you also have to be very careful of the fin on the pancakes. If it gets bent wrong it can ruin your day.

[Salmon Assassin]

I switched to the Scottys and those puppies are awesome. Dropping the balls down deep and no false releases, I use 7' ugly sticks and can really load them up with the scottys. I use 12# balls on the inside riggers and pancakes with the fins tuned on the outside.

[sherman51]

I switched to the Scottys and those puppies are awesome. Dropping the balls down deep and no false releases, I use 7' ugly sticks and can really load them up with the scottys. I use 12# balls on the inside riggers and pancakes with the fins tuned on the outside.

thats one of the reasons i like the pancake weights so well. you can bend the fins just alittle and open up your spread. dont worry as much about tangles. and those fins are not easy to bend, you dont have to worry about them just getting bent on there own. but you do want to make sure to put the ones bent to run to the right on the right side and the same on the left, or they will run under your boat,LOL.

and i have yet to hear anybody thats used the chamberlain release to say anything bad about them. i do alot of walleye fishing on the central basin of erie. we get ALOT of small fish, white bass, yellow and white perch. now instead of bringing the riggers in all the time to check for small fish, they usely trip. i even used the rubberbands for releases and these fish were so small you couldnt see them shake the rods. but with the chamberlains they just trip and your not draging small fish around untill you bring them in and check them. we will still check them after about an hour or 2 if nothing trips them just to be on the safe side. but most of the time the small fish will trip them. and we have the rods losded up tight enough that we still get good hooksets. i would never use anything elce since i have tried them.

does anyone thats used the chamberlains have anything bad to say about them?? would really like to know if you have had any problems with them. i,ve been wondering how they work with big dodgers and stuff like that??

....thanks sherman....

[ALLEYES]

The Chamberlains have handled everything I've thrown at them.