Switching to braid downrigger line Problem

[graf703]

I purchased 4 older manual downriggers last year from. I can't think of the companies name right now, but they are from Michigan and no longer in business.

The wire was old and I lost a couple of balls. I looked at switching to braid and found some favorable reviews and most importantly a big roll of 130 lb dacron for really cheap.

The Problem: I unspooled one rigger and the dacron is actually wider than the rigger wire. The nylon block that the line leaves from the boom is too narrow for the dacron to fit.

I've got a trip I'm leaving for tonight. Should I drill the nylon out so it is wide enough or forget about the changover?

[kingfish123]

A lot of guys are switching to 200# power pro and have had no problems I have seen it ran and seems to work good

[SUPERTRAMP]

Biggest problem with the Dacron is spiny sea fleas cling to it. I had it on my riggers several years ago and it lasted about 2 trips in the middle of summer and I went back to wire. The 200 power pro will work because it is very slippery and the fleas don't cling to it.

[FsnMachine]

I would only use the dacron for Planer board reels. For the riggers either wire or 200lb power pro braid.

[fishsniffer]

i use 200 lb power pro..fleas do stick to it but not bad..doesnt matter anyway cus the line doesnt have to fit thru a small area(big jon anyway)

[graf703]

Thanks guys! I drilled the nylon out and made sure it was smooth. No problems this weekend. Had I realized Dacron was so much wider I wouldn't have bought 500 yards of it. But it's what I had and it looks like it was used for a while before spectra was popular.