Downrigger Weight
Am I fishing deep enough? How much line do I need to let out to get my lure to 30 feet? If you have been asking yourself these questions, then a downrigger might be the next best thing on your fishing boat. Downriggers are a simple tool designed to lower a weight attached to a braided wire to a desired depth where a lure can be attached. The downrigger will either have an electronic display or a counter to show the amount of line released from the spool. This will provide a consistent depth for trolling. A downrigger release is then hooked to the weight or braided wire so that the fishing line can be attached. Once a fish strikes the lure, the downrigger release lets go of the line and you are able to bring in the fish free of the downrigger weight. The lure can easily be lowered and raised repeatedly for fishing at consistent depths….where the fish are!
Downriggers come in two different styles. Electric downriggers provide faster lowering and retrieving of your weight (which can be essential when on a hot spot). Manual downriggers are easy to use and reliable like their counterparts (electric). However, for a long fishing day and deep fishing depths, repeated raising and lowering of the weight could be cumbersome. For deep water fishing and need for quick lowering and rising of your downrigger lines, electric downriggers may be the choice for you. There are many downrigger brands available on the market. Quality downriggers can be found by searching for Cannon, Big Jon, or Scotty downriggers.
Additional downrigger accessories can be essential for catching fish. Temperature and speed controls can be a huge advantage while downrigger fishing (but can be costly). A nice additional accessory is a downrigger camera. This can be helpful in watching lure action as well as the fish. The fish may be watching your lures but not striking… a camera could be the difference in catching your next fish.
The other essential components for downrigger fishing are the downrigger weight (cannonballs) and line releases. There are many options available and trial and error will help determine what is right for you and your local fishing habits. That being said, weights with adjustable fins can be helpful in keeping lines from tangles. When correctly tuned, they can spread you lures maintaining tangle free presentations. Downrigger weights come in many shapes and colors. It is important to find a weight that tracks well and has the color that works best for your fishing preference. Colors and the weight itself can vary depending on your fishing needs. Traditional downrigger weights are dark (black) with some sort of flashy tape attached mimicking a fish. Common downrigger weights come in 6, 8, 10, 12, and even 14 pounds. Heavier weights enable trolling more consistently at deeper depths and faster speeds without having the weight track further behind the boat.
Line releases are very important when downrigger fishing. Think of the scenario when everything is set up for fishing. A big fish hits and the release doesn’t let go. You are now stuck with a fish attached to a release with a 10 pound downrigger weight and 50 foot of downrigger wire. Or worse yet, the line snaps. More than likely, you can kiss that fish good-bye. Downrigger releases are designed to hold the line at the downrigger cable long enough to hook the fish yet release after the initial hit so that the angler can bring in the fish. There are two main types of releases. Pinch pad releases, like those made by Scotty and Cannon, pinch the line between two pads. Mechanical releases, like those made by Big Jon, have mechanical parts that provide a release mechanism for releasing the line when a fish hits. Many mechanical releases provide tension screws or mechanical dials to allow for varying tension on lines. This allows anglers to adjust release tension depending on fishing conditions.
No matter what downrigger you choose, mechanical or electric, your fishing experience will be enhanced. Downriggers allow you to take your lures or bait to the depth of the fish over and over again with precision. Determining your accessories can be challenging and asking the guides or charters for assistance can be the difference between a few fish and many fish. You may want to go out on a charter to see how the experts do it before getting your own set-up. Good luck and go fishing……
Joel Rice is a fishing enthusiast who provides information for beginning anglers. Many hours of fishing Lake Erie have provided the basis for information on downriggers and downrigger accessories
For information about downriggers and accessories, please visit TheDownrigger.com
For questions, please E-mail Me!
Scotty 2116 HP Downrigger
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Cannon Downrigger Flash Weight, 6 Lb $147.81 |
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HD Cannon Ball or Downrigger Fishing Weight Mold 10 lb. ~ Made of solid aluminum $106.00 |
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Cannon Downrigger Flash Weight, 4 Lb $119.00 |
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4 15 lb downrigger custom made led weights with fin SET OF 4 WEIGHTS $100.00 |
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5 12 lb downrigger custom made led weights with fin set of 5 $100.00 |
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14 LB Downrigger Weight Mold-Fish Shaped, Sinker mold $109.95 |
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Cannon Ball or Downrigger Fishing Weight Mold 7 lb. $94.00 |
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HD Cannon Ball or Downrigger Fishing Weight Mold 5 lb. Made of solid aluminum $94.00 |
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12 LB Downrigger Weight Mold-Fish Shaped, Sinker mold $99.95 |
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HD Cannon Ball or Downrigger Fishing Weight Mold 2 lb. Made of solid aluminum $82.50 |
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5 10 lb downrigger custom made led weights set of 5 all custom with fin $85.00 |
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2 Pack of Dunkers Finned Downrigger Weights 14lb $91.79 |
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2 Pack of Yeck Finned Downrigger Weights 14lb $90.71 |
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10 LB Downrigger weight mold-fish shaped, sinker mold $89.99 |
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10 lb Downrigger weight fish X4 (10lb 4oz) $100.00 |
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2 PENN REELS FATHOMTROL DOWNRIGGER WEIGHTS 10LBS. EA. NOS MADE IN U.S.A. FREE SH $99.00 |
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10 LB Downrigger Weight Mold-Fish Shaped, Sinker mold $84.95 |
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Yeck Pancake Downrigger Weight 13 Lbs. Each – Two Weights Total $79.00 |
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2 Pack of Yeck Finned Downrigger Weights 12lb $77.75 |
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2 Pack of Dunkers Finned Downrigger Weights 12lb $77.75 |
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6 LB Downrigger Weight Mold-Fish Shaped, Sinker mold $74.95 |
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DOWNRIGGER PEDESTAL / WEIGHT HOLDER PENN CANNON ALUMIN $82.99 |
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2 Cannon Downrigger 8 # Flash Weights $80.00 |
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8 lb Downrigger weight fish X4 $80.00 |
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2 Pack of Yeck Finned Downrigger Weights 10lb $64.79 |
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2 Pack of Dunkers Finned Downrigger Weights 10lb $64.79 |
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8 LB Downrigger weight mold-fish shaped, sinker mold $64.95 |
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DOWNRIGGER WEIGHT 10 LB LOT OF FIVE $61.50 |
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2 Downrigger Weights Pancake Shape Trolling Tools $59.99 |
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2 Pack of Yeck Fat Fish Downrigger weights 9 lb $61.99 |
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2 pack of Yeck 10 lb Wenie downrigger weights $59.99 |
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4 PACK CANNON RETRO-EASE DOWNRIGGER BALL WEIGHT RETRIEVER $63.71 |
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12 Pound Finned Downrigger Weight Mold, Sinker Mold $59.95 |
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4 Pack of Scotty Downrigger Weight Retriever $61.55 |
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Two new 14 lb fish shaped downrigger ball / weights $55.00 |
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15 lb downrigger custom made led weights (2) w/fin $50.00 |
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Downrigger weight NO-MAR Pancake 20# Coated with heavy vinyl, will not mark boat $55.99 |
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Downrigger weight NO-MAR Pancake 20# Coated with heavy vinyl, will not mark boat $55.99 |
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35lb 35# Commercial Fishing Lead Cannon Ball Sinker Weight Down Rigger “Nice” $54.99 |
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DOWNRIGGER WEIGHT 10 LB LOT OF FOUR $52.00 |
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2 Pack of Yeck Finned Downrigger Weights 8lb $51.83 |
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2 Pack of Dunkers Finned Downrigger Weights 8lb $51.83 |
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Palmer Downrigger Ball Trolling Weight Mold #810 , 10Lb. (OH) $49.95 |
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2-12 pound Black Vinyl coated Finned Downrigger weights $49.00 |
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Finned Yeck Downrigger Weight 12 Pounds – Black $49.99 |
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2 Pack of Yeck 10 lb Torpedo downrigger weights $49.99 |
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2 Pack of Yeck 10 lb Bj downrigger weights $49.99 |
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2 Pack of Yeck 10 lb Round Ball downrigger weights $49.99 |
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6 Pound Finned Downrigger Weight Mold, Sinker Mold $49.95 |
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10 Pound Finned Downrigger Weight Mold, Sinker Mold $49.95 |
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Yeck Finned Downrigger Weight 14lb $47.51 |
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Dunkers Finned Downrigger Weight 14lb $47.51 |
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12 lb Torpedo downrigger Weight $60.00 |
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2 Fish Shape Downrigger Weights 9lbs each trolling $45.00 |
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2 pack of Yeck 8 lb Wenie downrigger weights $47.99 |
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Cannon DOWNRIGGER 12 lb TWELVE Pound Flash Weight WORLDWIDE SHIPPING! $49.95 |
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12 lb downrigger custom made led weights (2) with fin $40.00 |
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2-12 pound Black Vinyl coated Finned Downrigger weights $43.00 |
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DOWNRIGGER WEIGHT 10 LB LOT OF THREE $42.50 |
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!! Lot of 3 Fish-Shaped Downrigger Weight 8 lb Fishing Trolling Fresh Salt Water $44.99 |
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DOWNRIGGER, UNI-TROLL 5 Cannon Uni-Troll 5 Fishing Rod – 24 Rod Lenght – 150 lb Line Weight – Stainless Steel… |
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New-DOWNRIGGER, EASI-TROLL HS – 1901010 Cannon Easi-Troll 1901010 Fishing Rod – 24 Rod Lenght – 150 lb Line Weight – Copolymer, Stainless Steel… |
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DOWNRIGGER, UNI-TROLL 10 Cannon Uni-Troll 10 Fishing Rod – 53 Rod Lenght – 150 lb Line Weight – Stainless Steel… |
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Yeck 3lb Downrigger Finned Weight $16.99 The Yeck downrigger features a keel on the finned weight to assure accurate tracking underwater; it also prevents cable twisting… |
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Yeck 4lb Downrigger Finned Weight $15.99 The Yeck downrigger features a keel on the finned weight to assure accurate tracking underwater; it also prevents cable twisting…. |
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Minn Kota Endura C2 30 Freshwater Transom Mounted Trolling Motor (30 Shaft) $99.00 While others try to imitate it we innovate it. Endura C2 is the legendary performer that’s built to explorebuilt to last and backed up with our two-year warranty. It’s the ultimate ing together of form andfunction in a package that puts you on the water day after day year after year like no other.FeaturesLEVER LOCK BRACKET.Our Lever Lock Bracket delivers a rock-solid mount that’s stronger than con… |
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Cannon 10 pound Flash weight $39.13 Flash WeightsTrolling weights incorporate a flashing prism design for extra lure power.Black vinyl coating.Keel keeps weight tracking accurately and prevents cable twisting.10 LB. Flash Weight Product : CANNON 10LB FLASH WEIGHT Manufacturer : CANNON Manufacturer Part No : 2295184 UPC : 012977221845… |
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Cannon 8 pound Flash weight $35.17 Cannon Flash Weights keep your line on track! Not only do these weights from Cannon prevent line tangles and wayward movement, they help attract fish! The reflective prism tape will grab the attention of fish that might not otherwise notice your lure. Vinyl coated to prevent scratching on the side of your boat. Choose between 4, 6, 8, 10 or 12 lb. weights. Tack on the pounds! Order your Flash Weig… |