A downrigger is a device used while
fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from stocked bodies of water such as ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. Fishing techniques inclu ...
using the
trolling
In slang, a troll is a person who posts or makes inflammatory, insincere, digressive, extraneous, or off-topic messages online (such as in social media, a newsgroup, a forum, a chat room, a online video game), or in real life, with the i ...
method, which places a lure at the desired depth. A downrigger consists of a three to six-foot horizontal pole which supports a cannonball, generally 10 to 15 pounds, by a steel cable (generally stainless steel or wire). A clip, also known as a "release," attaches a fishing line to the cannonball weight. The bait or lure is attached to the release.
Operation of a downrigger
Downriggers consist of four major components, the weight, cable, pole or boom, and the
spool. A
fishing line
A fishing line is a flexible, high-tensile cord used in angling to tether and pull in fish, in conjunction with at least one hook. Fishing lines are usually pulled by and stored in a reel, but can also be retrieved by hand, with a fixed attach ...
is attached to the downrigger cable by means of a "line release." The weight is normally a five-to-twenty-pound mass of
lead
Lead is a chemical element with the symbol Pb (from the Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a heavy metal that is denser than most common materials. Lead is soft and malleable, and also has a relatively low melting point. When freshly cu ...
which is connected to the stainless steel cable. The spool is brought up either by a manual crank or via an
electric motor
An electric motor is an electrical machine that converts electrical energy into mechanical energy. Most electric motors operate through the interaction between the motor's magnetic field and electric current in a wire winding to generate for ...
.
In addition to attaching a lure to the fishing line, an oval piece of metal or plastic (often hammered or curved for reflective purposes) called a
dodger or flasher is often used to attract fish from greater distances. The types of lures used to troll with using downriggers range from metal "spoons" that are often decorated using color tape or paint, plastic or rubber "squids", tinsel beaded flies, or painted plastic J-plugs. These all come in a variety of colors, finishes, and glow patterns for various fishing conditions.
The length of fishing line between the downrigger release and the lure is known as the "lead" and this varies in length depending on how far behind the
boat
A boat is a watercraft of a large range of types and sizes, but generally smaller than a ship, which is distinguished by its larger size, shape, cargo or passenger capacity, or its ability to carry boats.
Small boats are typically found on inl ...
the fisherman would like to lure to trail. This fishing line is typically between ten and twenty pound test. When fishing for
salmon
Salmon () is the common name for several commercially important species of euryhaline ray-finned fish from the family Salmonidae, which are native to tributaries of the North Atlantic (genus ''Salmo'') and North Pacific (genus '' Oncorhy ...
this lead is often quite lengthy in order to avoid the fish being frightened by the noise of the boat's
trolling
In slang, a troll is a person who posts or makes inflammatory, insincere, digressive, extraneous, or off-topic messages online (such as in social media, a newsgroup, a forum, a chat room, a online video game), or in real life, with the i ...
motor. When many boats are trolling in a small area this often results in crossed lines and tangles which are a detriment to the fishing experience.
The speed at which the lure is pulled through the water has a great impact on success or failure. For this reason fishermen use devices that accurately track speed. Typically, trolling from one to five knots is the range that allows for fish to be caught. This varies from species to species as Chinook Salmon may prefer higher speeds while the more docile Lake Trout may prefer a much slower-moving lure. Trolling motors are used to calibrate this speed more accurately than large outboard motors. Trolling plates may be used with larger motors to slow the boat to the desired speed, although some anglers experience mixed results using plates.
The downrigger should be set at the depth the target fish are
schooling. Different species of fish school at different depths, and those depths also change at different times of year. A
fish finder is useful determining this depth.
Using a downrigger may be hazardous. Many manmade reservoirs mask submerged trees and other structure beneath the surface. A downrigger's weight may foul on such objects. When such a snag occurs in conjunction with high winds, it may cause a lighter boat to capsize. It is therefore prudent to carry wire cutters to avoid this potentially lethal scenario.
Brief history
Using a downrigger began in effort to increase productivity of fishing in larger bodies of water. Downriggers are used to troll and maintain the lure's depth in accordance with the
thermocline
A thermocline (also known as the thermal layer or the metalimnion in lakes) is a thin but distinct layer in a large body of fluid (e.g. water, as in an ocean or lake; or air, e.g. an atmosphere) in which temperature changes more drastically with ...
at which the fish
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
being sought normally feeds. People began using downriggers first in the Great Lakes area. They are now used all over the world to help catch a large variety of fish.
In the Great Lakes, downriggers are used to catch a variety of species including
chinook salmon
The Chinook salmon (''Oncorhynchus tshawytscha'') is the largest and most valuable species of Pacific salmon in North America, as well as the largest in the genus '' Oncorhynchus''. Its common name is derived from the Chinookan peoples. Other ...
,
atlantic salmon,
lake trout
The lake trout (''Salvelinus namaycush'') is a freshwater char living mainly in lakes in northern North America. Other names for it include mackinaw, namaycush, lake char (or charr), touladi, togue, and grey trout. In Lake Superior, it can also ...
,
brown trout and
steelhead
Steelhead, or occasionally steelhead trout, is the common name of the anadromous form of the coastal rainbow trout or redband trout (O. m. gairdneri). Steelhead are native to cold-water tributaries of the Pacific basin in Northeast Asia and ...
.
Recently discovery of an
Edward vom Hofe late 1860s-1870s downrigger found local to Niagara Falls and the Salmon River area point to the reelmaker Edward Vom Hofe Brooklyn New York as the father of the modern downrigger. Prior it was thought that the great lakes Michigan anglers had invented the modern rig. However it was intended for the deep water basin fish listed above and most likely prior to the Hydroelectric plant being built on the Niagara River late 1870s. Somehow the device was lost in time due to the construction of the electric plant most likely causing a disruption in the Salmon fishing. Only one of these examples exist today. Not until the 1950s would a device similar to the Vom Hofe design reappear. It is possible that the modern downrigger introduced in the 1950s was copied from another Vom Hofe made device but for now that can not be proven due to the great time span in between the two designs. Edward vom Hofe was a premier tackle smith and reel maker.
[
]
There are two main classifications of downriggers today. There are manual downriggers, such as the Cannon Uni-Troll or Scotty Downrigger. There are also electric downriggers like the Scotty electric Downrigger and Cannon's Optimum Downrigger. A manual downrigger requires the user to crank the line to retrieve the weight. An electric downrigger utilizes an input screen and has automatic functions controlled by the user with the press of a button.
References
External links
How To Fish DownriggersHow To Use A DownriggerOptimum Downrigger The Smart, Connected Electric Downrigger
{{fisheries and fishing
Fishing equipment