Downrigger rig for 'OL GREY DOG

[Toni]

Here is a picture of my down rigger in action. I am getting better at it. Today I caught at least 10 trout with it.
I think the position of it is perfect. I would like a ball rest by the platform though.

['OL GREY DOG]

AWWWWWW THNX Toni......
very cool......you get'n the clip figured out?.....
about DR ball storage....they sell a lil cup/bowl thingy to set 'em.....
you might look at nail bags...i had 'em on a clip thing i hung on the gunnel...
(till some 1 swiped 'em)made out of synthetic canvas stuff worked great...had extra
pockets besides the big 1 where i kept the ball for extra clips WIRE CUTTERS 'n such.....
if ya go with the bowl thing put it LOW in the boat....few years bk a buddy 'n i were fish'n Summit
and when at high speed(12ft glass boat with 2 'ol fat guys 'n their gear in it 'n a 4 hp merc push'n it)
a jet ski'r idiot cut rrright in front of us....when we "jumped" the wake his ball(kept on the seat) took flight
'n crash'd to the floor....broke it bad enuf we were take'n on water had to go home eeeekkk....
anywaysss thnx for the shout out 'n put'n my sn in caps lololol.....TIGHT LINES "N STRONG KNOTS..DOG.....
PS..you ever smeared smelly jelly on your ball???..O-:

[BentRod]

Toni, Glad to see that is working out for you!
Thought on a DIY ball holder....maybe a small stainless steel bowl (kitchen wear) drill a hole in the bottom and screw it to the DR mounting platform? Maybe drill a couple small holes near the bottom to drain water.

[Toni]

What I want is a place to set the ball while I work on the clip. Yes I think I know how to do the clip now but it takes me a few minutes for me to get it right.

I don't want one for the floor. I was thinking of something like a cup holder right by the base on the pedestal. I have the fish finder right under the downrigger pedestal and there are wires off to the side where I swing the ball to after I swing it in. The clip wire gets mixed in with the fish finder wires.

[Toni]

Toni, Glad to see that is working out for you!
Thought on a DIY ball holder....maybe a small stainless steel bowl (kitchen wear) drill a hole in the bottom and screw it to the DR mounting platform? Maybe drill a couple small holes near the bottom to drain water.

There really isn't enough room to put a bowl. But it doesn't have to be much. I could maybe even put a lid there.??? that might be it. I was thinking about attaching to the side. Uhhmmm...I will talk with my son as he is the one who listened to me and designed the pedestal I have now, which I think works great.

[G-Man]

Toni, the ball stays in the water while you work the clip. If the release clip line isn't long enough to do that, cut it and retie with heavy mono or braid/dacron. Check out the links.
http://www.washingtonlakes.com/forum/ya ... lease.aspx
http://www.washingtonlakes.com/forum/ya ... ggers.aspx

[Toni]

Toni, the ball stays in the water while you work the clip. If the release clip line isn't long enough to do that, cut it and retie with heavy mono or braid/dacron. Check out the links.
http://www.washingtonlakes.com/forum/ya ... lease.aspx
http://www.washingtonlakes.com/forum/ya ... ggers.aspx

Is there a reason why? I didn't see the reason why you feel you need to alter the clip line. Remember I am in a 12 foot row boat.

[G-Man]

If the clip line you have is long enough for you to have the release in your hand while the ball is just barely under the water's surface, then you are good to go. There is no reason to bring the ball into the boat to attach your line to the clip, and may lead to a tangle every now and then. I think for your setup, just bring up the ball so you can grab the release line, lower the ball back down into the water, insert your fishing line into the clip and your set. Keeping the ball in the water keeps the ball from spinning and creating a tangle and also keeps it from swaying and hitting the side of your boat in choppy water or when you get hit with another boat's wake. The only time I bring the ball into the boat is when I run to another fishing spot or head for home.

[BentRod]

Toni, I was thinking you wanted a place to put the ball while you were not using the DR. I figured the right side of the mount had room (see picture). However, if you're pulling the ball out to use the clip, then I agree with G-Man, you shouldn't have to. I don't need to on mine in my 12 foot boat, but my DR is mounted just forward of my seat, so I can easily reach over and grab the clip line without pulling the ball up out of the water.

[Toni]

I straddle the seat and the down rigger is in front of me. If I lean way forward I can grab the clip because it would be in the water. Then there is tension on the clip line which makes it hard to get the mono (my fishing line) into the clip.

[Anonymous]

I straddle the seat and the down rigger is in front of me. If I lean way forward I can grab the clip because it would be in the water. Then there is tension on the clip line which makes it hard to get the mono (my fishing line) into the clip.

Hi Toni,
I like G-Man would also recommend that you extend the length of your downrigger release clip leader so that you can reach the clip without having to lean out over the side of your boat. It will be much safer for you especially because you fish alone a lot of the time.
It's very dangerous to lean out over the side of your boat for any reason and you should avoid doing so whenever you can. I see that you are using Walker downriggers. I have these items on my Electric Scotty’s but you might be able to find them for your Walkers or rework them to fit your Walkers.

Weight storage hook


Downrigger Weight Retriever brings weights in for rigging lines and releases without having to lean out over a gunnel.

[rseas]

Hey Toni, I've been thinking about your ball rest dilemma. A thought may be to use a 3" or 4" hole saw and saw (or maybe that is drill, who knows...) a hole in the horizontal surface adjacent to your downrigger. You could even get fancy and route the periphery of the hole with a radius router bit but either way when done you could just set the ball in the resulting hole. A 3" or 4" diameter hole should not effect the structural integrity of your downrigger mounting stand but should be large enough to keep the ball from rolling all over the place.

[Toni]

I straddle the seat and the down rigger is in front of me. If I lean way forward I can grab the clip because it would be in the water. Then there is tension on the clip line which makes it hard to get the mono (my fishing line) into the clip.

Downrigger Weight Retriever brings weights in for rigging lines and releases without having to lean out over a gunnel.

I already made one of these.
My weight is finned.
I used it yesterday with a different rod and reel with heavier line and it worked better than have 4lbs. test line. I can position the line in the clip quicker.