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Fishing with Downriggers
Downrigger fishing is a whole new style of trolling. It may take a little while to get
used to it, but after you begin to catch fish with it, you’ll never go back to using
heavy tackle. Unlike conventional trolling, the first evidence of a strike may show
with just a wiggle of your rod tip or your Downrigger pulley. When a fish strikes,
your rod tip goes up, the line will momentarily go slack and you now have your
fish on the line with no weight at all! Quite often, the fish will rush to the surface
(with no weight to hold him down) and put up a spectacular fight right on top.
After a strike, note the reading on the depth counter so you can get your line
back to the exact same depth after landing the fish. Many suspended fish travel
in schools and returning to the exact same location will increase your chances of
hooking up again.
If the fish is large we suggest you retrieve the Downrigger before you land the
fish. This eliminates the possibility of the fish tangling in the downrigger line or
the weight hitting the bottom if you drift into shallow water while playing the fish.
To avoid tangles you should wind up all downriggers on the boat before you stop
to drift. If fishing alone, you should get your fish under control and then retrieve
the downrigger.
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