FISHING
WITH DOWNRIGGERS
Downrigger fishing is a whole new style of trolling. It will 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. Often
the downrigger boom will bounce up and down as the fish pulls against the
release clip. The line will then (usually) pull free from the clip, your fishing line
will go slack momentarily, then zing-g-g! You 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 you
land the fish. Many suspended
fish travel in schools.
By returning to the exact
same location you will have an
excellent chance 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 of the
weight hitting bottom if you
drift into shallow water while
playing the fish. You should
wind up all downriggers on
the boat before you stop to
drift. This will avoid tangles.
If fishing alone, you should
get your fish under control and
then retrieve the downrigger.
To Next Page
Loading...
