3
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 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 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.
