Moving to Electrics...

Wandering Sagebrush

Wandering Sagebrush

Free Range Human
I am going to replace my manual Scotty's with electric downriggers. I am thinking I will go with Cannon Mag 10s because of the extending arm and the thinner but higher profile.

Currently, I have the Scotty's mounted on the gimbal mounts that fit inside a flush mount rod holder. I am not sure that I want to do that with the electrics. I may put the mount pads just in front of the flush mounts, or perhaps remove them and cover the hole with the new mounting pads. I also need to be cautious of the tubing for the camper back.

I am curious how other folks have mounted their down riggers. Any words of wisdom??? Links to photos would be appreciated.

TIA,

Steve
 
Wandering Sagebrush":4ko4dwyx said:
...or perhaps remove them and cover the hole with the new mounting pads.
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That's what I did...unless you look from below, one would never know the flush mount hole is there. Can't speak for a Canon base, but a Scotty will just barely fit on the 22 gunnel. It's really close...just to be safe, I slightly angled the bolt holes away from gunnel edges.

Also, there's plenty of core in the gunnels. Some might recommend backing plates, but I think that's overkill. I used a pair of big stainless fender washers for each bolt, and the mount isn't going anywhere...the downrigger line will snap long before any stresses on the base are of concern.

I used the Scotty gimbal mount initially for my electrics, in the flush rod holder. Hated it...they flopped around more than I was comfortable with, and it never felt that secure. There are several folks here who are happy with this setup though, so experiences do vary.
 
Steve,
I also have the Scotty electrics and have been very happy with them. They will interfere with the standard camperback from King marine. When cruising , I turn the booms inboard but the motor and reel extend beyond gunnels enough that you can't completely snap the canvas to the gunnel. I usually snap it as far a possible and partially zip the side and rear windows. This works fine at anchor or at a dock, but I take the side and back curtains down and fold the top when running or fishing. There have been a couple of discussions earlier about pros and cons of Scotty vs Cannon.
 
Ken,

I must be losing it. I would have sworn that you had Cannons when we were up in the Broughton Islands. Thanks for the info on the canvas fit issues. I hope to avoid that if possible.

Steve
 
Right now there is another discussion on Gamefishin.com about the pros and cons of each brand of down rigger. Personally I think it is like choosing between a Ford, Chev, or Dodge truck. They all have their advantages and weaknesses. For me, I prefer the way the Scotty Electric works over the Canon's. But others like the power down, PIC, and auto stop features of the Canons. Having used both, it would be a toss-up what I would buy today if I were going to replace mine with new. One thing I do like about Canon's is that WHEN you have a power problem, bringing in the cable is MUCH easier with the Canon! And that alone might be enough to sway me towards getting Canon's if I ever do replace all my downriggers.
 
Fishing with Scottys in the Anacortes Salmon Derby, on Saturday Tom and I lost two downrigger cannonballs on Saturday. They hung up on the bottom and took all the connecting hardware with them. We went to West Marine and bought the replacement parts and went back out. If these had been Canon downriggers it is questionable whether we would have found the parts we needed.

The moral of the story is, check to see what parts are available in your boating locale for the downrigger you are considering.

Warren
 
Gary,
I made an easy emergency downrigger handle for my Scotty. I posted a picture in my album. I made it out of aluminum strap 1in by 1/8 in and made a handle by center drilling a piece of dowel. When taken apart the whole thing fits in a zip-loc and goes in my downrigger box of spare parts. It also comes in handy when putting new cable or line on the downrigger. Only take 5 minutes to wind on a couple hundred feet of new cable. It is much easier to use if you snap the cover lid completely off and out of the way.
 
Here is the pic....
Emergency_Downrigger_Hangle_1.sized.jpg

Very good idea! I'll have to make something like that. One thing to note. Next time you are replacing the cable on the Scotty's, use Canon cable :) Their cable seems to be a much better quality cable.

Fishing with Scottys in the Anacortes Salmon Derby, on Saturday Tom and I lost two downrigger cannonballs on Saturday. They hung up on the bottom and took all the connecting hardware with them. We went to West Marine and bought the replacement parts and went back out. If these had been Canon downriggers it is questionable whether we would have found the parts we needed.

The moral of the story is, check to see what parts are available in your boating locale for the downrigger you are considering.
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That story is why I used to carry 3 extra balls, crimping pliers, crimps, and snap swivels on the boat at all times. I also carried 1 extra belt, an extra male plug, extra fuses, and two rolls of cable in my "downrigger repair kit". This may seem excessive, but after losing a ball out past Tatoosh just after a 30 minute ride there, I vowed to have everything onboard to re-rig the downriggers. After setting up the repair kit I have used it 3 times.

The question for all downriggers, is not IF you will lose a ball due to a cable failure but WHEN. So, I decided to have a small box of equipment on the boat for when that happens.
 
I fish off of Scotties and love them. Have been very reliable for me. The ones I have now are almost 10 years old and zero problems. gljjr is right, carry spares. Two year ago lost 3 balls and terminal gear in a matter of a hour. One thing I do is use Cannon terminal gear. Can replace in minutes on a rolling deck and not need any tools. Never lost a ball because of their gear

Chuck
Bootleg Hooch
 
I saw the price of cannon balls the other day and holy cow! 12lb ones were $50 each :shock: . That's too expensive to lose.

Anyway, in the northwest Scotty is the way to go. They have a lifetime warranty. I've heard they will send you the parts for free. Have not heard any negatives. I don't know if the cannons do this or not but I like that with the scotty's you can lift the boom straight up. THis can make retrieval of the cannon ball easier.

You can see in the picture below that I mounted the plates just forward of the fuel caps (Not to mention my Dad's fat Coho :wink: ). Da Nag is right, it's a tight fit but it works. The mounting plates look square but are slightly narrower in one direction so if at first the plate looks to wide for the gunnel just turn it 90 deg.
fishing_8_30_2006_002.sized.jpg
 
I made the decision and the purchase. I got a very good buy on a set of Cannon Mag 10HS downriggers, so now I have to get them on the boat.

Thanks to everyone who provided input. Photos to follow.

Steve
 
Wandering Sagebrush":1dz3kue8 said:
Thanks to everyone who provided input. Photos to follow.
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I would be most interested in your comments about how the Cannon downriggers work for you, in addition to the photos. Did you get the kind that can be used with the bottom-following depthsounder?

Warren
 
Warren,

It will be a bit before I get these critters mounted up. Someday it is going to quit raining (or at least I hope so) and I can work outside on the boat.

No, I did not go for the digi-troll downriggers. They are way to expensive, and I am not that fanatic about being right down on the bottom with my leads. I bought the Mag 10HS, which is the basic electric downrigger with an extendable arm.

My manual downriggers are Scotty's, but I have never been completely satisfied with them. It's probably more me than the Scotty's, but they seemed awkward. Part of that may be due to my having them mounted on the gimbal mounts. I think I am going to put the Cannon swivel bases over the holes where the flush mount rod holders currently are. I may also look at their gunnel bracket, and leave the flush mounts in place.

Steve
 
Warren,

IMHO the bottom following downrigger feature is a very expensive gimmick that can't ever work very well. The problem is that even though the downrigger goes up and down with the bottom, you have to sit at the downrigger and constantly adjust the line on the real each time the downrigger changes depth. Way too much work for very little gain IMHO.
 
gljjr":6kz7wrk3 said:
IMHO the bottom following downrigger feature is a very expensive gimmick that can't ever work very well. The problem is that even though the downrigger goes up and down with the bottom, you have to sit at the downrigger and constantly adjust the line on the real each time the downrigger changes depth. Way too much work for very little gain IMHO.
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I wondered about that. Thanks for the real-world report!

Still, I am curious about Cannon vs. Scotty. I bought Scotty because I figured since everyone else up here has them there is a lot of local knowledge about how to use and maintain them (true) but a friend of mine who has Scotty said he is going to replace them with Cannons. Not exactly sure why and not sure if the bottom-following feature was the main reason.

Warren
 
It's hard to beat the scotty's lifetime warrenty. Also the scotty reps seem to have a strong presence in the NW. They are at a lot of the local sporting goods shows ect. I've heard nothing but great news about their customer support. Cannon seems to have a good grip on the east coast. I'm sure both will send lead to the bottom. I have heard as far as manual ones go that Cannon has an edge.
 
Warren,

I've never actually used the Canon's that adjust to the bottom depth. I'm just giving my opinion. I personally have 3 Scotty Electrics that work just fine for me :)

Oh, mate those downriggers up with the Folbe rod holders! They are simply awesome! When a fish hits simply lift the rod straight up and the holder releases the rod. Best rod holders I have ever used by far.
 
gljjr":2t6c5n8n said:
Oh, mate those downriggers up with the Folbe rod holders! They are simply awesome! When a fish hits simply lift the rod straight up and the holder releases the rod. Best rod holders I have ever used by far.
Click to expand...

Where can you see and buy them locally?

Warren
 
I got mine at Outdoor Emporium. But I would guess that you would be able to find them at 3 Rivers in Woodinville too.

Here is their website. http://www.folbe.com/ Watch the video they have. They work as easily as in the video. They are great. I typically will hit the lock button when the rod is in the holder but it probably isn't needed.
 
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