downrigger

A downrigger is a device used in fishing by the trolling method which places a lure down th the desired depth. A downrigger consists of a fishing rod-like device suspending a cannonball (large weight) by a steel cable (generally stainless steel). A clip attaches a fishing line to the cannonball weight. Then a downrigger release is hooked to the downrigger wire and then the bait is attached to the release. The release is basically another fishing line that holds the bait and the wire together.

Operation of a downrigger

Downriggers consist of three major components, the weight, the cable and the spool. The fishing line is attached to the downrigger cable by means of a "line release." The weight is normally a mass of lead which is connected to the stainless steel cable. The spool is brought up either by a manual crank or via an electric motor.

Brief History

Using a downrigger began in the early 1900’s in effort to pick up the productivity of catching fish in larger bodies of water. One of the more popular models of downriggers is called the Scotty set up. It was developed by two fishing inovators named Charlie White and Blayney Scott. They developed this model in the 1970's that used a ten pound weight. It was described as a good model for finding the right depth at which fish were feeding. Downriggers are used to troll at a certain dept and speed. People began using them in oceans and others later developed smaller downrigger systems, which are good for smaller bodies of water such as the great lakes. They are now used all over the world and catch a large variety of fish.

External links

• Downrigger fishing
• Saltwater downrigger fishing?