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Wire vs. braided downrigger line

44K views 34 replies 22 participants last post by  mstarck 
#1 ·
I have had a hum on my manual DR for years. I read that switching from the standard wire to a braided line will end that. What is the min. lb. test you would want to use and the pro's and cons on switching from wire cable. I usually run an eight pound ball on that one. I do not have that issue on my electric.
 
#2 ·
Have been using braid for several years now , would not go back to wire .My use is almost all for salmon . could only get 1 or 2 years out of wire but the braid on 1 is 4 years and the other 3 years and we use 12# to 16# balls . For a manual and 8 # I would use the 150# braid . nothing bad to say about the braid
 
#4 ·
My next cable will be braid. The advantages far outweigh the disadvantages from what my research tells me.
 
#5 ·
I happened to think of something, will there be a difference in the counter, the braid is thinner, but then the counter can't be all that accurate anyway. I usually can see the ping on the finder. I hate to trash a 150 feet of cable when I change it. One more thing to keep around just in case. I don't use a black box. Any one done the switch and have a comment?
 
#7 ·
I run 4 downriggers on my boat and changed 2 to braided.
Stackers dont stay put well, but I dont fish that way anyway.
Main thing is less drag and blow back on the ball.
But I could never get the counter anywhere right-- so I have to use my fishfinder to get an accurate depth on the ball.
I still like it---- just different. It does do away with the hum.
I catch as many fish on braided as with cable so I havent seen any diff in
that respect.
 
#8 ·
only concern I have with switching over, which I am going to do is being able to stack rods on the D/R. I will say that I believe the scotty releases will work just fine on the braid. If your boat is sending too much electricity down the downrigger cable, you will catch less fish. If you are using braided line, you won't have that issue. No need for a black box.
 
#9 ·
I caught so many last year with cable I'm almost afraid to switch over, but I also got a kink in the cable which snapped and cost me alot in lost gear (ball, cowbell, release, & about 60ft in cable)swhich is my main reason for wanting to switch (no more kinks to work about) maybe I'l switch 1 to braid and do a side by side for the year I don't know?:doh: Its that $$$$ of braid slowing me down.
 
#13 ·
Not being able to use stacker clips with braid would be a deal killer right there for me. Add in the factor of braid making the line counter inaccurate, and the fact that you can't adjust the voltage with braid to attact fish; I see no reason to change. I've never had any trouble using wire, and for some reason, my downrigger wire rarely humns either.
 
#15 ·
I have 200 pound power pro. The line definately tracks better, cuts debris better, no worrys about stray voltage and seems to last longer. Cons are, difficult to stack, the stops are hard to keep fastened, and it is very difficult to handline the ball in if there is an issue. (will cut your hands). All in all a little better.:twocents:
 
#16 ·
I do appreciate the input. I ordered some online (135LB) and it was less that $20. It is the hum I want to eliminate as I have had it on for 12 years. Not in the salt with this one and rarely go deeper than 50'. Use the electric for deeper or in the salt. Only had one kink up close to the connector and just cut and reconnected. In reading this thread, I think I will just splice the 150' braid on to the wire with a big swivel and a crimp and spool over the top. If I don't like it I will just take it off and put my clip back on the end of the wire. Maybe that will not mess up my counter too much. Maybe the hum is not repelling the fish, just annoying. Thanks for the information, appears to be a near toss-up. :flag2:
 
#17 ·
I've posted on this topic before. I ran one braid and one wire for a season. I found MORE blowback on the Scotty braid than wire, and had some fraying issues on the braid. It did not appear to wear very well. My new Canon electric requires wire for the auto-stop to work. The humm tells me when I hit something or hang a ball or if I'm trolling the right speed. :twocents: Your results may vary.
 
#18 ·
I've been using braid for two years and it has been great. Here is a couple of tips that I have learned:

-buy power pro or tuff line in 130-150#. higher quality and less expensive and comes in longer lengths (mostly for halibut and ocean chinook).

-use the Scotty stopper beads designed for braid (the red ones) and use a dab of super glue to permanetly fix them in place.

-if you are using the Scotty stacker releases put some surgical tubing on the longliner clip to keep them from sliding so easy

- I also highly recommend using then blue rubber snubbers between the cable and ball. Helps take the shock out of rough water.

We use 15# pancakes and stack 2 lines using the clips with the 48" leaders.

I haven't noticed a big difference in the counter accuracy, but the FF return is much much more accurate because of the reduced blowback. Previously I could be >15' shallower than either the FF or the line counter indicated. This was due to the angle of the cable. If I let out 150' of cable and the cable was pushed back by the drag of the water the FF still said 150' because that is how far it was from the X-ducer though at the edge of the sonar's cone and much shallower in depth.

Clear as mud...? :)
 
#20 ·
I went from wire to braid as I have been fishing with 250' of line out. Haven't noticed any problems with change in line counter. In reality they are for reference only as I just want to get back to the same depth. Like what was said earlier, the f/f just shows haw far the ball is from transducer. It does,'t actually detect how deep it is. After both steel cables broke after only ten days of fishing, I switched to braid. I am hoping for several years on the braid. I use realeases that I make up, about 6ft in length. I put line realease on both ends. About 4" from one end I use a crimp to for a small loop. i then attach a snap into that loop and hook it over the braid. The snap holds a;; the pressure and the clip just keeps it fro sliding.
Ted
 
#22 ·
I typically use 120 lb spectra when fishing for oversize. It's amazing how easily that stuff breaks if you come anywhere close to a rock. The smallest nick or fray in the line makes it substantially weaker. For that reason alone I have no intention of switching over to braid for my downriggers. After reading about the issues above with counter accuracy and stackers slipping it just further affirms that I've made the right choice in sticking with steel.
 
#23 ·
Lead ball, blue/green rubber shock absorber, slide a ball bearing swivel on to an accurately measured length of tuna cord or other heavy nylon before tying it into loop with a lovers' knot. The swivel becomes the autostopper for electric Scotty, tie your favourite knot from swivel to braided DR line of 150-200lb.

Clip lower rod to the cord. No slippage.

For stacking, choke on a small crane swivel in a loop of the braided DR line (will look like a lark's head knot) to prevent clip slippage. Choke on one more swivel above that for an autostop for the stacked rod.

No glue, no plastic thingies, easy to adjust.

Works on Scotty Electrics and manuals. I'm not familiar with other brands' electric autostop mechanisms.
 
#26 · (Edited)
ball and snubber
Knot for Loop of Nylon Twine that goes above snubber. The loop could be 2.5-7 feet long depending on how long your DR boom is and how high your gunnels are and whether you like your balls to stay in the water or swing around smashing into things. Attach your bottom clip to the twine, not the braid.
Next is a heavy enough ball-bearing swivel that attaches to the loop and the braided DR line that doubles as the autostop (no photo)

attaching swivel to braid for no-slip stacking and stacker autostop for electric Scotty. They seem to spool onto the downrigger and go back out without any issues so far.
All photos are "borrowed". I hope that is okay.
 
#27 ·
Here's my "story" and experience on this subject. Perhaps just a coincidence but here goes. I run a wire downrigger on my starboard side and a downIrigger with 150# braid on the portside. (I switched to the braid to get rid of the hummmmmmmmmmmmmmm, which it did) however I SWEAR that the downrigger on the portside did not get nearly the number of hits (koke) that the wired downrigger did, trip after trip, very predictable after a while, even while using the same depth of the balls and terminal tackle on each setup. I troll randomly, in "S" curves, etc. so as to get the same type of speed changes on each side. Due to differences in mounting bases I can't switch right to left and visa versa to play that out. I don't fish with a black box but I wonder about the difference in any electrical charge in play or even if it is in play????????? I know this: my favorite fishing buddy and I have to flip a coin, arm wrestle or have a pistol dual to see who gets that starboard 'rigger! :argue:Anybody got any ideas? Pray tell.:pray::anyone:
 
#28 ·
however I SWEAR that the downrigger on the portside did not get nearly the number of hits (koke) that the wired downrigger did, trip after trip, very predictable after a while, even while using the same depth of the balls and terminal tackle on each setup. I wonder about the difference in any electrical charge in play or even if it is in play????????? I know this: my favorite fishing buddy and I have to flip a coin, arm wrestle or have a pistol dual to see who gets that starboard 'rigger! :argue:Anybody got any ideas? Pray tell.:pray::anyone:
You metal cable may be picking up good charges from your boat, however, I think that would only effect your "bite ratio" if you were using a short setback so that your lure is still within the effect of the electrical charge.

Is that side still more active when you use a longer setback, maybe 20 feet or longer?
 
#30 ·
The old timers say the hum attracts fish. Also some boats naturally have the desired voltage on their steel cables, .6 to.7 volts. My old boat had the desired voltage without a black box. My new boat had a voltage that seemed to repel fish. Braided line fixed the problem. (I didn't want the hassle of the black box). You can measure your voltage with a sensitive volt meter, DC, set on a setting to measure under 1 volt. Just attach the black to your ground and the red to the downrigger wire. (with gear and downrigger in action at trolling speeds). :twocents:
 
#31 ·
With the exception of a few "hot" mineral rich lakes in E. Oregon fresh water does not conduct electricity well, pure water is non conductive. You might get a small field in the immediate area of your boat but the field does not cover as large of area as it will in saltwater.
 
#33 ·
You may be partially right but negative charge does make a difference especially in salt water. But in saying that, if you have a voltage leak, you will catch far less fish.
1. All batteries should be grounded together.
2. If you are not killing the fish in a hot bite, (especially when everyone around you is) it is time to break out the voltage meter and figure out what is leaking voltage.
3. Go through anything that is drawing voltage and disconnect it one by one until you find the leak.
4. put a break between your DR cable and your ball. What you have is essentially a battery. Lead, copper, and Stainless steel creating electrolysis. Isolate the components from your downrigger cable with a loop of sturgeon leader or other non conductive material.

No matter how much you poo poo the black box theory, it is a scientific fact. It is not a secret, and it is an important part of the big fish catching puzzle. Ignore it if you wish, but I know for a fact that it is a BIG DEAL even in fresh water and I will continue to monitor the charges leaving my boat.
 
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