Restringing Downriggers

[greenbuttskunk]

yep, I vote for steel cable too.

[Salty Walty]

There are a couple of reasons I am weighing the Spectra option.
1. It won't rust. Even with judicious washing you can not get all the cable rinsed.
2. It won't kink.
3. I've used it on other boats and it cuts through the jellyfish. Which are almost impossible to get off cable and lead to rust.
4. It is thinner than cable which means less resistance.
Some drawbacks are the less resistance to abrasion but I have used spectra on my bottom fish rods for years now and it has held up pretty well. It was something I have been contemplating since the cable on my boats downriggers needs to be replaced. Thanks for the replies. SW

[corrirod]

I don't know Walt, I still have to go with the SS cable. For as little as it costs it can sure save you in the long run.

(I hate to even say this but.. :blush: ) All it takes is for you to have 1 of your balls fall off and your right back where you started. :blush:

Some things you might think about that could cause you problems are line twist and line stretch. Both will wear on the spectra and eventually cause it to break. There is a lot of bouncing going on out on the ocean that puts a lot of shock on that line.

Just my opinion.

[ 01-30-2004, 01:58 PM: Message edited by: corrirod ]

[Birdnest]

I think it will void your warranty if that is something that is important to you.

Joe

[Pilar]

Another thing to think about is wear on the roller or pulley spool at the end of your downrigger arm. The stainless steel cable is pretty fat compared to Kevlar line. The same pressure from the weight of the ball would be applied to the much smaller contact area on that roller.

Smaller area, same pressure => more force per sq inch. It might cut or break the roller.

What kind of downrigger did you use this kevlar line on before and how did it work out?

One last thing is that Kevlar or spectra line has virtually 0% stretch. Even SS cable stretches a little. Every little blip on the line will transmit up it to the downrigger. So there will be a higher shock load as well.

[Popeye]

SW....I was thinking of switching last year for the exact same reasons. However, I chickened out at the last minute and re-spooled with 400' of S/S. If by chance you decide to do this, Please let me know how it works!
BTW....I was going to use 200#

[billfish]

Been there, done that, so for what it is worth, my two cents .
Spooled up with 200# Power prow a few years back and the one
big problem that I had was the line would cut through the spooled
line and get imbedded under the other line to then get tangled up
when you let it back down. became a real pain and I gave up on
it.
Ended up getting SS 400 # cable from a commercial outlet and
have got years of use from it. Good luck.

[Salty Walty]

Pilar, The boat I fished on before with the Spectra has used it for 4 years. He has Scotty mid-grade down riggers not sure of model #. He uses a #15 ball on #200 Fireline and his rollers have held up. The shock on the gunwales is a consideration too. He usually fishes them 10-20 times a year. He did say to make sure that the line got on there tight and that you kept tension on the line when you stored the downriggers. I have Penn 625s and #10 balls :shocked: . I am going to check the bases, rollers and the mounting hardware on my boat also. If it all looks good and I do this I will bring along an extra ball just in case. Thanks to everyone for all the input and other things to consider.

Put bungee cords on your balls to take up some of the shock.

[Reel Creel]

SS 200lb is my vote just cuz thats whats on the thing and why fix whats not broke :grin:

[Salty Walty]

I am going to restring my downriggers with Spectra/P-line. Which wt. of line do you think #130 or #200?

I have thought about this too. I think the 200lb would be better due to its larger diameter. It still will be thiner than 150lb SS cable.

[Miss B Haven]

I wouldn't do this. Spectra won't take the abuse/abrashion. One time off the pulley or rubbing the boat and no ball.

Don't you meen "No Balls? :grin:

How about dealing with a cable caught on a submerged crab pot rope?

[Rodbender]

It's interesting to contrast people's experiences and advice from different fishing situations.
For instance on this thread a poster is advised to get rid of the wire!! in part because the hum scares fish!
100% nonsense IMO but that's fishin'-I remember when Big Jon downriggers came with a special whistle that was attached to the wire to attract fish.
Also-using anything but wire will definitely void a Scotty warranty-I dunno about Cannon.

[Spoiled Daddy]

Salty Walty,

I would stick with the wire. Just my .02 SD

[Pilar]

Another thing is an electrical consideration. You will be electrically isolating the ball from the boat. I use the SS wire on my downrigger to charge the wire and ball to + 0.6V DC as recommended by some of the downrigger makers.

That humming wire is a good thing. If the wires start to do a low frequency hum I know the trolling speed is perfect for Kings. A high pitched howl means you are going too fast.

[Maverick Maxcat]

I did the experiment last year with 130# spectra, and learned a lot. For instance, 15 lb balls will snap it if someone hammers the brake. ALWAYS use some kind of snubber! It has less line drag, no fatigue, doesn't kink. I run Scotty riggers, the factory said it was OK to use as long as it had no stretch. I tied in a big swivel to use as a stop marker---the plastic ones fall off and slide. Also, trolling snaps don't hold. I ran clips off the ball or used ProRelease stacker style. I'm going to upgrade to 200-250 lb this year and try again.