To install downrigger

Most boats are currently only available through our retailers. Downriggers are an important tool in many fisheries across the world. They are primarily used to target fish at precise depths while trolling and are very popular in salmon, trout, and walleye fisheries.

While downrigger designs vary widely they are all built around large spools with wire cable or strong braid that attach to arms that hang over the side of the kayak. Attached to the end of the line or cable is a large lead weight varying from 4 to 15 lbs, although most kayak anglers tend to use 4 or 6 lb weights. Attached to the weight is a clip that you attach your fishing line and lure to. The weight is lowered to specific depths and when a fish strikes it releases your line and lure from the clip and you fight the fish.

In this way you can target fish at extreme or even shallow depths with precision without the need for heavy lead weights on your line. Determining where and how to mount a downrigger on a kayak can be challenging and stressful. Before deciding where to mount it, spend some time in your kayak and get comfortable fishing and landing fish from it. You do not want your downrigger to be in the way of your normal fishing movements or, if in a PDL driven kayak , you do not want it to impede your ability to pedal.

I do not recommend installing downriggers on paddle kayaks as managing deployment of the downrigger and rod while paddling would be challenging. However, pedal and electric motor propelled kayaks such as the Sportsman PDL and PDL , and the AutoPilot kayaks all of which have a high degree of initial stability are ideal for downriggers.

Mounting locations for downriggers have two fundamental requirements. First, they need to be easily reachable from your seat. Most kayak anglers are going to opt to install compact manually cranked downriggers rather than large heavy electric powered ones. Cannon manufacturers small downriggers with both horizontally oriented handles and spools, such as on the Mini-troll , and vertically oriented spools and handles such as the Lake-troll. Determine which works best for you and your kayak.

Downriggers were not built with kayak anglers in mind. To this end I highly recommend making some basic modifications to your downrigger to make it easier to use for the kayak angler. This has several benefits.

First this will reduce the amount of strain the downrigger puts on the hull of your kayak by decreasing leverage. This also allows the kayak to track better and increases stability.

Lastly, it makes it far easier for you to reach the downrigger ball and release clips. Fishing is one of the main activities pontoon enthusiasts get to indulge into. When choosing a downrigger, you might want to consider a couple of personal preferences — how often are you out on the water, what kind of depth are you aiming to achieve with your downrigger, and last but not least, the budget you have.

Downriggers are divided into two main categories — manual and automatic, with the automatic one being much more expensive than the manual ones. When it comes to the price, the manual ones are, naturally, far cheaper than the automatic ones. Your wallet and your boat will thank you. Now on to the installation part, which is probably what you were looking for in this article. As for our product recommendations, we suggest you check out the Cannon Clamp Mount.

And do you know what is the most important thing for boat equipment? However, this mount is made out of aluminum and powder coated, in order to prevent corrosion.