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Thread: Electric Downriggers or Divers (Idaho)

  1. #1

    Default Electric Downriggers or Divers (Idaho)

    New to the trolling aspect, spend most of my time fishing for Bass, Crappie, Perch and Bluegill.

    I do live in Idaho, so most of my time trolling would be in Idaho ....

    I have the opportunity to get 2 Scotty 1101 Downriggers for $350 .....

    So, the question is would you have more success with Divers or a Downrigger ....

    I am sure there will be many opinions, looking forward to reading all of them

    Thanks In Advance

  2. #2
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    Quote Originally Posted by RustynMtnHome View Post
    New to the trolling aspect, spend most of my time fishing for Bass, Crappie, Perch and Bluegill.

    I do live in Idaho, so most of my time trolling would be in Idaho ....

    I have the opportunity to get 2 Scotty 1101 Downriggers for $350 .....

    So, the question is would you have more success with Divers or a Downrigger ....

    I am sure there will be many opinions, looking forward to reading all of them

    Thanks In Advance
    downriggers, and welcome aboard
    1982 18' Hydra-Sports Striper Special, 1982 Mariner 150hp, 1980 Johnson 7.5hp

  3. #3
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    Is that 350 for both or each? Either way a good to great deal.
    My first experience with downriggers were manual Cannons which I liked down riggers enough to buy electrics for my new boat this year. With the elec. vs manual you will not be afraid to change lures in 50' of water. With manuals I did not check/change tackle as much as I should have.
    Unless you quit fishing you will not have any regrets. And even then you can always get your money out of them.
    Take time before time takes you

  4. #4

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    That is for both, and didn't think about changing lures. Thanks

  5. #5
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    I like Herzogs philosophy "don't be a lazy troller". I take that as meaning keep changing things until you start to get bites. It is a lot easier with elec down riggers than manual riggers.
    Take time before time takes you

  6. #6
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    Rusty,
    It's just plan a lot more fun to catch fish without a lot of hardware drag like a diver.
    2006 Dodge Ram 3500 Dually, 21' North River Seahawk

  7. #7
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    Buy them immediately. Worst case you will make a few dollars if you have to resell them.
    ALL FISH PICTURED IN POSTS ARE LARGER THAN THEY APPEAR

  8. #8
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    You can use downriggers in shallow water. I troll Henry's lake with the balls down 3 feet. It telegraphs strikes better than flat lining and I think it's a better hook set. Buy them now !!!

  9. #9
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    I have manual downriggers and use one of these ... never worry about changing tackle and the line is set back to the same place every time ... unless I change the depth on purpose.

    http://shastatackle.com/tackleshop/s...e=Shuttle+Hawk

    Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4DoOpcp8uw
    16 foot Tan/Green Lowe with 50 HP Yamaha
    Almost always my wife and I together.
    Pull up and say Hi!

  10. #10
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    After experimenting with both, I prefer downrigging, even from my kayak.
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    Last edited by mtom938; 09-11-2014 at 03:08 PM.
    "I am haunted by waters".........Norman MacLean

  11. #11
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    Where there's a will there's a way Tom. Very nice set up!
    2006 Dodge Ram 3500 Dually, 21' North River Seahawk

  12. #12
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    They recently took a poll of frequent fishermen in the western Washington, and got lots of responses. It was pretty unanimous....Penn for manuals, and Scotty for electrics. I have the Penns, and love them. They have quit making them for some reason several years ago, but are so popular that folks just buy them on Ebay. The Scotty's vote was almost unanimous, and there was lots of grumbling about Cannons. Mike

  13. #13
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    I did a lot of research before I bought my Walker electric downriggers and could not be happier with them.

    Smaller and more compact (more metal less plastic) then the others with plenty of power + no belts to break. I can power down with no trouble at all unlike some of the Cannon models.

    I know the Scotty's have a big West Coast following but the Walker Electrics Rule on the Great Lakes charter boats.

  14. #14
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    Lunddude is exactly right. Walkers are the go-to back there. Both areas dislike the Cannons, however!! And yes, trust Lunddudes research. It is thorough!

  15. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by Lunddude View Post
    I did a lot of research before I bought my Walker electric downriggers and could not be happier with them.

    Smaller and more compact (more metal less plastic) then the others with plenty of power + no belts to break. I can power down with no trouble at all unlike some of the Cannon models.

    I know the Scotty's have a big West Coast following but the Walker Electrics Rule on the Great Lakes charter boats.
    What do you mean when you say" powering down" are you talking about letting the d/r weight down? or unplugging the unit? I think d/r preference is stickily a regional thing. I see more Cannon's on the gorge then others brand,with Scotty's running a close second. Very few Walkers or Big Jons.
    "Chance Favors A Prepared Mind"


  16. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by Propnut69 View Post
    I think d/r preference is stickily a regional thing.
    Maybe. I was introduced to trolling with downriggers using Cannons. I'll fish with any brand because at the end of the day, it's fishing! But I'm a Cannon guy and it is because of all the standard arguments, I like the looks and the function. I wonder how much of brand preference relates to what we're used to. Did your family grow up with Fords or Chevys?
    2006 Dodge Ram 3500 Dually, 21' North River Seahawk

  17. #17
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    Last week I fished with a guy who has Scotty's on his boat thus have a good comparison with my Cannon DT-5's. I'll keep my Cannon hands down, thank you!
    I bought the Cannon because of the ability to release ball with out power and more so because of the P.O.S. on the Digi-troll and up models. The positive ion control is a proven advantage to deep water fishing for salmon. You would pay a quite a bit to buy the Black Box to do the same thing.
    I am not familiar with the Walkers.
    Take time before time takes you

  18. #18
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    Quote Originally Posted by Propnut69 View Post
    What do you mean when you say" powering down" are you talking about letting the d/r weight down? or unplugging the unit? I think d/r preference is stickily a regional thing. I see more Cannon's on the gorge then others brand,with Scotty's running a close second. Very few Walkers or Big Jons.
    Yes, letting the ball down while under power.

    When I looked into the Cannons I found out that you had to lower the ball down manually by backing the clutch knob off, I believe Scotty's are the same way. I believe the reason being is that they travel to fast when lowered down under power that the reel will free spool when you stop it, leaving you with 100+ feet of stainless steel cable in a rats nest.

    With my Walkers I can power down with the toggle switch with no problem, and the auto stop feature works great too while fighting a fish.

    What I like best about the Walkers is that they are compact & easy to operate, along with not being made out of a bunch of plastic parts. Just my .02 worth, to each their own.

  19. #19
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    [QUOTE=clawman
    I bought the Cannon because of the ability to release ball with out power [/QUOTE]

    Why would that be a benefit? I hit the switch on my Walkers and they power down beautifully on there own. Are you saving some battery life by lowering your Cannons manually?

    Outside of all the bulky plastic the Cannons are made of, not being able to power the ball down was the #2 reason I decided not to go with them.

  20. #20
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    Quote Originally Posted by Lunddude View Post
    Why would that be a benefit? I hit the switch on my Walkers and they power down beautifully on there own. Are you saving some battery life by lowering your Cannons manually?

    Outside of all the bulky plastic the Cannons are made of, not being able to power the ball down was the #2 reason I decided not to go with them.
    Lunddude;
    Are you just trying to convince RustyMtn Home to buy a Scotty because you have one or carry out a discussion of what people like about a particular brand. By quoting only a portion of my stmt you seem bias, not objective. I also mentioned that the Cannon has positive ion control which is an expensive option to purchase. The Scotty does not offer that.
    Since we are pitching one brand over another here goes:
    The Scotty uses belts which require maintenance. The Scotty is slower retrieve. The Scotty also uses a plastic housing. Granted the Scotty is lower profile.
    Having used both within days of each other I am convinced of my decision.
    Take time before time takes you

  21. #21
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    Sounds like everyone here has their favorite and hopefully it is the downrigger brand that they presently own. I have been in boats that that have used each of the brands mentioned in this thread and they each have their pros and cons. The Cannon mag fives I presently own have been good performers for me and I have never had problems with any "cable birds nests" while using the switch to drop the ball down. On the other hand, the fast decent of the Cannons will tangle my dodger with the cable if my setback is under 15 feet. You can solve that problem by stopping the cable every 25 feet or so for 2-3 seconds, which allows the speed of the boat to pull the dodger away from the cable enough to continue your decent. In my book, this adjustment is a small price to pay for Cannons faster retrieval speed. Once again to each their own. Happy trolling.
    17 ft. red/white Crestliner
    90 hp and 8hp Hondas

  22. #22
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    Quote Originally Posted by clawman View Post
    Lunddude;
    Are you just trying to convince RustyMtn Home to buy a Scotty because you have one or carry out a discussion of what people like about a particular brand. By quoting only a portion of my stmt you seem bias, not objective. I also mentioned that the Cannon has positive ion control which is an expensive option to purchase. The Scotty does not offer that.
    Since we are pitching one brand over another here goes:
    The Scotty uses belts which require maintenance. The Scotty is slower retrieve. The Scotty also uses a plastic housing. Granted the Scotty is lower profile.
    Having used both within days of each other I am convinced of my decision.
    I have WALKERS. Like I said in my original post, before buying I researched the Cannons, Scotty, & Walker and went with the WALKERS.

  23. #23
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    I will give my 2 cents. I use the digi-troll 5s and 10s the main reason is there soft start and stop, ( I had scotty 2106s they are as fast as the cannons but hated there abrupt stop when bringing them up ) they have 3 programmable speeds down and up, push button auto up so there is no having to holding down a button so you can bring in your fish and the downrigger is up, out of the way and waiting to be hooked up, plus you program it where you want it to stop, no relying on water stop so you can run braid, and no beads to mess with. the 10 is stand alone, with a transducer it bottom tracks and has a jigging feature also with the transducer it tells you where bottom is so it's like having an extra depth finder, they are spendy and if I do it over again I would just get the 5s. dfly

    remember if the girls don't find you handsome they better find you handy

  24. #24
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    Quote Originally Posted by Lunddude View Post
    I have WALKERS. Like I said in my original post, before buying I researched the Cannons, Scotty, & Walker and went with the WALKERS.
    I like the Walkers. Have 2 that are the 4' models with weight retrieval system and 2 that are 2' models. All have auto stop. Started out with 2 Scotty Manuel's and used them for years. I was in the market to purchase 2 Scotty electrics but further looked into the Walkers. These are smaller than most electrics, they are rugged built with all metal 360 degree swivel bases, this is the only style base that's included with purchase and first direct gear drive built. As I remember their history, they were the first electric downrigger built and may account for why they are more popular in the east. Walker also had its own version of the blackbox for positive ion control but later incorporated this positive ion control into their electric downriggers. Therefore Walkers version of the blackbox is no longer manufactured. Purchases are very reasonably priced vs other manufacturers. Walker, Big Jon, and Cannon are the 3 direct gear drives today with Scotty as a belt drive system. Most of those who own Walkers are very satisfied with their performance as with me. I have nothing to say negatively about the other manufacturers for their functions may be a little different but the end result is still the same.

  25. #25
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    Quote Originally Posted by dragonfly View Post
    I will give my 2 cents. I use the digi-troll 5s and 10s the main reason is there soft start and stop, ( I had scotty 2106s they are as fast as the cannons but hated there abrupt stop when bringing them up ) they have 3 programmable speeds down and up, push button auto up so there is no having to holding down a button so you can bring in your fish and the downrigger is up, out of the way and waiting to be hooked up, plus you program it where you want it to stop, no relying on water stop so you can run braid, and no beads to mess with. the 10 is stand alone, with a transducer it bottom tracks and has a jigging feature also with the transducer it tells you where bottom is so it's like having an extra depth finder, they are spendy and if I do it over again I would just get the 5s. dfly
    Funny little story ,about how abrupt the stop is. . A friend of mine upgraded to the 2106's .First time we used them,we didn't know about this,and the first time I hit the up Switch. Damn weight came up so fast ,that when it stopped,the weight come unsnapped from the d/r,and to the bottom it went. They do have a bit of a learning curve.
    Last edited by Propnut69; 09-17-2014 at 11:21 PM.
    "Chance Favors A Prepared Mind"


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