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SilverBullets
04-12-2009, 01:40 PM
What kind of weight do you use? I've been useing 8lb balls for years now, but thinking of making the switch to pancakes. If I'm presently able to see the balls on the fishfinder, would I still be able to with pancakes? Would you say blow back is cut in half, and is there any problems making sharp turns with the pancakes? Also, how much does bending the fin change their tracking? BTW...useing Scotty1060 manuals.

FishHunter
04-12-2009, 02:15 PM
I have been using 10lb pancakes for 3 seasons now. I like them much better than the ball weights because there is less blow back. I can see them on the fish finder just fine. You still have to be careful about really sharp turns, but I have never had any problems with tangles. I have never bent the fins to get a different tracking action to them and don't think I would.

DC18FT
04-12-2009, 03:17 PM
10lb lead fish.....



Bryon

Kokonuts
04-12-2009, 03:56 PM
I just started using a 10 lb. Pancake this year.

twisted lines
04-12-2009, 05:06 PM
I have 10s that I purchased and they actually weight 9, I use them when I want to see the last wrap of cable on my downriggers, and use 8s most of the time; pancakes only! and yes they show up just fine. Tracking Only twisted once and the were 15s Very deep none of it was mine but it sure was a surprise to see the cables come up in front of a big pair of Honda's.

SuperD
04-12-2009, 06:06 PM
Pancakes when I'm anywhere near structure or bottom and chrome sharks when I'm fishing suspended over deep, deep water.

Bduck
04-12-2009, 06:10 PM
I have had no problem seeing my ball 8 pounders on the sonar. Going up to 10lbs. soon. Not sure of style yet.

SuperD
04-12-2009, 07:31 PM
One of the nice features of a pancake is the wide profile and big flat fin. It allows you a large surface area to tape up.

HiTechKoke
04-12-2009, 09:42 PM
I need all of the above for that poll here. :-) Pancakes are usually my main weights most of the time.

Kokanee Killer
04-12-2009, 10:26 PM
6lb ball when we do use them.

jekern1015
04-12-2009, 10:49 PM
I've been using fish shape don't remember what they weigh. One has a scent dispenser.

Propnut69
04-13-2009, 11:09 AM
I use pancakes weights ,but have two fish shaped weights as back -ups. Way back in the day I used banana shaped weights. They were absolutely the best weight that I have ever used. Almost impossible to hang up,but them seem that have went the way of the dodo bird.

Sportfishinsteve
04-13-2009, 11:53 AM
I use the 10lb fish weights. I do get some blow back when fishing shallower. I spray mine with bedliner spray so the electrical current from the downrigger stays in the correct range

Fallriverguy
04-13-2009, 01:13 PM
I use the ball design, but will switch to pancake through attrition.

TBtoad
04-14-2009, 11:43 AM
I switched to pancakes last year and really like them.They show up fine on the sonar. I don't notice that much difference when turning.
TBtoad

SmokeOnTheWater
04-16-2009, 09:56 PM
When I started downrigger fishing I used the standard 8# cannon balls simply because Cabela's threw them in for free. Now I use 10# pancakes just like SuperD without the fin flash. They were green vinyl coated when they were new but after unintentially bottom bouncing them the leading edge started to chip and peel. Last year I completely stripped them of their vinyl coating and sprayed them with the DIY bedliner. This coating didn't last long at all eventhough very little bottom bouncing occurred. This year I'm recoating them with red Plasti Dip. Red was recommended in a very detailed Kokanee fishing article I read once. I'll give it a try and let the forum know the outcome after the season is over unless I read a post telling me to STOP, Don't Do It! Anyway, the pancakes track very well and like Twisted Lines stated, they are actually closer to 9#. They show up extremely well on the finder (no doubt what your seeing) and the blowback is definitely less than cannonballs. I like their stability and true tracking too much to start tweeking the fins. My luck would be to suffer really twisted lines. Maybe that's how he got his name?????

jzell
04-20-2009, 01:38 PM
Just got my pancakes and gave my 8# balls to Fish-on-bend in Central Oregon.

Might have to add some tape.

jz

AFDan52
04-21-2009, 12:21 AM
I use the 8 and 10 pound cannonballs , but I really would like to have some more Panckae weights.

Big Al
04-21-2009, 04:40 PM
I like the Fish mold. The ones that I make are 10.5# and work good for me.

Fishon18
04-23-2009, 12:00 AM
I started with 8lb ball shaped weights then changed over to the 10lb pancake type. Taped up fins that turned out cool! Seems to have less blow back on the downrigger cable too.

Scott

DLM
04-23-2009, 10:20 AM
I am working on a fish mold that will looks like and will be painted like a german brown. I won't use it of course but will give it free to anyone in a derby with melaugh hyst

AFDan52
04-26-2009, 03:23 PM
Speaking of Downrigger weights, have any of you ever used the DR weights that you can load up with scent . Also do you think they work?

twisted lines
04-26-2009, 04:23 PM
This year I'm recoating them with red Plasti Dip. Red was recommended in a very detailed Kokanee fishing article I read once. I'll give it a try and let the forum know the outcome after the season is over unless I read a post telling me to STOP, Don't Do It! Anyway, the pancakes track very well and like Twisted Lines stated, they are actually closer to 9#. They show up extremely well on the finder (no doubt what your seeing) and the blowback is definitely less than cannonballs. I like their stability and true tracking too much to start tweeking the fins. My luck would be to suffer really twisted lines. Maybe that's how he got his name?????


Don't do it! I think you would be happier having them powder coated red, I had mine done for 7.00 bucks each they are holding up great. And I have seen more then my share of twisted lines, Thought I was done till I tried the shuttle hawk (Once) TL...

SilverBullets
04-26-2009, 05:57 PM
Speaking of Downrigger weights, have any of you ever used the DR weights that you can load up with scent . Also do you think they work?

I sometimes either put gel scent on the balls, or attach a scent dispensers. I think scent trails are a good thing! As far as coating the ball, what I've done is completely cover the ball with different holographic tapes, then a few coats of a product called flex coat (a clear flexible coating.) It comes in a jar in the fly fishing section at Sportsman's.) Held up great going on 4 years now (I try to stay off the bottom.)
Has anyone tried dropping their weights off at a spray-on bed-liner place? As long as their spraying a truck, maybe they'd spray the weights for a minimal fee? I'm not sure how it would hold up, but might be worth looking into.

Dropshot
04-30-2009, 10:24 AM
[quote=
Has anyone tried dropping their weights off at a spray-on bed-liner place? As long as their spraying a truck, maybe they'd spray the weights for a minimal fee? I'm not sure how it would hold up, but might be worth looking into.[/quote]

I have always had my pickup beds sprayed with Linex. I would think the texture is too rough and would cause more drag on the weight. I think powder coat would be the way to go.

SuperD
04-30-2009, 12:52 PM
Because we tend to bump things and the lead is soft, nothing you put on them will be bulletproof. I've gone to spray paint because it is cheap and easy to touch up.

BROWNBAGGER
05-01-2009, 10:30 AM
This is what I have learned this year. I Have used 10# pancake weights for years, thought they were the bomb. I had to switch to 8# ball weight because the cheap cannon rigger boom was rated for 8# only. I kept it because of the ion control. Now I have picked up some scotty's that can handle 15#'s. Thats 3 riggers that I will be running this year, too pumped. Any way back to what I have learned. I talked with Jared Johnson at the sportsman show this year. He claims that the pancake weights vibrate through the water, causing your pole to bounce. I don't know how true this is, because of the dodgers action being transfered through the release up to the pole. He just says that they are unstable. He said he uses 15# fish shaped weights with the scense despsener, claims that scense is a major player in koke fishing. But like I said I just bought two scotty's and haven't yet picked up and weights. This was a great thread to read, I if I can just make up my mind. Oh one last thing, if you pick up a lure jensen report on...what water depth does to colors....you'll see that red is the first to turn grey. as light spectum becomes less as you go deeper, red is the first to loose it reflectiveness, like around 30 feet. so if you are fishing lower than that, it just looks grey.

twisted lines
05-03-2009, 07:12 PM
Red is the first to loose it reflectiveness, like around 30 feet. so if you are fishing lower than that, it just looks grey.

Sounds like a Grey Ghost to me! I like em...

Big Bob
05-04-2009, 12:23 AM
Hi I have personnal used all types. If your fishing line is closer to the weights (10 ft or shorter), I like to use the sharks, I use pancakes when my fishing lin is further than 10 ft from the weights. I also use cannonballs, I have the molds for 8, 10 and 12 pounders but personally overall the pancakes work the best for me. If the water has lots of structure I use the cannonballs as they are cheaper after I make them I buy rubber paint from Harbor tools and dip them. Big bob

SmokeOnTheWater
05-26-2009, 06:39 PM
Hey Twisted Lines, I just couldn't take your advice and went ahead and used the Plasti Dip. First hand experience to share - Don't brush it on! The directions say it can be brushed but it sets up too fast to obtain a smooth and consistant coating. I resorted to lying the pancake weights down and pouring each side at a time. I let them set about an hour before turning them over and coating the other sides. Actually I'd recommend letting them set overnight before turning them over to complete the job. The end product came out as a smooth, solid finish that has held up nicely even bouncing over the bottom a bit. I coated both weights with one can, about $8 total. I'll report later to let all know of my success with RED.

fish-on-bend
05-31-2009, 08:39 PM
Just got my pancakes and gave my 8# balls to Fish-on-bend in Central Oregon.

Might have to add some tape.

jz

I am the proud owner of jzell's balls.laugh hyst

I mainly use 10 lb pancakes, but I'm not against using a buddy's balls in a pinch.;) I see less blow back with the pancakes, but not a lot less. The balls seem easier to handle than the pancakes. I sometimes use the balls if I know I'll be trolling less then 50 feet down. I bought the pancakes mainly for chasing macks in 100-300 feet of water.

ImHooked
05-31-2009, 09:32 PM
I have been using ball weights for years and would like to try using the pancake type. I recently purchase a Danielson eight pound pancake downrigger weight at the local Joe's going out of business sale. I was thinking that I surely could find one more eight pound pancake weight. I am having a heck of a time finding a matching weight.crymeariver Could some kind soul out there point me in the right direction? thumbsup
IH

DLM
06-03-2009, 04:37 PM
I saw some yesterday at fishermans marine in Delta Park but I don't know what the weight was, looked like 8 or 10 pounds.

sambo
06-03-2009, 09:28 PM
10lb sharks in crome all the way baby!!!

Yellowjacket56
06-22-2009, 01:09 PM
Ok guys, I am new so I got questions. What is blowback?
I will be using my Penn manual (600?) downriggers with an 8 oz lead ball. Apparently I need to rethink the set up. Also, I still have stainless steel cables on them. Should I be changing over to monofiliment or Dacron or what?

DLM
06-22-2009, 01:31 PM
When you get to depth, say about 40 feet on, your downrigger weight does not hang directly verticle from the boom. You will see the cable angle backwards due to the forward motion of the boat. This is the blowback. The deeper or faster you go the more blowback you get. This can affect your actual depth as the further the blowback the shallower (sp?) your weight is. In my opinion this is not a factor unless you are really really deep.

I run cable on one side and braided on the other and notice no difference in hook ratios. I will be switching the cable to braided on both this summer as it is easier to repair on the water than the cable if something bad happens.

Yellowjacket56
06-22-2009, 01:46 PM
Thanks for the update. I suspected that is what it was referring to.

Going to work on my boat today so I can fish later this week.

JT.ca
06-23-2009, 01:37 PM
Does the weight of the ball increase the chance of the clip releasing when a fish strikes?

EX: A four pound ball would take a larger or stronger strike too release compared to a 10 lbs ball.

Does the weight or back pressure from a larger weight allow the clip to release sooner than a weight with less weight of pressure?

SilverBullets
06-23-2009, 02:41 PM
Does the weight of the ball increase the chance of the clip releasing when a fish strikes?

EX: A four pound ball would take a larger or stronger strike too release compared to a 10 lbs ball.

Does the weight or back pressure from a larger weight allow the clip to release sooner than a weight with less weight of pressure?

The clip size, tension setting, and the size of the fish has more to do with the clip releasing. In my opinion having the fish not release from the clip and lifting up the rod to do so sometimes allows the fish to get a better hook-set. You want a weight heavy enough to where you don't get alot of blow back to get the best accuracy from the counter on the downrigger especially when trolling deep. Also, the use of ball trolls produces alot of blow back, and going to a heavier weight will help keep the ball more vertical. When fishing up high going to a heavier weight will help to be able to see your ball on the fishfinder. The cone angle of the sonar is narrow up high, and a more vertical ball will help keep you in the sonar range.

MMDON
07-05-2009, 02:26 PM
The clip size, tension setting, and the size of the fish has more to do with the clip releasing. In my opinion having the fish not release from the clip and lifting up the rod to do so sometimes allows the fish to get a better hook-set. You want a weight heavy enough to where you don't get alot of blow back to get the best accuracy from the counter on the downrigger especially when trolling deep. Also, the use of ball trolls produces alot of blow back, and going to a heavier weight will help keep the ball more vertical. When fishing up high going to a heavier weight will help to be able to see your ball on the fishfinder. The cone angle of the sonar is narrow up high, and a more vertical ball will help keep you in the sonar range.
+1 The right clip is important. I prefer to do a manual release due to the hookset being better and more control over the fish. I run 10 lb. pancakes that I respray yearly with plastidip and add holographic tape to the fins.

Mojo
07-06-2009, 06:33 PM
+1 The right clip is important. I prefer to do a manual release due to the hookset being better and more control over the fish. I run 10 lb. pancakes that I respray yearly with plastidip and add holographic tape to the fins.

+2 on the manual release. That way you are in control of the slack.

Stanson
02-18-2011, 03:56 PM
Does anyone know were you can get a pancake mold for 10 lb weights
I have, four-10 lb ball weights that I could melt down
I look about a year ago and did not find any then.
Someone must be making them.
Stan

niswanger
06-23-2011, 12:08 PM
Newbie here...first post :)

So did a search on down-rigger weights and viola I'm here. So a quick intro:

I've caught only about 6 fresh-water trout in my life (German Brown and Cut-Throat on the Snake River back in the early 90's when I was stationed up there in the Navy). I'm a SE fisherman (Bass and saltwater).

Family is heading up to northern NM (Lake Heron) the first week of Aug. Been reading up on Kokanee and we really wan to land some to put on the dinner table. We will not have a boat, but will will be able to fish deep, just need to work at it a little more :)

Using this rig (Father-in-Law's):

http://www.motleypixel.com/public/posts/trolling.jpg

So, our plan is to use a make-shift down-rigger (really just a rope, tie-off, weight, and release rig). I "think" 30-35' is going to be the sweet spot first week of Aug.

So 10 pounds seems a little heavy for us no? Any suggestions on rigging for us?

Thanks,
Roy

SuperD
06-23-2011, 12:33 PM
How about a heavier fishing rod and a linecounter reel as a make shift downrigger? For my small boat or canoe, I have a 12" boom, C Clamp mount Cannon downrigger with a 4 lbs weight.

niswanger
06-23-2011, 01:24 PM
Thanks for the quick reply SuperD...the 4lbs sounds more manageable. I'll be sure to share this link with my father-in-law. I have zero down-rigger experience but at least he has used them in the past (CA). Talked with him just yesterday and we were discussing just using a heavy line/weight/tie-off, as in no down-rigger at all; just know what depth we want before heading out and do it old school.

See this 1 week stay at Heron Lake in NM isn't just about fishing, it's a family stay, we just need to get to 35' and catch a few Kokonee to put on the dinner table :) Probably won't be back in a very long time :)

SuperD
06-23-2011, 01:39 PM
Issue with a heavy line and a light weight will be blow back. The drag of the line in the water will create a 45° in the rope and you won't be at the depth you want unless you do your algerbra and have a lot longer rope.

niswanger
06-23-2011, 01:49 PM
Yep and I precisely follow you...kind of like knowing the pulls out when using planes like the pink lady etc. So, I'm a rookie, heck not even that, so I can only speculate...hummm...let's see:

Sailing kayak will have varying speeds depending on wind and what the operator does with the sail. So to make this easy, I would need to know the median speed for trolling for Kokanee...what about 3 knots with a +/- 1 knot variance?

If we use a 4# down-rigger disc/ball and want to achieve a 35' depth at 3 knots using a typical dodger/flasher with a wedding ring setup wonder what sort of hyper-bolic that would create and thus what length we would really need? May have to compromise too for lower speeds so the lure doesn't plummet to Davy Jones locker :)

SuperD
06-23-2011, 03:07 PM
Koke speed is between 1.0 and 2.0 and chances deminishing from 1.5 to 2.0.

niswanger
06-23-2011, 03:52 PM
Okay so really slow. I guess the real question now is if the down-rigger will really be at a 45 degree angle at this speed and depth?

I calculated 40' of down-rigger to maintain 35' depth at a 30 degree angle.

650cent
06-24-2011, 12:36 AM
I wonder if there would be any interest if a loan or rental program was set up to borrow various downrigger weight molds? I have a lot of lead but I don't want to buy several mold to try for only three or four balls. I would be willing to pay for postage and maybe a small fee to use the mold.

Bill

den63
06-24-2011, 09:55 AM
I just swiched to Shark 12LBS wights thay track stright blow back I was doen 60 feet my fish finder showed me at 59 feet trolling 1.2 . my fish cach has double thay are not cheep abought $100 I think if you order them from the factery in canada you could save about $30

den63
06-24-2011, 10:09 AM
Ok guys, I am new so I got questions. What is blowback?
I will be using my Penn manual (600?) downriggers with an 8 oz lead ball. Apparently I need to rethink the set up. Also, I still have stainless steel cables on them. Should I be changing over to monofiliment or Dacron or what?

Check the waranty if you change the cable it my void the waranty.

den63
06-24-2011, 10:22 AM
10lb sharks in crome all the way baby!!!

I use 12lb sharks in crome my cach has bubled

RalphL
07-10-2011, 02:14 PM
+1 The right clip is important. I prefer to do a manual release due to the hookset being better and more control over the fish. I run 10 lb. pancakes that I respray yearly with plastidip and add holographic tape to the fins.

newbie dummy here. what is a manual release??

Kokonuts
07-10-2011, 04:54 PM
101idea101 My latest project is more DR weights. I use 11/2" x 15" chrome tube for 10lb, and 11/2" x 11" for 8lb weights.

So far they are working great! I really like them because they track straight, nothing to hang up on and they fit into the pole holders for easy storage and travling around the lake.
Also I have a "Bottom Dragger" model for the Brown Trout & other fish on the bottom.

I'll take some pictures soon!

Kokonuts

trollmonkey
07-11-2011, 06:33 PM
newbie dummy here. what is a manual release??

Welcome you will learn a lot here.A manual release is when you reel down and snap the rod tip up to pull the line from the release clip.For the last few years I've been setting my lines deep in the clip so more than half our fish have to be manually released. I also use 1'-2' long cable on my releases, so the rod can really dance ,but thats covered in other threads. Pancakes Rulethumbsup