Stopping downrigger cable hum

[jumperzee]

Anyone have any practical advice for stopping cable hum? My setup is driving me batty. Have an open 15 ft aluminum V hull with a transom mounted Minn Kota for trolling. Port side hand crank gunwale mounted DR at the stern builds up a resonant frequency that amplifies thru the whole boat and almost makes my eyes go crossed. Haven't done any experiments to determine if it makes a difference in catching (can't be good), but it sure is nice when it isn't happening...and it's not consistent either. Tried attaching a lake troll to the DR ball and then running a stacker clip a few feet above the ball. Seemed to work OK, but didn't eliminate it. Starboard side DR (same setup except for forward mounting) doesn't seem to build the same hum.

Any thoughts appreciated.

[bayhorse]

Jumperzee,
I had a similar experience and changed from steel cable to 150lb braid and it eliminated all hum 100%.
The cable hum in my experience did not affect the bite as I have a friend whom I fish with that uses cable on his side of the boat and at times will out fish my quiet side. One other consideration is when he is not on board I miss his less annoying hum , as I know the speed is right when we have cable hum.
Like you I could not tolerate the pitch of the hum from my cable and I tried several different conections to the weight and stackers to no avail. I like the braid for guiet and ease of conections . My 2 cents worth. Good luck!

[jtj]

Go braid and never look back.

[sawtooth]

If you have an electric Cannon downrigger you will need the steel cable to allow the automatic shut off function to work. If you have a Scotty or other brand that shuts off with a mechanical device or is a manual downrigger then the braid is an option.

[codybunco]

I switched to braid two years ago and love the quiet. On no wind days I can get enough push from my electric motor so there is no noise whatsoever.