How Downrigger Fishing Works

Our method of fishing is Trolling using downriggers which are a devise used to run and hold the fishing lines deep into the water for a better fishing effect.The downriggers are attached to the bulkhead of the boats, they will have a large spool for the downrigger cable and a rod holder to place the fishing rod into. The downrigger cable will have a large ball weight called a cannon ball attached to the end of the cable. The fishing guide will attach the fishing lines from the fishing poles to the downrigger cables using a clip shown in the drawing as the line release. Then the fishing guide will lower or drop the downrigger set up to a depth of 30 to over 100 feet. The boat will troll (travel) at a slow speed and basically drag the downrigger gear in the water until a fish strikes.

 

Bait & Lures: The fishing guides will generally use artificial lures and herring strips which are attached to the end of the fishing line.

 

Playing & Landing Fish: Once a fish strikes the bait or lure depending on the size of the fish the downrigger clip will come free of the downrigger or shake if the clip has not released. The passenger then steps forward takes the rod, sets the hook with a slight wrist movement and plays and hopefully lands the fish.