DOWNRIGGER WEIGHT RECOMMENDATIONS

Speed, Depth and Weight Needed

The amount of weight needed on a downrigger is a function of the speed you are trolling and the depth you are fishing. The deeper and faster you go, the more weight you need to keep the downrigger wire at a near vertical angle. I like to keep my wire angle not more than twenty to thirty degrees from the vertical. The following tables give our weight suggestions under different trolling conditions. Of all the variables, speed is the most important. Sometimes you will have to slow down in order to reach several hundred feet down.

Table 1 Effect of Speed

This table shows the impact your speed has on a ten pound weight lowered 200 feet. Note how fast you lose actual depth as speed is increased.

Table 2

Downrigger Weight Recommendations
For Trout, Kokanee and Walleye
Trolling Speed 1.0 MPH

Table 3

Downrigger Weight Recommendations
for Salmon, Stripers, King Mackerel
and other fast moving suspended fish
Trolling Speed 3.0 MPH

These fish usually require trolling speeds fast enough to duplicate the speeds of the baitfish they feed upon. Typical speeds are two to three miles per hour. As you go deeper you will have to add weight in order to offset the drag of your wire in the water.

Table 4

Downrigger Weight Recommendations
for Extra Deep Slow Trolling for
Salmon, Sharks, Marlin and other big game fish
Trolling Speed 1.5 MPH

Slow trolling with dead or live bait for big game fish and sharks is very effective. You can also slow your boat down to get extra deep without adding extra weight for fish like salmon and stripers. When you slow down for these fish, you should be sure you use lures with good action at slow speeds.

Weight Types and Hookups

There are several types of downrigger weights on the market. Most are lead or cast iron. Some are round, some are torpedo shaped and others are fish shaped or round with a fin cast on. My preference is an elongated weight but I generally advise fishermen to pick up whatever is least expensive. The shape is not of major importance. Either lead or cast iron, will ride about the same. If you use release clips which are built into the wire downrigger line or those that pinch onto it, you should probably use weights with fins on them so they will not spin. I prefer a weight with a fin so it won't roll around in my boat. I also recommend hanging the weight by the end and not the eye in the middle. If you drag the bottom you will lose far fewer weights because the weight will generally ride up and over a log or a rock. Hung by the center you are very likely to dig in and lose the weight.

For trolling speeds over five or six miles per hour weights on the downrigger are not nearly as effective as downrigger trolling planers. The planer is hooked to the downrigger and the force of the water takes it and your lure down to your trolling depth. Scotty will have its new downrigger planer on the market later this year.