I have 2 smaller manual Walker downriggers, and they are rated for up to a 10lb weight. I was fishing one with an 8lb weight without any problems, but as soon as I put some atractors on the downrigger the clutch stoped working and line would just free spool and it was nearly impossible to reel back up. How much more resistance do the atractors make when trolling? Would the 8lb weight and the atractors really create a resistance more then the 10lb rating for the riggers? If I was to go down to a smaller ball to put less stress on the rigger what weight should I use. Would a 4lb ball be to small when troling at 2mph? also does the shape of the weight matter, the one that gave me the problems was fish shaped, could that make a differnce? Please let me know.
Thanks,
Cody
Cody
To add to Kool-Aid's (Cody's) reply. With a smaller weight e.g. both the 4# & 6# weight. The blow back (distance from verticle behind the boat) your ball would be at would be impracticle to measure actual depth, unless you are a geometry major with a good eye for angles, fishing as deep as we are now. In the spring, you can get away with a 6# ball. If you can't tighten the drag on your rigger, you may need a larger rigger. If asked, you can often find inexpensive used riggers from people on this board. If you are using both horizontal and verticle blades, try taking off one or the other. Good luck on the water.
Richard
In my experience the vertical blades have way more drag and could definitly make up the 2 lbs.
I agree with Richard, you may need bigger riggers to get you down to the depth you need to be this time of year.
