Let’s face it. Fish do not go looking for fishermen trying to catch them. To be a successful angler who always brings home a catch, you sometimes have to adopt the tactics of a hunter. When fish go deep, or school around structure too far below the surface for normal rod and reel action to place a lure, a downrigger can get you where you need to go every time, at just the right depth, water temperature, and visibility level. The first downriggers appeared in the 1800’s in the Great Lakes area. Native American tribes who fished the lakes employed primitive manual devices to get hooks deep below the surface of the lakes. Almost a century later, in the late twentieth century, deep-sea fishermen in California invented the first mechanical downriggers to fish the deep coastal shelves of the Western Pacific Coast. Then, ironically, the use of downriggers returned to its point of origin: The Great Lakes, with the advent of modern downriggers appearing among the salmon fisheries of Lake Michigan. Since then, the market has literally exploded with these devices, offering access to deeper levels of both fresh and saltwater never before available to fishermen.
Downriggers consist of a combination of simple components engineered to firmly hold the fishing rod in place and keep the lure or bait at a precise, consistent depth. A one-inch extension arm extends behind the stern of the boat, guiding a weighted cable adjusted by a crank-handle reel. Standard downriggers require manual cranking to adjust depth, but higher-end downriggers employ a motor to lower and raise the cable. At the end of the downrigger’s arm sits a pulley that allows the angler to raise and lower the cable without binding, twisting, or jamming the cranking mechanism. A release mechanism holds the line next to the cable with just enough pressure to keep it connected during trolling, but will release the line when the hook sets and the fish starts to fight. This allows total freedom of movement for the angler to operate the boat while the rod sits secure within a holder, waiting for the strike to come.
Today’s downriggers come in a variety of designs fit for virtually any type freshwater or saltwater environment. Manufacturers like Cannon (with PIC technology) lead the way in new engineering designs that increase maneuverability, depth of placement, and operational efficiency. This continual improvement in downrigger technology gives anglers year by year the added benefit of more precise positioning of equipment and more rapid response to action. Salmon fishermen still use them in the Great Lakes. No marlin charter cruise can go without them. Texas anglers find them invaluable in the submerged river channels of Texoma and Toledo Bend, and California fishermen who routinely stalk elusive world record bass reputed to haunt the depths of Lakes Castaic and Dixon faithfully employ downriggers in their quest.
While scientists have yet to conclusively prove that the fish are getting smarter, rest assured that if it does turn out they are evolving; you can still keep catching them with the downriggers you will find in our online inventory. In fact, you can find everything you need for your next world-record adventure here at JMSOnline.net
