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[Straight Runner]

When running 2 lines on a down rigger, usually trolling for springs with dodgers and spoons at 60 to 80 feet with a 10 pound ball, I usually run the bottom line, very tight, on the front rod, and the top line on the inside, in the back rod holder. I usually let the top rod out at least 25 feet before clipping it to the rigger cable so that the dodger is back of all the line loop from the bottom line.

Does anybody have any different ideas.

[FISHIN MAGICIAN]

Hey One Dog.

You're fine with that.

I fish 6 rods with flashers sometimes spaced as close as 10 feet between stacked lines, with 3 per side of an 18.5 footer. The trick is to make sure that you are going a good speed when letting your rigger down, and having a long enough lead off the clip so that they don't tangle.

When fishing without flashers, I have run them as close as 6 feet when fishing a narrow depth. I remember one day fishing Cowan's Pt. several years ago on a charter boat when we had six rods available, and I had 3 per side, 10 feet separation, and leads of 12 to 25 feet of the clip. I had one rigger at 120 and the other rigger at 145. In the span of 2 hours we had 5 fish between 7 and 14 lbs. That was a memorable day.

On the other case , when seeking out where the fish are, a 20 foot separation is more than sufficient.

I know a guy that fishes 3 rods off his boat which is  a 16 foot Double Eagle, and all 3 are on the same rigger. He usually fishes alone.  He uses a 15 lb ball, runs the first line with about a 15 to 20 foot lead, drops it down 25 feet, clips the second rod on, same lead off the rigger, lets it down 25 feet. then walks the rod over to the other side of the boat (behind the boat of course, clearing his outboard) puts it in the rod holder. Then he readies his third rod, and clips it on runs  it back 20 feet, and then lowers it to the deepest depth he wants to fish.

Thus, the effect is that he fishes a 75 foot spread.

Thus if he is fishing 130 feet down, he has another line at 105. and 80 feet.

As you can imagine...it's not all that bad, especially if you are fishing for feeder springs off Cowan's Pt, if you get one fish on, you stil have 2 more lines fishing, and you can keep right on troling and potentially hook and land a second nice fish, and then pack it in for the day!

[bentrod]

Is a 10# ball heavy enough with more than one dodger?  Your depth might not be that accurate

[FISHIN MAGICIAN]

Depending on speed, his depth will be accurate. If he's with in 5 feet of the depth the fish are at, the disturbance of the flasher and the flash itself with draw the fish in. Depending on water clarity as well, the fish will travel as far as a couple of hundred feet or more if they're there...

Of course he should take the speed of his boat into consideration. Let's not forget, if he is fishing dodgers, he doesn't have to troll as fast as the guys that fish flashers. He gets to fish with a shorter leader too.

[Straight Runner]

yes 10 LB ball is a bit light sometimes but I just let out more cable to get down. Maybe I ll try a 15 next time. I worry a bit about  the strain on my fibreglass. I was mostly wondering if people let the top line go way back, and if they usually put the bottom rod on the outside and in the forward holder and the top line on the inside, or it doesnt matter.

[IronNoggin]

Good Advice from The Magician! 

I too run six rods on occasion, nearly always when targetting sockeye and chumlies. The deepest rod is always towards the front of the boat, shallowest towards the stern. This off both a 16 foot whaler, and a 25 foot Sea Ray.

Good idea to run the top line a tad further out to avoid tangles, although you will still realize tangles occasionally when a fish takes and skyrockets towards the surfcae (coho).

All salmonids are sight feeders, and all orient up, not down. By having the next terminal upwards in the water column out behind the lower lower one, you are catering to this. Works for me.

12.5 pound finned cannonballs helps to keep 'em in the indicated range 

Cheers,
Nog

[FISHIN MAGICIAN]

Roger that IronNoggin.

It's sad that we have to run more than 2 rods anyways...

 

[Straight Runner]

Thanks for the info guys. How about ball shape. I have only used round with small fin so far but I have seen the disc ones with a big steel plate fin.

[FISHIN MAGICIAN]

The finned weights are designed to eliminate line twist in that they will resist spin around and not rotate as much as a NON finned weight. Also, if you are fishing fast fast water, they will help keep the downrigger cables straight.

Finned weights are also great in that what they seek to do is "steer" the weights away from the sides of the boat and thus eliminate the possibility of the two downrigger balls becoming entangled. If an angler likes to make sharp sharp turns, or fish extremely deep, the "finned" weights or "pan" / "pancake" weights as they are called will keep the downrigger wires spread. This is especially useful if you need to fish extremely deep. Or if you are running your dowriggers further up the gunwales towards the bow of the boat, "pan" weights help to keep the cables away from the boat in turns, etc...

If you do need pancake weights, make sure you put some thought into how you bend the fins or you're really in for some fun. It works similar to an airplane wing so what you do is curve the fin with the belly of the weight towards the outside of the boat.

Otherwise, pancake weights are unnecessary, and a waste of money because it will not give you more benefits, and the are not as efficient as a "cannonball" because "pan" weights have more surface area. 

That's all there is to "pan" weights.

[IronNoggin]

I concur with most of what The Magican notes above. The finned "Pancakes" do indeed prevent cable twisting, and can serve to keep your wire off to the desired side of the boat (not all that neccessary in the case of the Dream Weaver, wire spread is 16 FEET!!  ) However, in my case, I have found them to be much more efficient than round balls. Their FRONTAL surface area is greatly streamlined compared to the rounds, and they tend to run more vertical as a consequence. Most that are used to the round ones will often end up trolling too fast when they switch to pancakes, attempting to get the same degree of angle on the downrigger wire.

I use them (plastic covered version) pretty well exclusively off the West Coast. Where they become a problem is in very heavy tides, as is found on the ECVI. Working the tide rips there with pancakes is a recipe for disaster! Constantly changing direction and velocity, the tides WILL twist panckes in most erratic and strange ways, often resulting in tangled wires. Best bet for there I've found are custom made 12.5 leads, elliptical in shape, and incorporating a wider albiet shorter fin of lead.

Although I do carry round cannonballs, they are for emergency back-up only. Thankfully I've only ever had to deploy then once (quickly touching wood!!)

As always, that's what works for me. Your mileage may vary...

Cheers,
Nog

[FISHIN MAGICIAN]

You may want to speed up a bit in current or fast moving water  if your pan weights are swinging around and causing tangles. I hear what you're saying about them being more efficient based on the smaller edge, but believe it or not, the physics of it *more surface area in contact with the water* makes the weight less efficient at speed. Case in point, all the commercial guys are using round weights. Think to when you mooch with ball weights or banana weights...the round weights are more efficient. I originally believed and experienced what you did Iron Noggin, but after having fished with the round weights and fishing with the Finned Pancakes, I choose the round balls, as they are easier to handle in some occasions. Actually, I still have a pan weight, and come to think of it, I am going to fish that 12.5 lb one off against my 15lb cannonball next time out to see how much of a noticeable difference there is, if any is noticable.

Do you fish locally IronNoggin?

[IronNoggin]

You may want to speed up a bit in current or fast moving water  if your pan weights are swinging around and causing tangles.

Do you fish locally IronNoggin?

Where I encountered the potential to tangle was over out of Brown's Bay (North of Campbell River a tad). The target was silver-bright chumlies (absolute TIGERS in combat, and fast action to boot! A REEL hoot!). Those fish want the presentation at 0.5 knots, damn near dead in the water. Move it up to even 0.75, and you realize a great reduction in hits. The problem with that is (if running pancakes) is as the fish very much orient to the tide rips. Along those, there is a huge amount of shifting current (direction and speed) which tends to swimg your gear wildly. Under those conditions, it would have been a nightmare to have run the big fins.

I actually have run cannonballs of equivelant weight, one round against one pancake (both 12 pounds) in tests both in the Alberni Inlet and offshore. The round one always drug the line back further at any given speed whenever I did so. I do hear what you're saying, just haven't experienced that directly myself...

Depends on where you mean by Locally  

I live in Port Alberni, fish the Inlet, Barkely Sound, all the Banks (out to 30 miles distant), off Pachena down through Nitinat, and up the Island commonly as far as Esperanza. In the past fished right up and around to Hardy, but my days of rounding the cape are over... to many bouncy rides with white knuckles on the wheel!  Fished the East side of The Rock for the first time this year (the chumly show) and honestly didn't know what I'd been missing!! Kinda tough for me to find a new and exciting fishery so close at this stage of the game!! Likely put the Dream Machine over there for the month of October next fall just because of that explosive FUN! So, I guess if you're asking about the Real West Coast (WCVI) the answer would be aYup!

Cheers,
Nog

[FISHIN MAGICIAN]

Gotcha IronNoggin...sounds like a blast and I get what you're saying about the slow presentation.

I've heard some great stories about the banks from my buddy and have seen a few really cool videos of fishing experiences over there.

Unfortunately for me, winter fishing the chuck is around Vancouver.