downriggers

[Sofa King]

is anyone familiar with the canon downriggers?
in particular, the digitroll series?

they advertise that they can be mated with and operated by the hummingbird fishfinder.
they say it can all be operated from the finder.
dropping and raising to desired depths, or setting to adjust with the changing bottom.

what i'm not understanding, is how can it do this with the rod?
you can't just leave your drag loose.
how does it work?
i don't get it.

[Sitkaspruce]

and you wont here on the west coast of BC. Great for the great lakes or east coast where there is gradual bottom, but try this tight along a kelp bed and you will go friggin nuts trying to keep up with rod/reel. It's an expensive gimick that works best in some other areas. Stick with Scotty and catching fish.

Cheers

SS

[pickle88]

ya i wouldnt bother ....im an avid saltwater fisher ..and i love my scotty handcrankers ....gotta get some excersise while out there ,,,,geez ...they got auto downriggers ,auto reels ,auto prawn trap pullers ...goddammit whats next .....myself im not into all that crap ...im not scared to pull 7 prawn traps at 325ft ar hand crank my downrigger from 160ft everytime i get a bite ...

[lorneparker1]

ya i wouldnt bother ....im an avid saltwater fisher ..and i love my scotty handcrankers ....gotta get some excersise while out there ,,,,geez ...they got auto downriggers ,auto reels ,auto prawn trap pullers ...goddammit whats next .....myself im not into all that crap ...im not scared to pull 7 prawn traps at 325ft ar hand crank my downrigger from 160ft everytime i get a bite ...


LOL

I am.

Lorne

[pnbrock]

have at er pickle!!im no glutten for punishment.

[kyleklassen]

ya i wouldnt bother ....im an avid saltwater fisher ..and i love my scotty handcrankers ....gotta get some excersise while out there ,,,,geez ...they got auto downriggers ,auto reels ,auto prawn trap pullers ...goddammit whats next .....myself im not into all that crap ...im not scared to pull 7 prawn traps at 325ft ar hand crank my downrigger from 160ft everytime i get a bite ...man after my own heart.

[Sofa King]

have a $600 scotty already.
i love them and consider them the best.

it's my brother who is considering going with the cannon.
he seems all impressed with the mating it to the finder.
but it just doesn't make sense to me.
how can the finder control your drag on your reel while it's raising and lowering the ball?
the way they explain using it doesn't seem right.

[pickle88]

man after my own heart.

haha ...i know theres other people out there that are like me............not technology fans ...or have everything done for you with little or no effort ...

[Sofa King]

haha ...i know theres other people out there that are like me............not technology fans ...or have everything done for you with little or no effort ...

that's good to a point.
but, would you rather drag your moose back to camp by hand, or use the quad?

i'd prefer to have my downrigger raise itself while my hands are busy fighting a tyee.

[frenchbar]

haha..good 1

but, would you rather drag your moose back to camp by hand, or use the quad?
just a guess but im sure jeff takes the easy route on the moose :wink:

[longstonec]

ya i wouldnt bother ....im an avid saltwater fisher ..and i love my scotty handcrankers ....gotta get some excersise while out there ,,,,geez ...they got auto downriggers ,auto reels ,auto prawn trap pullers ...goddammit whats next .....myself im not into all that crap ...im not scared to pull 7 prawn traps at 325ft ar hand crank my downrigger from 160ft everytime i get a bite ...

Agreed! wouldn't want to grow batwings watching a machine pull my prawn and crab traps!

[pickle88]

haha..good 1

but, would you rather drag your moose back to camp by hand, or use the quad?
just a guess but im sure jeff takes the easy route on the moose :wink:


you bet ...ill pull the quad up to it forsure

[bigslim]

ya i wouldnt bother ....im an avid saltwater fisher ..and i love my scotty handcrankers ....gotta get some excersise while out there ,,,,geez ...they got auto downriggers ,auto reels ,auto prawn trap pullers ...goddammit whats next .....myself im not into all that crap ...im not scared to pull 7 prawn traps at 325ft ar hand crank my downrigger from 160ft everytime i get a bite ...

Don't tell me you run down your game and dispatch them by hand also.

Because of your incredible machoism I might be able to find you a peetz rod and reel set up that has wire line a 2 lb cannon ball and a large plexiglass adapter on the reel!!!!

[pickle88]

Don't tell me you run down your game and dispatch them by hand also.

Because of your incredible machoism I might be able to find you a peetz rod and reel set up that has wire line a 2 lb cannon ball and a large plexiglass adapter on the reel!!!!


not machoism ...its just not being LAZY...and having technology do everything for you....

[bigslim]

not machoism ...its just not being LAZY...and having technology do everything for you....

Technology?? it's an electric motor what century are you from??
Do you have a cell phone, GPS, Scope on your rifle, Bino's, Fuel injected vehicle, Quad..................................

[pickle88]

Technology?? it's an electric motor what century are you from??
Do you have a cell phone, GPS, Scope on your rifle, Bino's, Fuel injected vehicle, Quad..................................

why u gotta be a douche about this ....all i said is i dont use the shit ,....i dont mind the excersise ...

bugger off with your bullshit

[bigslim]

No issues, heard so much about cyber bullying just wanted to try it out

CHEERS

BIGSLIM

[fuzzybiscuit]

Sorry honey, thanks anyways but no BJ for me tonight...I'm just going to do it myself!

[pickle88]

Sorry honey, thanks anyways but no BJ for me tonight...I'm just going to do it myself!

now if that is only possible

[dogger]

Forget the downriggers, go old school and get the cut plug gear out. Now your fishing!!:-D

[abbyfireguy]

With lead cannonballs being so expensive and having to chase the fish into some tight places I need electrics. Even with electrics if my fishing partner and I get bsing and don't watch the sounder we loose the odd cannon ball.
we are getting better . When fishing a tight technical challenging reef or shoal it's not uncommon for one of us to tell the other to "Shut the &$%# up". In a nice way of course. LOL !!

[835]

Stay with Scotty.....

[Sofa King]

Stay with Scotty.....

i don't know why, but my brother seems dead-set on getting the cannons.
because they cost more, he figures they must be better.
he's totally fallen for their hype of the bottom-tracking feature and linking it to the really expensive humminbird finder.
i've tried to explain to him that you still have to man the rod.
they advertise that you can sit at the wheel and raise and lower your ball and lure from the finder.
yes, it will do that, but that's making extra slack, etc in the line.

it seems the more i try to talk him out of the cannons, the more he wants them.

[pescado]

The Cannon's I used had a super SLOW retrieval rate. If you were fishing the deeps you'd have your fish boated before the cannon ball was up. Stay with Scotty.

[IronNoggin]

Going to go a little against the grain here...

I've run the Scotty's, both the older and the new electrics, and they do the job OK.

On my own rig I run the Cannon Mag 20's Tournament Series. Built in "black box" and for someone like me who understands and effectively uses electrical gradients to attract fish to the gear, this is a useful tool. I also have them hooked up to a high End Hummingbird. The bottom tracking works as advertised - I haven't left a cannonball on a reef since installing them three years ago. Yes, you will have to "man the rods" when you run over a reef/boulder/whatever with a significant difference in depth. For me, that generally only occurs when not paying attention! If your depth stays within ~ 20 feet, the rods self adjust. Beyond that, you must deal with the slack. The other function they have is to change depths at a preset cycle rate & depth. I have successfully used that with depth changes of ~ 10 feet to entice strikes from non-aggressive fish, and it works.

The high end Cannon's have a motor that is MUCH more Powerful than the Scotties. I can and do run 20 pound balls up and down faster than the Scotty's ever will. Really. They also have a "Direct Drive" meaning no clutches or belts to fail, rather gear driven. I like powering down to depth rather than the Scotty Free Fall. And I like the lower maintenance of the Cannons.

Overall I believe the Cannons to be a superior product, better materials, better built, more power, and an awesome drive. I have put literally Hundreds of hours on mine without any complaints.

Scotty has always had, and always will have a faithful following here on the West Coast. They've been around for a long time, and have a proven product. BUT... they are simply not the only consideration out there. Methinks your brother will do Just Fine with the Cannons.

Cheers,
Nog

[Sofa King]

Going to go a little against the grain here...

I've run the Scotty's, both the older and the new electrics, and they do the job OK.

On my own rig I run the Cannon Mag 20's Tournament Series. Built in "black box" and for someone like me who understands and effectively uses electrical gradients to attract fish to the gear, this is a useful tool. I also have them hooked up to a high End Hummingbird. The bottom tracking works as advertised - I haven't left a cannonball on a reef since installing them three years ago. Yes, you will have to "man the rods" when you run over a reef/boulder/whatever with a significant difference in depth. For me, that generally only occurs when not paying attention! If your depth stays within ~ 20 feet, the rods self adjust. Beyond that, you must deal with the slack. The other function they have is to change depths at a preset cycle rate & depth. I have successfully used that with depth changes of ~ 10 feet to entice strikes from non-aggressive fish, and it works.

The high end Cannon's have a motor that is MUCH more Powerful than the Scotties. I can and do run 20 pound balls up and down faster than the Scotty's ever will. Really. They also have a "Direct Drive" meaning no clutches or belts to fail, rather gear driven. I like powering down to depth rather than the Scotty Free Fall. And I like the lower maintenance of the Cannons.

Overall I believe the Cannons to be a superior product, better materials, better built, more power, and an awesome drive. I have put literally Hundreds of hours on mine without any complaints.

Scotty has always had, and always will have a faithful following here on the West Coast. They've been around for a long time, and have a proven product. BUT... they are simply not the only consideration out there. Methinks your brother will do Just Fine with the Cannons.

Cheers,
Nog

thanks nog.
i was looking for someone who has first-hand knowledge of them.
i've read the circuitboards are about $400 and that they do go sometimes.
also that they are not covered by the warranty.
some have had problems with the seal going and water getting inside.
but i'm sure that it's more a case of maybe having a dud, which happens with everything.

one other main thing i've read about them, is that the power-ends are crap.
many guys cut them off and rig on some scotty ends which they say are superior.

thanks though for your thoughts on them.
do you notice them being bulkier or less obtrusive on the boat?
they seem to be a taller unit.

[IronNoggin]

I have three of them (one for a spare which has yet to be used in the years I've owned them).
Have not had Any Issues with the circuit boards, nor seals, nor pretty much anything else.
Can be a little fussy with the Auto Up if you don't get it right when re-spooling. And that function will not work with braid.

The older style power connections were problematic. They originally made the male ends from hollow pins. They've since gone to solids, and that issue has been pretty much alleviated. I still coat them (as I would with a Scotty or any other electrical connection) with dialectic grease which works well to keep the corrosion away.

They are a taller unit, but have a much smaller "footprint" on your boat as they are not nearly as wide. Personally I find them to be less "obtrusive". Like mine and will be keeping them! :)

Cheers,
Nog

[SUAFOYT]

I have three of them (one for a spare which has yet to be used in the years I've owned them).
Have not had Any Issues with the circuit boards, nor seals, nor pretty much anything else.
Can be a little fussy with the Auto Up if you don't get it right when re-spooling. And that function will not work with braid.

The older style power connections were problematic. They originally made the male ends from hollow pins. They've since gone to solids, and that issue has been pretty much alleviated. I still coat them (as I would with a Scotty or any other electrical connection) with dialectic grease which works well to keep the corrosion away.

They are a taller unit, but have a much smaller "footprint" on your boat as they are not nearly as wide. Personally I find them to be less "obtrusive". Like mine and will be keeping them! :)

Cheers,
Nog

So what you're really saying is you can take the you all out of Made in America, but can't take the Made in America out of the you all?:wink: Tight lines whatever you use.