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Imagine if you will a single, dead bait skipping along peacefully below a kite at 8knts...frolicking over the gentle windswept seas...a picture of deadly perfection. There's tunas everywhere of course...and i do mean EVERYWHERE...porky ones...200 plus pounders.
Everyone on the boat is vibrating as i aim for the school and line up the crosshairs for a precise attack. It's what we like to call a proper start to the morning...with obvious indications of an epic day to come.
Just as the kite bait reaches the edge of the school all hands on deck noticeably tense...here...it...comes....
Just as our bait reaches the edge of the frothing madness one of my deckhands dives for the rod as a massive explosion detonates just inches from the skipping bait.
"WAIT!!!" i scream...as from my view aloft in the tower i can plainly see the bait staying it's course...like some kind of drunken sailor stumbling through a mine field of heartstopping maddness...untouched...and regrettably unnoticed.
OK...that's not good. We finish the first pass and the second. Followed by the third, fourth, fifth and eventually sixth. Three hundred and sixty degrees around us are hundreds...if not thousands...of boiling fish completely oblivious to our most cherished method.
After an hour of this i've had enough. I clamber my way down the tower and start rummaging through the tackle drawers...one by one all the tricks come out. Nada...nada...nada.
Finally i go to the smugglers compartment below the bed and there it is...far from freshly polished but ready to go as though it were anticipating this very moment...as though it knew it would come.
There...staring back at me...was the dilapidated old Scotty electric downrigger i had lugged all the way from my native salmon and halibut fishing grounds.
"Oh girl...where have you been..."
I race back out of the cabin wild eyed and waving wire cutters and duct tape and right then and there in true mexican magiver style we fashioned up a make shift downrigger and went to work on those tunas. Because despite all of our best efforts those fat boys wanted nothing but a nice juicy live one slow trolled at 69 feet. My magic number...as though it were meant to be.
Hence began my frankenstein transition into the world of downrigger fishing for pelagics...namely beheamouth tunas and giant marlin. It was a crude beginning...but, i am happy to report...we have had some phenominal practice since those days. And to be honest, there's few days where i'm live baiting for tuna and marlin when one bait doesn't take a trip down to Davey Jones' locker for a little look around.
Learning the basics of fishing a live bait on a downrigger increases your repertoire and builds a solid foundation to which you will add some technical tricks and flashyness later on. Tricks that will no doubt save your arse on days when nothing else works...and particularly in some of our cases...when charter clients are staring far into the distance and nodding off.
There are two basic principles to remember when getting started. One...make damn sure you have the machine...be it electric or manual...mastered at the dock before you take off. This sounds simple...but believe me...trying to figure out things like brake control and tension adjustment while fish are going off and the seas are 8 ft leads to wire in the props, lost downrigger balls or planers, and usually a nasty braided line or cable cut or two.
Take the time tied up to the dock a few days before you head out to practice raising and lowering the ball or planer, clipping lines into release clips or rubberbands, and for gods sakes if you are leaning towards or already have an electric model check and re-check the wiring before you head out.
Practice makes perfect as they say...and they were right...so a few humbling hours spent at the dock training yourself is going to go a long way when the heat is on.
Second most important thing about learning how to downrigger fish with live bait is mastering the simple act, yet intricately complicated maneuver of getting the bait down and keeping it there without tangling the fishing line in the downrigger cable or braid. Again...it sounds like a no brainer but i have seen all to often crews deploy a fresh candy bait on the downrigger and then moments later SMASHWHOOSH a big girl hoovers the bait but there appears to be a problem as deckhands are diving for the downrigger. Could it be? Yes...the fishing line is tangled in the dowrigger cable and the large and suddenly aggitated beheamouth is threatening to tear the entire works off the boat.
Practice...dilligence...pay attention and learn how each system you need downriggers for requires a special adjustment or little added touch. You'll find...as i have...that certain baits require a fast drop and some a much more cautious approach to keep them from swimming hard at the boat and inevitably into the downrigger gear.
That's the easy part. Now let's figure out why in the hell we need one of these things cluttering up my cockpit in the first place.
I have no clue who invented the downrigger or any inclination as to it's history or how it has evolved over the years. I do know that in offshore fishing big marlin and tunas will chew a downrigger bait when all else fails and as far as i'm concerned that's as much as i need to know about that. And while i am not big on the history i do offer a tremendous amount of experience behind the mechanics of actually fishing one.
Here's a few of our tricks and methods that we have learned the hard way. While some or all of these things might be completely foreign to your particular fishery trust me on one thing...read between the lines and you'll find that the processes that lead us to our inevitable conclusions and techniques are quite similar whether fishing for walleye or grander blue marlin. And that if you apply a little science and good old fashioned on the water ingenuity you'll find that utilizing downriggers irregardless of where you are and what your target species might be will lead to more fish and happier campers. What...may i ask...is not to like about that.
Like all aspects of fishing you have to pay attention to the signs as they happen...and as they change throughout the day or night for that matter. When is the right time to bust the downrigger out? When is it wrong? The possibilities are endless of course...but in an average day to day giant tuna and marlin situation here's what happens...here's what we do.
For starters i have found that it never pays to fish a downrigger first thing in the morning for marlin and tuna. There is so much going on with the catching of fresh bait, the switching over from bait fishing to actually fishing the bait, and the inevitable action that usually comes after grey light. Sometimes nothing beats the morning bite.
Common sense dictates that if you are catching fish with all usual basic methods don't over complicate the under complicated. Don't put something in the water that requires unnecessary steps or additional gear. It's a waste of time and an added hazard. So for us i'll wait until the initial sunrise flurry has tapered off before breaking out the trusty Scotty electric.
Once things have settled down i'll start by checking the sonar and fish finding gadgetry. Where are the meter marks? Where's the bait? Are the two hanging out together? Or is the bait high and the fish slightly deeper... These are important questions to answer because if you're running your downrigger bait through the middle of bait balls all day while the target species are below picking off stragglers you've just sucessfully hid your bait from the fish while giving your little buddy down there plenty of time to make friends.
Put your bait where the fish are. Sometimes...it's actually surprisingly deep. We've caught plenty of marlin and tuna running a live skipjack down 300 feet or more.
Not finding enough info from your electronics to make a call? Then pay close attention to the weather and natural signs. Is it sunny? Do you like staring up at the sun at midday with no sunglasses on? When it's bright send that puppy to the depths...for marlin and tuna with plenty of water below you that means 150 feet or more.
If it's cloudy i've found fish will stay high in the water column all day. No brainer. But still consult your electronics and cross reference them constantly throughout the day. Be diligent.
If you are sure there's fish down there and you have the right bait and the right depth and you're still coming up short try increasing the distance you are running the bait behind the downrigger. Careful here. This may mean adjustments to how fast or slow you are now letting the works down to depth.
If you're running you're bait a mile back there and you're gnawing your nails for nada try this one. Slow troll the bait up to the area you're marking fish. As you register meter marks on the electronics immediately drop the bait considerably deeper than the depth the fish are running at. Once you get it down pop the fishing line out of the downrigger release clip or rubber band and as soon as it's free retrieve the downrigger ball or planer. This does two things...one, it removes the unnecessary gear from the water which may put off a wary fish and two, it gives you an opportunity to now slow troll that juicy one up through the entire school of fish until it either reaches the surface...or gets bit on the way up. Obviously we're gunning for the latter. And don't be shy...repeat if necessary.
Another important lesson we learned the long way around is pertinent to the argument regarding whether or not it's a good idea to turn your downrigger weight or planer into a teaser. I can vouch from our own experience it is most definitely NOT a good idea.
Marlin and swordfish are nasty, curious creatures and there is no limit to what they are capable of attempting, particularly when it comes to downrigger weights that look like food. Stay away from that line of thinking. Paint it black, or grey, or leave it rusty. Eliminate another potential hazard from the game. Make him eat the bait...not the weight.
When running multiple downriggers off the stern use pancake downrigger weights with stainless steel fins on them. Bend the fins behind the weights like rudders so that the two downriggers "fly" apart. This little nugget also makes it nearly impossible for the two downrigger weights to tangle on turns.
Always...and i do mean always...use a short 1 - 2' section of elastic material like a rubber snubber or heavy duty industrial bungee cord between the weight and cable or braided line from the downrigger. Even manual start and stop cranking is jerky and a heavy ball a looooong way down there that suddenly stops with no give is going to cause problems. Namely lost balls. And no one likes to loose their balls. So put some rubber on there and giddy up.
As far as choosing between manual and electric downriggers go i lean towards the electric of course. Mostly because my deckhands are lazy and it's nice not to have to waste a pair of hands when there's lines to be cleared. But the decision is ultimately use specific. Budgets, applications and all those things tend to lean one this way or the other.
There has been some talk about the positives and negatives with regards to the electrical field an automatic downrigger could conceivably put out...but i don't buy into that much. If you're that concerned about it buy a "Black Box" or some similar contraption or simply run the bait a little further back from the downrigger line.
When you hook a fish finally...after all this practicing and gadgetry...don't forget to pull the downrigger out of the water. I know it's exciting. There's a lot of whooping and hollering going on...but tell yourself to be diligent and remember there's an extra step or two in the routine now that the downrigger has joined the family.
Release clip preference is personal as well. There's a million choices out there. Instead of spending all of our sponsors hard earned money on clips and things we use a short piece of heavy 300# mono leader about 4' long with a heavy duty snap swivel on both ends.
One snap swivel from the release line goes to the downrigger ball or planer and the other snap opens up to receive the #64 Office Depot rubber band wrapped figure eight style around our mainline. It's a terribly cheap way of doing things and a bit old school...but that's why we like it.
Now we come to the great debate weighing the pro's and con's of weights vrs. planers when it comes to taking the bait down. Personally i like weights. But for a while there i was hooked on planers. Who knows maybe i'll go back the other way but it all boils down once again to individual situations and locations. Personal preference. Those particular signs from that day.
For real deep water work with live bait on the slow troll i'll always go to a solid, heavy round lead cannonball. But for faster trolling at shallower depths those Z-Wing type planers are sure nice. We are actually very lucky to have this kind of a selection of equipment out there these days. I can remember times when we'd fashion up huge chain shackles as downrigger balls because there was nothing else around. Those were the days i tell you.
Ok that's about as much info as i can possibly divulge in an afternoon in writing. It's actually a lot easier to demonstrate in person so i highly recommend booking at least a few days with your favorite charter skipper in...oh, i don't know...Puerto Vallarta with the goal of nailing down some advanced downrigger maneuvors in mind.
Welcome the downrigger into your offshore fishing repetoire. Buy one. Use it. Love it.
Good post! A lot of good info. I learned to use a downrigger as an alternative to a planer or release planer because many tournaments didn't allow any kind of planer. We always used them slow trolling for kingfish but dolphin, wahoo, tuna, billfish required going back to school. It was definately worthwhile. BTW I also prefer the ru Tight Linesbber band release for most fishing. Tight lines.
I don't have a photo handy but i'll snap a few on the charter we are taking out on sunday...the june issue of Sport Fishing magazine will have a bunch of photos and sketches from us to go along with the article...
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Good stuff, great read! Keep the info coming... reminds me a little of salmon fishing on Lake Ontario as a kid and now Striper fishing here on Lake Lanier - though it does seem much more exciting when you're after pelagics.
Thanks for taking the time to type and post your article.
I have used downriggers extensively for king macs but never really gave it a serious try for tuna.
The main reason for this is that it seemed to me that I could either fish the top or fish the deep. Whenever I tried to fish deep at the speed I like to fish my surface baits (5-7 kts) I had tremendous blowback, noise etc from the downrigger cable. Please note I am fishing either with dead baits or plugs.
I experimented with different ball shapes as well as the fast troll Z-wing but never got it where I liked it. This year I will switch to Power-Pro and see if it makes a difference.
You are refering in your post on live baiting. I am wondering if you have tried your technique with dead baits and if so what results have you had.
Great post. I thank you for taking the time to share your experiences. You are a darn good writer BTW. You always educate and entertain.
I hope to get down there and fish with you sometime.
I have one question that I don't think discussed. What speeds are you trolling your live baits? I'm sure it varies but how do you minimize the excess bend/drag from the downrigger ball & cable?
Once again, thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience. I always look forward to reading your posts
When I deep troll with live baits at PV, we try to stay between 1.5-2.5 mph to make the smaller skipjacks and hardtails last, and in the 1-1.8 mph when trolling gogle eyes, mullet, and large sardines. Water speed, not gps speed.
I have never had luck using dead baits on the downrigger in Mx, but have caught a lot of salmon trolling cut herring plugs in Canada behind dodgers on the ball, trolling even slower.
Top Cat & Steve we troll live bait 99% of the time down here when downriggers are in the game but we have trolled lures and dead bait down there as well with limited sucess...
As far as speed goes if you're going to troll in the upper end of the speed spectrum (say 8 - 15knts) use the small deep diving planers that will allow you to troll a downrigger up to 15knts...but you better re-inforce that puppy to the gunnel or you're going to have problems...and yes using the braided line will eliminate the "HUMM" sound that is created by the cable as it runs through the water....
Our primary live skipjack trolling speed is between 2 and 4 knts...depending on the size of the skipjack and the weather...because skipjack and most baits like them (bullet tuna, bonito, etc.) are ram ventilation swimmers it will take some practice to get the proper speed vrs size of the bait dialed in...but that's part of the fun...i have some friends who actually take it as far as mathamatical calculations but since i hated math i'll stick to instincts...also remember that when you are trolling with or against the current with live baits you may need to adjust your speed in order to get optimum performance out of your baits...trolling them too fast...and too slow...will drown them...
Capt josh, will power pro cut the rubber bands? I've been using cannon release clips but would like to try the rubber bands. Also how big is the bait you're pulling?
Boomer we use all spectra or braid and the rubberbands do fine...no worries there...
The baits are anywhere from half a pound up to 15#'s if we're pulling small live yellowfin for huge marlin...just vary the size of the rubberband so that it's strong enough to hold the bait in place...
Downrigger Tricks For Monster Pelagics...3/2 
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