downriggers, fixed or adjustable boom

Hi everyone

I'm not new to fishing but I am new to this site and fishing using down riggers so I have many many questions that I need help with. I have a 16' Lund and want to purchase two electric down riggers but I'm a little confused about the boom length, some suggest 24" while others recommend an adjustable 36-60" boom. For the most part I'll be fishing Georgian Bay around Wiarton,Big Bay and Owen Sound. I'm considering purchasing a 24" or 30" Scotty depth power down riggers, but again I'm not sure about the boom length, don't want to make the purchase and find out I made the wrong choice.

Any advise, help or guidance would be great, thanks

I would go as wide as you can. You will cover more water, but 24" is pretty good and it might be more easy to set it up after each fish.

You have to think of how far your lures will be. 6 foot transom plus 4 foot total boom is 10 feet apart. Or 6 foot transom plus 10 feet of boom is 16 feet apart.

This post has been edited by Fishallday on Sep 21, 2018 - 04:37 pm

Remember it's not like your Johnson where length matters(so to speak). The further out you go, the torque on the mounting point becomes pretty heavy. It's like holding a 12 lb weight close to your body, pretty easy, put it out arms length and try and hold it for a while, then do the same at 60 inches. Add some wavy conditions and you want a real substantial mounting point.

Good point. Make sure the are mounted securely to the boat with swival and quick release.

You also want to look into torpedo weights. There was a post on them earlier and they are suppose to have very little blow back.I here the fish shaped ones are a good second.

I have older Scotty Depthpower Electrics.

They have a 28 inch boom. They are mounted on swivel bases so that I can run them out to the side or towards the back.

They work great on my 16ft Legend.

SDC

Go big! But not crazy. The boat,... go crazy!

A buddy's boat is like your's and he's been running 4' booms and 10 lb fish-shaped weights for almost 30 years. Still a solid boat!

(Nice ride, eh?! Lottery time!)

LUND 2075M Tyee Sport.

The reason you may want the longer booms in a small boat is for easier turning, and preventing your cannonballs from crossing. Widening your spread really isn't that big of a deal. My boat is 100 inches wide and I could run short booms, but I still have my walkers set up with extensions and 4 foot booms. Even when I do a crazy Ivan, or someone (usually a new guy to steering) loses track of things and the boat turns sharply, I never cross up or run into tangles. Get a set of Scotty ball retrievers and you'll be all set. As for Scotties, they are an awesome rigger, just keep in mind they have a very large footprint on a smaller boat. I used to have a 16 footer and ran walkers. I think if I was going back to a 16, Id look into the cannons.

Hey guys, great comments thanks for your help, leaning towards a 30" boom but maybe an adjustable if the bank can handle it,

I support the thoughts of those recommending four foot booms. I have run nothing but Big Jons since the 1970's. However, I'd replace these with Scotties based on experience with my son's set-up. Scotties are very fast and exceptionally powerful.
Always use as large a backing plate as your gunnels allow when mounting your riggers.

Good topic.....

used to run 36 to 48 inch booms.....as time and age went on, it was not just about the torque these put on your mounting areas, it was also about ease of lifting and or switching baits

I have always used Vectors.....now traxtec and in the last 3 seasons have seen many others shorten the booms to 18 or 24 inches...….still gets the job done and so much eaier to work on side of boat. Also really helps when running dipseys

This is much easier to see than explain though, but it works

Running them tighter makes no difference in hookups on your spread imo

thanks for your thoughts, probably going with a Scotty 30" boom, whats your thoughts on fish finder/GPS units

Yes. It's a pretty good idea to have one. For sure. (LOL?)
Lots of opinions/preferences on this topic. Several previous posts on this topic that you can check.

Hi, you mentioned your are in the Wiarton area. I had my boat written off this spring but was able to keep my new down riggers. Then the replacement boat got new down riggers. The point is I have a single season used Scotty depth power 1116 Pro Pack that had a single season use only on Colpoy's Bay. I was about to put it on Kijiji. I will be back at the cottage on Thanksgiving weekend. If you want to save the buck and have it all $500. It is basically like new.

This post has been edited by Reeldeal on Sep 25, 2018 - 08:44 am

Hi Reeldeal

Id be interested in having a look, little more than what I need but could make it work. Let me know where and when i can get at look, thanksgiving wked works

Sounds good. My mobile number is 905 510 5830. Please text me so we can connect directly vs the forum. Depending on where you are located my cottage is just north of Wiarton. I can meet you in Wiarton at the Marina (where my boat is) or in town.

Talk to you soon.