home made outriggers.

[sharpshooter]

I am thinking of making some home made outriggers for trolling lures and live baits from a small (24-26ft) boat.

I have only been on a game boat once and saw how they worked etc.

I was thinking of using bought release clips, but for the actual out rigger poles, was thinking of using 14 - 16ft fast taper beach caster blanks, with a roller from a boat rod fixed where the tip eye would be, so the clip can be moved out along the lemgth of the out rigger.

obviously, these outriggers would be firmly bolted to the boats rails with stays forward holding them in position.

Can any of you guys who are much more experianced in this field enlightem me to any problems i may have over-looked?
Do you think it would work ok?

I only intend to troll at slow speeds of around 1 or 2 knots with small lures (rapala sliver etc) and live baits (pilchards, mackerel etc)

I am interested to learn more about the turning capabilities of the boat, without huge tangles etc. Much of the trolling work i intend to do is around isolated pinicles in relatively shallow water.

Any thaughts or info greatly appreciated.

Regards,


SS

[Ravelling Tangler]

If you are only trolling at low speeds without too much drag (from big lures, "daisy chains" or spreader bars) you shouldn't have any trouble .....except perhaps in distinctly choppy weather - where you may get the rigger flexing, snatching the lure out of a wave and straightening only to trpeat the 'jumping' cycle.

That can be reduced by having non-flexible riggers (either take the top couple of feet off the stiffest beach blank you can find or add in a brace - a cross-trees with wires going both up & down the blank...but that is starting to make things a bit complicated) or by having more than one stay leading forwards, with the outermost one fairly close to the tip of the outrigger.

Remember that 40 to 20 years ago, Bass fisherman on the Eddystone used to use homemade outriggers - I think they were often bamboo poles.

If you end up trolling when faster or pulling bigger lures ...and especially in rougher weather, then the stiffness will start to matter more and you could find out that fibreglass / composite is not so suitable.

I'm oretty sure there are books somewhere about outriggers for "small" boats and although most of what they cover will be about expensive manufactured ones (for T-tops and such like) there could be hints that save you re-discovering known problems / snags. I'll see if I can find a mention somewhere.

[sharpshooter]

If you are only trolling at low speeds without too much drag (from big lures, "daisy chains" or spreader bars) you shouldn't have any trouble .....except perhaps in distinctly choppy weather - where you may get the rigger flexing, snatching the lure out of a wave and straightening only to trpeat the 'jumping' cycle.

That can be reduced by having non-flexible riggers (either take the top couple of feet off the stiffest beach blank you can find or add in a brace - a cross-trees with wires going both up & down the blank...but that is starting to make things a bit complicated) or by having more than one stay leading forwards, with the outermost one fairly close to the tip of the outrigger.

Remember that 40 to 20 years ago, Bass fisherman on the Eddystone used to use homemade outriggers - I think they were often bamboo poles.

If you end up trolling when faster or pulling bigger lures ...and especially in rougher weather, then the stiffness will start to matter more and you could find out that fibreglass / composite is not so suitable.

I'm oretty sure there are books somewhere about outriggers for "small" boats and although most of what they cover will be about expensive manufactured ones (for T-tops and such like) there could be hints that save you re-discovering known problems / snags. I'll see if I can find a mention somewhere.

RT,

Thanks for the reply.
I am planning to fish with small lures such as rapala sliver etc, or live pilchards/mackerel, or jellies such as worms or shads etc etc.

Strange you should mention the eddystone reef as that is one of the main areas i intend to fish, as well as other smaller rock outrops in the area.
Many of the commercial fishermen in the area use the bamboo poles as you said. Still common practice. I wanted to be a little more refined, so figured that 14 or so ft beach caster blanks would give more spread, and also be a little more durable.
I also intend to use rod and line rather than handlining the fish in.

Do you have much experiance of fishing with outriggers?? As i said i have only done it once - out in OZ and we were trolling along a long stretch of reef, so no real turning involved. I was wondering about the limitations placed on the turning ability - without causing the lines to cross or tangle, especially if i were to have two downriggers fishing at the same time.

I will have a look for the books you have spoken of, please let me know if you come across anything in the meantime.

Regards,

SS

[PanamaJack]

Hi Sharpshooter
It's worth staggering the distance at which your baits or lures are fished - preferably, although patently not always practical, so that the one on the 'outside' of the turn is the longer. The shorter one should then, if they cross, 'slide' under the longer. That's of course unless the entry of that line into the water equates to where the short one bait or lure ends up tracking. If they touch, and you don't notice it? Whoops, the 'mother' of all tangles!

Have you thought about the release clips you'll use yet? Certainly something like Aftco Roller Trollers are good in that you can adjust the release pressure. (Although they might be a tad too heavy with small baits or the small Slivers.) Or, at a pinch, light elastic bands wrapped carefully around your line will work.

Using things called 'stinger lines' can help when you're deploying lures. I’ve tried looking for articles on the ‘Net that explain the principle but, so far, without success. But let’s have a try at explaining it.

So you’ll effectively have a ‘slightly shorten’ continuous loop that runs from the eye at the top of the ‘rigger down through another eye. (That’s then tensioned by one of those heavy duty bits of elastic, with wire clips on each end - I forget what they're called - to the metal fastening on the coaming board.) In that loop you need to have, as a connector, a heavy duty conventional swivel. Clip a snap swivel on that and tie a piece of heavy Dacron from it. How long? There there’s a bit of trial and error but effectively you want it so that, when the other end of the Dacron is up near the ‘rigger’s tip it’s near your rod top (with its butt in the holder). The Roller Troller or, more likely the light rubber band, is tied on the other end of the Dacron.

So when you’ve let the lure or bait back as far as you want either clip your reel line in the Roller Troller or attach it to the light elastic band. Then let some more line off your reel and the stinger line should swing out so that it’s in a direct line between the tip of the ‘rigger’ and your lure. Why? It just gives you a much shorter dropback when the fish strikes than if the line ran back to the ‘rigger itself.

That really sounds a complete b*gger’s muddle. But hopefully some of it makes sense.

Obviously if you’re using live or deadbaits you’ll need to fish the Roller Trollers with a much lighter setting so that the fish gets time to grab the bait - the clip releases - and swallow it without feeling too much resistance.
Dave

[sharpshooter]

Hi Sharpshooter
It's worth staggering the distance at which your baits or lures are fished - preferably, although patently not always practical, so that the one on the 'outside' of the turn is the longer. The shorter one should then, if they cross, 'slide' under the longer. That's of course unless the entry of that line into the water equates to where the short one bait or lure ends up tracking. If they touch, and you don't notice it? Whoops, the 'mother' of all tangles!

Have you thought about the release clips you'll use yet? Certainly something like Aftco Roller Trollers are good in that you can adjust the release pressure. (Although they might be a tad too heavy with small baits or the small Slivers.) Or, at a pinch, light elastic bands wrapped carefully around your line will work.

Using things called 'stinger lines' can help when you're deploying lures. I’ve tried looking for articles on the ‘Net that explain the principle but, so far, without success. But let’s have a try at explaining it.

So you’ll effectively have a ‘slightly shorten’ continuous loop that runs from the eye at the top of the ‘rigger down through another eye. (That’s then tensioned by one of those heavy duty bits of elastic, with wire clips on each end - I forget what they're called - to the metal fastening on the coaming board.) In that loop you need to have, as a connector, a heavy duty conventional swivel. Clip a snap swivel on that and tie a piece of heavy Dacron from it. How long? There there’s a bit of trial and error but effectively you want it so that, when the other end of the Dacron is up near the ‘rigger’s tip it’s near your rod top (with its butt in the holder). The Roller Troller or, more likely the light rubber band, is tied on the other end of the Dacron.

So when you’ve let the lure or bait back as far as you want either clip your reel line in the Roller Troller or attach it to the light elastic band. Then let some more line off your reel and the stinger line should swing out so that it’s in a direct line between the tip of the ‘rigger’ and your lure. Why? It just gives you a much shorter dropback when the fish strikes than if the line ran back to the ‘rigger itself.

That really sounds a complete b*gger’s muddle. But hopefully some of it makes sense.

Obviously if you’re using live or deadbaits you’ll need to fish the Roller Trollers with a much lighter setting so that the fish gets time to grab the bait - the clip releases - and swallow it without feeling too much resistance.
Dave

Dave,
I think i understand what you mean. I imagine Its gonna require plenty of trial and error untill i come up with a system that works well for me.

I was gonna buy some release clips from the states or OZ over the net. Ones which you can vary the tension/weight required to release the line from the clip.
I planned to either fix a tip roller from a boat rod, or a small pully at the tip and another on the ships rail so you can pull the clip out to the end - washing line, or flag pole stylee, and keep the outrigger.

The main target species will be pollack and bass. I'll be relying mainly on the ferocity of the strike for the fish to hook themselves. Lures armed with treble hooks and baits armed with pennel rigged 6/0s.

I want to make a couple of downriggers as well. Gonna gash some together with some old 50lb boat rods and some geared up 12v 4x4 winches. Cant wait to have a go deep trolling over and around wrecks off the cornish coast!

SS

[Ravelling Tangler]

If you find it hard to set the outrigger clip to the tension you want , you can set it to its stiffest option and then use a short (just a couple of inches long) bit of line of known b.w to connect from it to the reel line. Obviously you'd want to pre-tie a few engths of that to save tying one up in a hurry just after you've caught a fish.

The connecting bit can be Impact Power Gum (which is kinder on you reel line than mono) which can be bought in 4lb, 10lb, 14 lb and 20lb strengths in a Carp fishing shop. The 4lb is a bit fiddly, being so thin.

If you don't want to import the clips (because of the shipping charges - if purchased on their own they'll be too low in value to attract Import Duty) it is almost certain Rok-Max ( http://www.rokmax.com ) or Leadertech ( can't find their web site !) will sell them

[martinw]

My nieghbour installs TV ariels. i asked him how much a 16ft ally pole was.
the answer £17.00 would these not make the perfect outriggers?

[Ken L]

You could probably save a load of hastle by just investing in some good quality horizontal rod holders and using l;onger rods for your trolling.
No outriggers, no release clips, no rigger lines to tangle or even get caught up on shallow structure and if you're fishing for bass and pollock instead of big game species, a longer rod isn't going to give the fish so much leverage that you can't land it.

[Ravelling Tangler]

My nieghbour installs TV ariels. i asked him how much a 16ft ally pole was.
the answer £17.00 would these not make the perfect outriggers?

Wow! that's amazingly cheap ! even if they rust away after a couple of years it still works out cheap. Must go and find if they are strong enough for this sort of outrigger (I was wondering whether to go in for Windsurfer fibreglass masts, for a somewhat stronger outrigger).

[STAN M]

RT, if it helps any I`ve used the aluminium TV ariel poles for two different sets of riggers on two boats. One set was 17ft on a 52ft boat, they had cross trees and twin forward stays, worked fine with Aftco roller trollers. The other we fitted to a friends boat, smaller 23ft vessel. There we simply used 12ft straight poles with one forward stay, again no problems. We used them to tow rapalla magnums, konaheads, mean machines etc from speeds of 2knts to 6-7knts. Never caught any fish on them but the riggers worked just fine.

Only thing to remember is the fixings to the boat. Make sure they are similar metal or put an isolater (plastic rubber etc) between different types of metal to prevent a base / noble metal reaction.