Off Topic ISO downrigger help

Brandon S

Brandon S

Active Member
Looking for some help/ input. I have installed an older set of Big Jon electric downriggers on my boat. They have a 36” boom. Is it normal for the boom to sag down 6.5” with 10lb cannon ball? Or is that too big of a cannon ball for this style of down rigger? Thanks in advance..IMG_1462.pngIMG_1461.png
 
I think he meant STACKED up. It looks like the arm isn’t bending so much as the track, the mount and the riser piece in the middle, they all lean a bit overboard and it adds up.

It seems like under the load the base isn’t quite level any more. But it should be OK for 10lb balls. I think all big Jons can handle 10 lbs if they aren’t the gunnel clamp mount ones.
 
Octavius Brine said:
I think he meant STACKED up. It looks like the arm isn’t bending so much as the track, the mount and the riser piece in the middle, they all lean a bit overboard and it adds up.

It seems like under the load the base isn’t quite level any more. But it should be OK for 10lb balls. I think all big Jons can handle 10 lbs if they aren’t the gunnel clamp mount ones.
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If I removed the downrigger with the swivel mount from the cannon track and clamp it to the work bench I still get around 6 1/4 ” of sag in the boom when I lift up the 10lb ball. There is very little twisting happening with the frame system I have built but it’s very minimal. I do plan on getting some stainless turn buckles to fix that issue but those aren’t going to remove the sag in the boom itself.
 
Make sure you use a snubber to your ball. I had the same ones on my old Starcraft. They sagged like that. When trolling in rough water i lost a few 12 lb sharks on the bouncing up and down. Put the snubber on and it helped no more lost balls. You can send Big Jon and email and they will answer you back. Great service they had. I went to Scottys with the snubber and never looked back. Plus lifetime guarantee
 
Yea pretty normal for them to flex. Yes to snubbers. I once pulled up a gill net with my Jons to get my lure back. So after that I always kept wire cutter in the boat.
 
Is that a Bankes boat? I don’t think I’ve ever seen riggers on one, that’s pretty cool. The big jons have a bit of a sag to em from what I’ve seen on friends boats. If you happen to have some 8lb balls kicking around they work just fine on Erie. I never run my 12’s unless I’m on Lake O.
 
Porkpie said:
Is that a Bankes boat? I don’t think I’ve ever seen riggers on one, that’s pretty cool. The big jons have a bit of a sag to em from what I’ve seen on friends boats. If you happen to have some 8lb balls kicking around they work just fine on Erie. I never run my 12’s unless I’m on Lake O.
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Yes it is. Unfortunately there isn’t many places on the boat to mount something like this. Guess they aren’t really made for fishing lol. The top gunnel is just under 3” wide so no cannon or burts track would fit nicely. I had to make a whole mounting style that slides into the factory blind pockets. I’m gonna order a set of 8lb balls or maybe 6lb. I’m not sure yet. I only fish Erie and the deepest I’ll be fishing is probably 60ft down
 
No experience with the 6lb, so I can’t help you there. but I run the 8’s consistently and have found no difference in success rate. Unless you’re off the lighthouse at LP really how deep are you going to fish most of the time… for me it’s usually Glasgow 70 plus fow, and I’m generally not trying to drag bottom there.
 
Ok good to know. I’ll get some 8lb balls thanks. I’m mainly fish the elbow and burwell. Deepest I’ve fish was in 120fow and the fish were down 55-60ft.
 
Brandon S said:
Yes it is. Unfortunately there isn’t many places on the boat to mount something like this. Guess they aren’t really made for fishing lol. The top gunnel is just under 3” wide so no cannon or burts track would fit nicely. I had to make a whole mounting style that slides into the factory blind pockets. I’m gonna order a set of 8lb balls or maybe 6lb. I’m not sure yet. I only fish Erie and the deepest I’ll be fishing is probably 60ft down
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On boats that are difficult to mount riggers etc, in the past I have used a board (2x6) to span across from one gunwale to the other at the back of the boat and mounted everything to the board. You can often even find ways to secure it without even drilling a hole in your boat, using clamps or u bolts or what ever suits your situation.
 
@Brandon S maybe try with a bucket of water or something to see how much it sags with less weight.

For that depth, the 8lb ball works well for me. I haven't tried with 6, but I do have a 4.5lb fish that I use down maybe 35 feet because the kids can crank it up. I am not happy with using it to fish deeper, but its good for the young fellas!

It might work better with downrigger braid (versus cable) ... but I would rather reinforce the big jon boom or something to not be stuck with downriggers that can't handle enough weight.

These charts can help (but not for 6lb) https://cannon.johnsonoutdoors.com/us/blog/what-is-downrigger-blowback
 
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Octavius Brine said:
These charts can help (but not for 6lb) https://cannon.johnsonoutdoors.com/us/blog/what-is-downrigger-blowback
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@Octavius Brine don’t be giving him too many ideas😂. When he reads that link he will be stealing my Fish Hawk off my boat when I’m not in the shop or down at the cottage😂😂
He’s pretty proud of his Bankes boat and making it versatile for duck hunting and fishing.
His mount is built very sturdy and looks good without cutting corners to save. I’ve been helping him and giving ideas (not that he will listen to me after 26 yrs😂)
I put one of my 12 lb sharks on his rigger and it sure bent the arm down. I grabbed a 10 lb ball and the difference in bending 12 lb to 10 lb was about 1.5”. I never measured overall height with no weight on the arm.
I’m sure when it’s time for deep water fishing he will be able to see his weight on sonar for depth whether it’s on his through hull transducer or transom mount transom transducer.
 
Haha @Three Bouys it’s only BORROWING your fish hawk.

… til the ball hangs up and the probe gets lost. Then it’s “ what fish hawk??”

Seriously though, it seems to be normal for the big Jon. Mine is the shortest one so it moves less, but even it bounces with the weight.
 
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