Hey guys anyone know how to get a live bait fish down deep on the downrigger? Plan is to get one down deep on my downrigger when i go out searching for marlin, i have tried previously to send a yellow tail yakka or scad down but they always tangle around the downrigger line and it comes up a tangled mess
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My father in law uses dead livies as he calls only because he is to lazy to look after them properly. I presume the issue is about letting them down slowly with enough forwards momentum so they don’t swim around too much.
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Yeah i will be drifting i think that may be the problem and lowering to quick but how do u stop the bait fish swimming around the bomb? What is a ideal length of line to let the fish out on from the release clip?
I will have access to yakkas and slimy macks about 15-18cm than i have access to a h7ge supply of 6-9cm poddy mullet but i dount anything out in the ocean will eat a poddy mullet lol
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I have never done it but aren’t down riggers mainly used for trolling?
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Gazza, It's pretty easy really, the key is slowly motoring forward as you release the line/weight etc, I've never had a tangle before using livies on the down rigger. Mines a manual one from the down rigger shop, so it's all manual.
Just got to time everything right, but it's best for the boat to be moving, then easy peezy....
It's one of my "Secret Snapper " methods down here in the bay, which is only up to20 odd meters. If I didn't have livies, I would use something else ( lure ) and just get it so the weight is hitting the bottom every so often, in the gutters, puffing up a bit of the bottom and all hell usually breaks out. I use this method mainly chasing the resident big Snapper during winter. I'll use at least 2-2.5 mtr traces.
Different story when your out wider and deeper, your normally trolling at a specific depth chasing sounder targets...
So, use a decnt length trace and be motoring even at trolling speed when you let the livie go Gazza, you shouldn't have an issue...
Col
Gazza, we regularly put livies down around 60m on deep bait chasing billies on downriggers and also on standard breakaway sinker rigs (12 oz snapper lead on a rubber band). Re avoiding tangles on the downrigger i often run the bait out 30 or 40m before i clip the line into the downrigger and send it down, Keep the whole shooting match laying straight out the back, as per Col, keep it going forward into the current. We splice dacron loops onto our mains (like an outrigger loop) and run standard blacks clip on the bomb. works great for livebaiting small blacks.
Scott
Thanks guys the few times i have tried we were anchored i thought the current would be enough to pull the bait fish away from the downrigger line
Putting a squid strip down while moving forward has always been my method of downrigging and never tangles
Just thought if i were to drop a livie outside on the DR it may just swim around the line again i'll have to remember to let it out a fair wack before lowering that would make sense even while anchoring so the little bugger is to far away and cant swim around the DR line
Great tip
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Yeah they can be used for trolling and anchoring i have had a huge success trolling but never caught on to drifting or anchoringOriginally Posted by shaungonemad
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