Manual or Electric?
Choice of downrigger reflects style of boat, type of fishing, budget and
personal preference. One must first decide whether to purchase a manual or
electric downrigger. A manual downrigger requires more physical labour, but does
not require a power source or wiring for installation. They are generally
lighter and more portable. Manual downriggers are generally more affordable and
are a great way to get into downrigger fishing. An electric downrigger makes
downrigger fishing a breeze, but requires a 12 volt power source and a wired
installation. With a press of a button or turn of a dial, you can have hands
free operation while you land that fish. In an emergency such as loss of power,
these units can be operated by hand, but they are designed for use with power
only. Electric downriggers are heavier and thus less portable, but they offer
the convenience of hands free operation and easy retrieval of your gear. These
are the downriggers that charter operators and serious fisherman use and are
perfect for larger boats and heavier use.
Which Model?
Once one has decided whether to choose electric or manual, style of boat and
type of fishing should be considered to choose a model. Consider the spots
available for mounting and other gear on the boat (ie, swim grid, motor, kicker
motor, etc) in order to choose a boom length that will: 1. Adequately get your
lines out away from your boat to keep them clear during turns, 2. Allow you to
reach your gear when attaching or removing release clips (this might change if
you add a pedestal swivel mount) 3. Allow you to store the rigger in the space
you have available.
How Will I Mount it?
Now consider how you will mount your downrigger on your boat. Depending on
the model, your rigger may come with a slide in mount or a tilt mount. You may
also be able to add a pedestal swivel mount or other to accommodate your boat’s
features. See the mounts page for the options available to you.
- Keep a good bend in your rod while fishing. There is a moment of slack
when a fish hits and a bent rod will take up this slack as the release clip
lets go. Watch for your rod tip bouncing slightly as you get nibbles and hits.
- Be prepared to change your lures or bait if you don't see any action. Ask
other anglers what they are using and check with local shops to see what is
working the best in your area. Use sharp hooks and always check your local
regulations for limits and restrictions.
- Check your gear for weeds or small fish every 1/2 hour. Pull rods one at a
time to keep a lure in the water while you reset.
- Trolling in a lazy zig-zag pattern will often increase strikes due to the
increased coverage. This motion also affects your lures as your turn slows the
inside line and speeds up the outside, creating a variety of motion to attract
fish. You can also change your trolling speed to change the action of your
gear. Try to select lures with action appropriate for your trolling speed to
get the most our of their design.
- Use tidal action to your advantage instead of fighting it. Fish with a
fast running tide to the end of your tack, pull your gear and repeat from your
starting point.
- Try to practice catch and release. Handle fish as little and as gently as
you can, leaving them in the water if possible. A fish which is bleeding from
the gills should be considered part of your daily limit.
- Some anglers use small bells on the end of their downriggers to indicate a
strike or a snag. These can be very useful, especially when fishing solo.
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- Always attach your fishing rod and reel to your downrigger while your boat
is in forward motion. This helps avoid tangles.
- Note the reading on the depth counter on your downrigger when you catch
fish, then return to that depth for best success.
- Use caution to prevent downrigger wire from becoming tangled in your prop.
Mounting your downrigger as close to the stern as possible will reduce the
possibility of getting your wire caught in the prop. Consider the use of a
prop guard to eliminate tangles and cut lines.
- Keep your fingers away from the underside of the downrigger base and
remove the lead weight when the downrigger is tilted up or unattended. Be sure
to use the red lock lever properly to keep the downrigger upright.
- Reinforce the downrigger when mounting it to your boat. It should be solid
and supported before you fish. Always use properly bedded stainless steel
fasteners.
- Bring your gear to you when retrieving weights or resetting lines. Avoid
leaning out, as sudden or unexpected motion by the boat could send you
overboard. Consider using a 3025 Downrigger Weight Retriever as a safety
precaution.
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- When trailering or travelling on the water, weights should be removed,
lines tensioned and brakes set. Downriggers with swivel bases should be turned
to the stern; downriggers without should be removed or locked into the upright
position. Do not leave weights attached. Always remove and place in a proper
holder (ie 3022 Weight Mate). Weights can easily bounce free from a seemingly
safe spot and if they are still attached to your wire they can be a danger to
both boat and person.
- Never use heavier weights than fishing conditions require. Heavy weights
reduce performance and efficiency and will shorten wire life.
- Never let the wire go slack. Kinks may form and the wire may also spill
over the edge of the spool, causing tangles and damage.
- Never let your fishing reel spin freely while you lower your weight. Use a
slight drag to maintain control.
- Never use nylon or other monofilament line on your Scotty Downrigger.
Nylon may stretch with use and shrink back on the spool with enough force to
damage the equipment. Use of nylon line will void the downrigger warranty.
- Never attempt to retrieve a weighted or snagged downrigger cable by hand.
Wave or boat motion could cause serious injury. Always keep a pair of wire
cutters handy and be careful not to lean over the boom. Cutting tensioned wire
may cause the downrigger boom to fly up unexpectedly.
Ensure your downrigger plug and socket are clean and well coated with di-electric
grease or other moisture displacing product. Check for power to your downriggers
before leaving the dock.
Check:
- All fasteners and screw knobs are tight and secure.
- Spares kit is complete and on board.
- Stopper beads are installed and in the right place.
- Cable is free of corrosion, kinks, frays or tangles. Replace cable if
needed. See replacing cable section.
Spares Kit
- Some items to consider for a spares kit are:
- Fuses for electric downrigger.
- Terminal kits (including crimps, snaps and bumpers) and crimping tool.
- Stopper beads.
- Release clips.
- Downrigger Weights.
| Downrigger and Line Puller Manuals |
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| Downrigger Diagrams and Comparison Charts |
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| Rod Holder Mounts |
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Mount Dimensions (not to scale)
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If you have any problems that cannot be solved by the following advice,
please call our service department at 1-800-214-0141. We are
standing by to help you get back out there fishing!
Please do not ship any product back to Scotty Fishing and Marine without
first contacting our service department at 1-800-214-0141.
Special shipping instructions are required and manyissues can actually be solved
over the phone.
Common Problems:
Solutions:
Weight comes up to fast and breaks away from
the HP Downrigger.
The Scotty High Performance Downrigger is equipped with a high speed, high
torque motor. Extra caution should be observed when jogging your downrigger
weight near the surface. When retrieving your weight near the surface you may
want to apply the brake while pressing the jog button at the same time. This
will help you retrieve the weight at a slower speed.
This should only be done for the final few feet at the surface when you
wish to lift your weight out of the water.
Downrigger runs backwards after installation.
Wiring may be reversed at either the battery or the socket.
Downrigger weight immediately drops back down
after the auto stop trips.
Please contact your nearest repair depot or Scotty at 1-800-214-0141 for help.
Auto stop switch won’t shut off.
Be sure you are operating the auto stop correctly. Press and hold green button
for momentary, controlled power. Turn and release the ring around the green
button for hands free auto retrieve. Make sure that you have stopper beads on
your cable.
Downrigger fails to operate.
Check to ensure your electrical connections are clean and connected properly.
Do you have a full 12 volts of power to your downrigger? Has the 30 amp in line
fuse blown? Please contact your nearest repair depot or Scotty at 1-800-214-0141
for help.
Cable will not spool out.
Your rigger may need a service and cleaning. Please contact your nearest repair
depot or Scotty at 1-800-214-0141 for help.
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Cable jumps when spooling out or is bunched on
one side of spool.
Your rigger may have a slight bend in the boom, causing the cable to spool
unevenly and catch on itself. You may need to adjust the fairlead (if
applicable), or straighten or replace the boom. This may also be caused by a
lack of tension on the cable at some point in time, causing the cable to unwind
and then catch on itself. Unspool and respool as much cable as necessary. Always
keep tension on the cable.
Motor hums and won’t retrieve.
Motor may hum or growl if there is insufficient power to it. Check all your
connections and your power source.
Brakes seem too tight or loose.
Click here to watch the
Brake Adjustment video!
Release clip is not holding.
Pads may be worn—replace pads or release clip. Pads may have scent, lubricant or
oil on them. Replace pads or release clip. Line type may not be compatible to
release clip. Refer to replacement pads on product pages.
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Cable hums when fishing.
Downriggers may produce a hum as the wire is dragged through the water. Normally
this is not audible, although sometimes it can be high or low pitched noise that
drives some fishermen crazy. It is not widely believed that this bothers the
fish in any way. However, if the hum bothers you, it can be reduced several
ways. Sometimes changing the weight size will do it. Another solution is to hang
a piece of styrofoam or other floating material around the wire at the surface
of the water to dampen the noise. Or use a ring or pulley on the wire and a cord
tied onto the boat (or a bungee snapped from the downrigger to the wire). The
3025 Downrigger Weight Retriever can also be used for this application.
My gear keeps tangling when I put it down.
Make sure you start your trolling motion before you lower your gear. Reduce the
speed at which you lower your gear. This will help keep it untangled as it
descends. Do not allow the gear to freespool.
Never use any lubricants, oils or protective products on your Scotty
downrigger or other Scotty products. The chemicals in these products will
penetrate the composites and weaken the structure. Use fresh water only to wash
down. Consider a 3015 Downrigger Cover to protect electric downriggers from sun
damage over time.
Always cut off frayed sections of the downrigger cable to prevent lost gear
or damage. Cable should be replaced regularly, usually every season, regardless
of usage.
Always rinse your rigger down with fresh water after every saltwater use.
This will prevent salt build up and help protect your wire from corrosion.
Keep your plug and socket clean and free of corrosion by applying petroleum
jelly or similar moisture displacing product on a regular basis. Use emery cloth
to clean plug and socket if build up occurs.
Your downrigger should be serviced regularly to avoid difficulties. Replace
your cable every season to avoid lost gear due to frays or corrosion. Always
wash down after use in salt water, but do not submerge
Limited Lifetime Downrigger Warranty
 Scotty
Marine and Fishing Products hereby extends to the original purchaser of the
product listed on the attached warranty card, a warranty measured by the
LIFETIME of the original purchaser, against defective workmanship and/or
material defects when used for fishing, in conjunction with a fishing rod & reel
with release system, the purpose intended, under normal conditions. Downrigger
cable, terminal snaps and any damage resulting from snagging bottom or
underwater obstructions are excluded from this warranty, and use of monofilament
line of any type when used as downrigger cable, will void this warranty. The
warranty period commences upon receipt by Scotty Marine and Fishing Products of
the completed factory warranty form and terminates on the transfer of the
product from the original purchaser, or on the death of the original purchaser,
whichever comes first.
To obtain warranty service the original purchaser must contact an authorized
service center (see "CONTACT a Dealer Near You") or the Scotty Factory. It is a
condition of warranty service that the product be returned to the service center
or the Scotty factory, freight prepaid. In the event of a defect, malfunction or
failure to conform with the written warranty, the warrantor will, at his
discretion, either repair or replace the warranted product.
The warranty provided here is in lieu of all other express warranties. All
other obligation or liabilities, including liabilities for consequential
damages, are hereby excluded.
Some states or provinces do not allow limitations on how long an implied
warranty last or do not allow the exclusion or limitation of incidental or
consequential damages, so the above limitations or exclusion may not apply to
you.
This warranty gives you specific legal rights, and you may also have other
rights which may vary by state or province.
* To register via Mail, you can download the appropriate warranty form below:
High Performane Downrigger Limited Lifetime Warranty Form
( PDF 193
KB)
Electric or Manual Downrigger Limited Lifetime Warranty Form
(PDF 1.08
MB)
Submit Warranty Information Card »
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Line Puller 2 Year Warranty
Scotty Marine and Fishing Products extends to the original purchaser of the
product, a 2 year warranty, against defective workmanship and/or material
defects when used for lifting non- commercial traps, the purpose intended, under
normal conditions.
Line Puller Warranty Form (PDF
609KB)
Submit Warranty Information Card »
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Parts
Certain replacement parts are available for purchase through your local
dealer. Please check our website for these items. Repair parts may be obtained
by calling 1-800-214-0141.
All downriggers have a limited lifetime warranty against defective
workmanship and materials when used for fishing. The limited lifetime warranty
extends to the original owner only. Damage and failure to function as a result
of home servicing may void the warranty Scotty offers.
Please do not ship any product back to Scotty Fishing and Marine without
first contacting our service department at 1-800-214-0141.
Special shipping instructions are required and many issues can actually be
solved over the phone.
Stainless steel downrigger wire, plugs, sockets, and power cords are not
covered by warranty. (Corrosion is not considered warranty claim).
Missing parts are not covered under warranty. We must have the faulty part in
order to replace it with a new one.
The motor has a limited lifetime warranty, unless it has been submerged.
Any oils or grease solvents used to lubricate the brakes or to protect the
wire could void warranty.
Bending of the downrigger boom for any reason is not covered by warranty.
Any downrigger which has been submerged is not covered under warranty.
Any damage or loss resulting from bottom hang-up, snagging or improper
installation is not covered under warranty.
For all High Performance Downriggers, the digital line counter is warranted
for a period of two years. The warranty period commences upon the date the
downrigger is purchased and terminates on the transfer of the product from the
original purchaser, or on the death of the original purchaser, whichever comes
first.
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