Finster
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My downriggers sing to me!
Well, I went ahead and purchased two Cannon Easi-Troll HS downriggers for use on my 16 foot aluminum boat. I have mounted them correctly to the side of my boat and used plates underneath to make sure that they are fastened securely.
I tried them for the first time. I found that when I lower them down and start trolling, both down riggers started making a lot of noise. This was a vibrating sort of whining noise that was quite loud at times. After troubleshooting this for awhile, I traced the noise to the cable vibrating as it is pulled through the water like a guitar string. This in turn gets amplified as the cable contacts the swivel head. The sound then gets transferred to the boom and eventually, it can be heard all through the boat.
This is my first downrigger setup and I was wondering if this is normal? It seems like it would scare fish? (it is that loud). Is there some “fix†for this problem? A rubber “sleeve†that could go between where the boom and swivel head attach to dampen the vibration?
I am using an 8 lb weight and trolling between 1.5 and 2.5 mph. at depths anywhere from 15 to 80 feet. I am getting the same vibration no matter what the depth or speed, although it is louder when more cable is released.
I look forward to using my new downriggers this summer and would like to resolve this. I would appreciate any information you could give me to rectify the problem.
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bluntman
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RE: My downriggers sing to me!
2007/05/27 13:40:33
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All downriggers with steel cable sing, just learn to enjoy the tune in beteween fish, also. you might want to consider heavier balls as 8 lbers wii have a ton of blowback much deeper than 35 feet or so, on my Lake Ontario boat I just switched to 15 lb balls, hardly any blowback even when set at the 100 foot mark, PowerPro makes a
braided superline cable, which is much quieter, but the fleas are a pain in the****to get off, much easier to get them off braided wire
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spoonchucker
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RE: My downriggers sing to me!
2007/05/27 16:04:44
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Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm thump thump thump thump thump FISH ON
Get Informed, Get Involved, And Make A Difference. Step Up, or Step Aside The next time you say "Somebody should do something", remember that YOU are somebody. GL
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Brad1
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RE: My downriggers sing to me!
2007/05/27 16:38:36
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What bluntman said. Heavier weights. I'd try 10 lbers (at least). Besides, at the speed your trolling, with 8 lb weights you're probably getting alot of sway back. That makes it harder to know how deep your really trolling. Besides, when the cables are straighter down, you can see the weights on your sonar. That helps give you a better understanding just how deep your really running your lures.
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kc
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RE: My downriggers sing to me!
2007/05/27 23:01:16
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Fish music. All riggers with steel cable make that noise. Many fisherman use that noise and the angle of the cable to tell if their speed is OK. Also you will generally see a steady stream of bubbles ascending the cable. If you do not have a good speedometer that will read between .8 to 2.0 you can use the above conditions to check your speed. When fishing for walleye you usually have to crawl along which will help reduce blowback with light weights but if you ever fish L. Ontario for salmon and start trolling at 1.8 to 2.8 you will definetly need heavier rigger balls.
Tight lines
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worm_waster
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RE: My downriggers sing to me!
2007/05/28 22:28:23
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If the sound bothers you that much, hook a bungee near the base of the rigger, go around the cable and back to the base. It won't eliminate the noise, but it will knock it down by over half.w_w.
If it has fins and gills, I'm there.
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*commander* 
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RE: My downriggers sing to me!
2007/05/28 22:37:12
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some say the sound attracts fish, some say it scares them. you can switch to braided downrigger line and the noise will go away, however you will have a spool full of fleas. whoops, just read bluntman's post. what he said.
post edited by *commander* - 2007/05/28 22:40:36
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Storm Warning 2
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RE: My downriggers sing to me!
2007/05/29 11:44:44
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Got to love the hum! That is why you use wire divers! I think the hum attracts the big boys!
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spoonchucker
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RE: My downriggers sing to me!
2007/05/29 15:15:09
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Most of my crew will tell you that the downriggers sing better than the Captain. I disagree.
Get Informed, Get Involved, And Make A Difference. Step Up, or Step Aside The next time you say "Somebody should do something", remember that YOU are somebody. GL
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kevinupp
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RE: My downriggers sing to me!
2007/05/29 19:55:13
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Yeah but you're tone deaf Spoon.
More than a million trees a year die to print environmentalist publications.
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