Snubber off cannon ball

Has any one heard of running a snubber off a downrigger cannonball, then attaching a 10ft leader with a worm harness or lure for Walleyes?  You drop the ball down to the depth of fish and pull it up every 10 minutes or so.  More often than not you will have a fish.  I heard this was very successful although uncanny, and can't really be explained why it's successful....or was someone pulling my leg?  Secondly, why would you fish like this? (To try to hide a line from the fish commission?)
 
Thanks!!

not sure if this waz the same thing your talking about but when i ran through a pile of fish an i got notthing i went back over them dropped the ball about ten ft below them, once they got off my screen i poped it off an 90% of the time i had a eye.  i quess they went after it cuz it did't stay at the same depth.

I would asume this is the same as hand lining. Have stuck a release on the weight and done very well. Same as king said, pop it off going threw a school. Most of the time you hook up. Also add a slider. This slides your lure to the bow of the cable.

It's only illegal if you have too many lines out. If you have enough people on board to account for the extra lines then why would it be illegal? 

Hey man not sure i remember John Bowser writing people up for it that is a good question i will do some research

maybe I'm wrong, interesting. I don't see why it would be illegal though as long as you didn't have too many lines out.
 
Nothing about it in the book that I can find, I'd think it would be on this page.
 
 
 
http://www.fish.state.pa.us/fishpub/summary/equipment.html

ORIGINAL: Carpet Bagger

No its illegal period...

 
 
Anything to back that up?  Not arguing, just curious how you know, where did you get that info. that it's illegal?
 
I won't buy the reason being someone you know got fined for it,  my bet is they got fined because they had too many lines in the water, not because of the rig.

could be, but I think immediate control refers to leaving rods in the water and walking away, or even leaving them overnight. 
 
 
 
The normal rigged downrigger doesn't mean you can detect a hit either. Them logeyes let you drag them around all day.

It pertains to leaving your line unattended. Which in reality is the case with such a rig.

An angler may use a maximum of two lines fished either by rod or hand when fishing for gamefish, baitfish, or both. It is unlawful for a person to fish with more than two fishing rods at a time. No more than three hooks shall be attached to a line used in fishing (one hook having two or three points is considered a “single hook”). All rods, lines, and hooks shall be under the immediate control of the person using them.
 
Now if you can prove to the PA F&BC that a downrigger is a fishing rod and not a piece of fishing equipment...well you MIGHT be able to get away with that, but i think that is where the infraction occurs since the rigger is attached to the boat and not a rod....Might depend on the mood of the officer that day...

CB, i dont agree with your interpetation of the law here. " By rod or hand". Never used this method but wouldn't you have to pull the line attached to the rigger in by hand to get it close enough to net? I watched the FLW tour guys that were fishing Cleveland, using something similar to this. They had an extra line running on their main line and when they got bit, had to hand line it in.

well its not my interpetation that really matters...Electric reels are legal but they are on fishing rods that you hold in hand...Chauncy this is not an intruprutation either that passage is right off the PA F&BC website....I didnt say you dont have an argument, but i think its fairly illgeal.
 
As stated above pretty big waste of a rod if thats how you view it..Seeing how a downrigger was not designed as a fishing rod but a method to get your line off your ROD into the strike zone Then release your line on a hit...Im pretty sure this is still an illegal practice with the line directly off the rigger ball.
 
I always viewed my downriggers as $700 dollar rod holders, but i guess i can see them being $700 fishing poles now... 
 
Handlining is a whole different practice than running a rig off your rigger.
 
Id like to hear some WCO input here as well to put this argument to rest.

Q & A with RICK LACOURSE FLW WALLEYE PRO


Q: What is the history of handlining and why is it so effective in river systems? What is your opinion on the ethics of handlining?
-Jud, Hastings, Minn.

A: Handlining has been around for over eighty years. Anglers fishing the Detroit River invented this system to catch fish while battling the strong currents found there. Like many other rivers in the country, but even more so in the Detroit River, they are loaded with large rocky areas that hold fish. This can be a problem for anglers, because it makes it difficult for them to keep from continually snagging their baits.

Handlining is a method of fishing that lets the angler feel everything on the bottom as he or she passes over it, allowing them to spend more time fishing than getting snags free and re-tying baits on. The first handliners learned long ago that they didn't have to fight the strong current, but instead that they could make the current work for them.

Handlining can best be described as, "an exact and precise form of trolling, nothing more and nothing less.” What makes it so effective is the fact that an angler can keep the baits in the strike zone 100 percent of the time.

Below is a brief description of how the system works:

It is a technique that involves using a spring-loaded reel, heavy wire and weight, what's called a shank and long mono leads to pull stick baits with. The more current the river has, the more effective handlines will be.

The reel is mounted on a rail on the side of the boat, and the angler most commonly sits in the back of the boat with his or her arm over the side, working the wire. The weight is used like a bottom-bouncer. By touching the weight on and off the bottom, it insures that the baits are working as close to the bottom of the riverbed as possible.

The mono leads play an important role in handlining. Generally, two leads are attached to what is called a "shank" and run on each side of the boat, giving tournament anglers the right number of legal lines in the water for an FLW event. Most shanks are from four to six feet in length with a clevis every six inches.

Each time you move a lead up the shank to another clevis, it will raise the bait off the bottom by two inches, or if you go down the shank it lowers the bait down by two inches. What I can tell you about the leads, is that the bottom one will always be half the length of the lead above it. This allows the stick baits to run one right behind the other, with both baits on, or near the bottom of the riverbed. This is what makes it so effective.

Controlling the boat at a 60-degree angle against the current, keeping your wire at a 45-degree angle and maintaining the right speed to keep that 45-degree angle is the basic principle. This technique works great when working a break-line, or even a shallow flat next to deeper water.

As little as 10 years ago, the art of handlining was still a local Detroit River method of fishing. I was taught by some of most talented old timers on the river many years ago. Since then, I have implemented this technique on waters all over the country with successful results. This technique has come a long way in just a few short years. It is no longer a secret local method, and is popular among the angling masses as an effective presentation. I've lost count of how many people I've taught who wanted to learn it!

Is it legal? Yes! In every state and province.

Is it sporting? Yes! Is it ethical? Yes!

It still comes down to the fact that an angler must first find the fish and then make them eat. Handlining does not guarantee that the fish will bite on any given day. Some days the anglers jigging, using three-way rigs, live-bait rigs, leadcore, or trolling will do better. It all comes down to what the fish want. The angler who wins will be the person who put the right program together for four straight days.

Like all presentations, handlining takes just a few minutes to learn, but it takes a lifetime to master. It's the skill set of the handliner that makes the difference.

I will try to call the officials on this for a definite answer on the legality, but I bet their response may vary based on who I talk to.  It makes sense to me that it wouldn't be illegal unless you were over your line limit.
 
I just wanted to know as a strategy if all else failed.  More curious than anything, and would hate to be trying it and get hauled off the lake.  I can see where it wouldn't be as fun, but hey you still have to find them, and have the presentation. 
 
It could become handly if I had my 12 year old son on the boat and I didn't want to spend the time rigging up 4 rods, or a rod broke, or or or...who knows what other circumstance would justify it.
 
So basically, it appears to work for some people, now is it illegal.....

ORIGINAL: Texcobb99

I will try to call the officials on this for a definite answer on the legality, but I bet their response may vary based on who I talk to.  It makes sense to me that it wouldn't be illegal unless you were over your line limit.

I just wanted to know as a strategy if all else failed.  More curious than anything, and would hate to be trying it and get hauled off the lake.  I can see where it wouldn't be as fun, but hey you still have to find them, and have the presentation. 

It could become handly if I had my 12 year old son on the boat and I didn't want to spend the time rigging up 4 rods, or a rod broke, or or or...who knows what other circumstance would justify it.

So basically, it appears to work for some people, now is it illegal.....

 
That way when hes 25 he can always look back on that fishing trip when he hit the up switch on the electric downrigger and dad netted that walleye...what fond memories of fishing you would be developing....lol