Or, add a short 6-12" cable (with a heavy duty snap swivel and each end) below your chamberlain and then to the ball.
ive never run the release that close to the ball, more like 3 feet. do you find it makes that much difference. would be a nightmare on my boat trying to get it setup that close
Yes and yes.If you go Mac's route, I'd just use a good rigger ball snubber. I don't use them, but have on other boats. They make a soft handle for putting the ball in or out.I keep my Chamberlain 3' + or - above the ball like fishlessman.It answers the how to attach blades question also.I attach the top of the chamberlain to the rigger cable snap swivel. The bottom attaches to the top swivel of the vertical flasher. You can attach the bottom snap of the vertical to the ball and attach your horizontals to the tail eye of the rigger ball. If everything is done correctly as described you will not get tangles.Due to the up and down depth changes we have here and almost inevitable bottom bouncing that can happen in our lakes... I attach the bottom of the vertical blades to a 150# or better 3 way swivel. I'm going to call the eye of that swivel (where it attaches to the vertical) the top. The bottom eye of the swivel is permanently crimped/attached to a 12-18"piece of 60# braided wire (which I make up) can be permanently attached to the ball or 150# quality snap swivel which would snap to the ball of choice. I attach my horizontals to the remaining eye of the 3 way swivel.Quality flashers use 150# braided wire. The 60-80# braid set up creates a sacrificial breaking point in the set up. Should I hit bottom, I'd rather lose a ball than 2 flashers, a chamberlain and a ball.No stackers needed with the above set up....
change inevitable bottom bouncing to intentional theres spots where i fish i want to hit bottom and drag the ball thru the sand off the edge. no way with my setup to go closer than 3 feet on my boat, the 4 foot fishlander downrigger i have bounces more than any rigger ive seen and i made my mount like a small diving board for extra bounce. the ball really gets tossed around down there when the wind picks up
Drill a 3/16" diameter hole in the bottom of your weight.Then cement a 3/16" diameter by 12" stainless steel rod into it.
This is a good example of what I've noticed in a lot of different regions/fisheries including great lake tactics that I appreciate. I can get to your lake in the same amount of time it takes me to get to northern Winni.The boys in Maine do use some common methods that we commonly don't. But I regress...Most, not all, Winni guys target salmon. In Maine, from what I've observed, for many, togue is the most targeted species. I do sometimes target lakers, only if and after the salmon bite shuts down on Winni. I know I sacrifice some lakers by not dragging bottom but I feel more comfortable (using verticals ) if my release is 10' above. Re: Fishlanders, I've never used one but I believe the guy who started that company left Big John and started it?Hence the bouncy booms. Congrats on fabricating the spring board mount. I assume it's made so the whole rig stays on the boat after a hard snag? Clever idea, Mac. I've heard of guys around here targeting lakers back in the day, with window weights and/or chain.Before riggers and depth finders, many dragged wire and copper lines.There must have been plenty of lost gear before they learned the ins and outs of those bottoms.There's more than one way to skin a cat.
lots of sandy dropoffs and shoals i can bang off off for miles on end keeping the ball near the thermocline on sebago. this can wear out vertical flashers so i stick with just the horizontals now. the salmon are hanging on those edges at sunrise. if i break the mount its because i tore off the transom. fishlanders are very similar to big jon captains, i have one corner bouncing and the other is shorter and rigid.
