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Fishing as a hobby appeared quite recently, although no one knows such a date. At first, fishing was aimed at surviving, or rather, feeding yourself and your family. To do this, people began to invent various devices that made it possible to carry out mass fishing. At the same time, over the course of time, the improvement of fishing gear was constantly taking place. More recently, a new device has appeared called the downrigger.
Downrigger allows you to hold the bait at a given depth for a long time. As a rule, this device is used when fishing in deep waters.
In appearance, this device resembles a winch, with an outrigger, which is attached to the side of any boat. The mount is designed in such a way that it fits both a small rubber boat with a motor and a large boat or boat. It is quite possible to make such a device yourself, but before that you should familiarize yourself with its principle of operation.
How the downrigger works
The composition of this device includes 5 main nodes. For example:
- Coil.
- Special fastening device.
- Cargo.
- Clips.
- Rod holder.
Downrigger for trolling fishing
If the device is equipped with a cord rewind counter, then this will already be a more modern device that allows you to control the depth of fishing. In addition, it is possible to mount an electric drive on it, which will speed up the operations of lifting and lowering the equipment into the water column. The principle of operation of the device is as follows:
- First, the device must be fixed. Fastening is carried out using a special clip. If the device is not fixed correctly, it will not work properly. In addition, an unsecured device may fall into the water.
- After that, the tackle is lowered into the water to the desired depth. A sinker and baubles will help to do this, it remains only to wait a while until the fish swallow the bait.
Before that, you need to determine the depth at which the fish is located. In this case, it is better to use an echo sounder.
Do-it-yourself downrigger
Many anglers are thinking about how to make such a device at home. First, you need to decide whether it is necessary at all and only then proceed to the manufacturing process itself, since its use requires certain conditions. It is enough to find all the necessary parts: a winch, a holder for a fishing rod and material for an arrow.
Considering the fact that the device is not complicated, it can be done in a short time. But, despite the simplicity, one cannot do without skills in working with various tools. If you try, you can make a device that is better than an industrial design. It is realistic to make a device that will hold the bait in the water at a depth of up to 100 meters.
What do you need to make a downrigger?
To make such a device yourself, you need to prepare the following details:
- Cable.
- A winch that can be replaced with a reel of your own making.
- Two fasteners. One is installed on board the boat, and the second on the rod.
- Clips.
Some of the fishermen show their imagination. They do not purchase special parts, but make them from improvised materials. Improvised materials can even act as bait. As a rule, every angler has something to find in the barn or on the balcony.
Making a do-it-yourself downrigger
Drawings for making a downrigger
The device is assembled much faster if there is a drawing of this device. If you turn to the Internet, then you can really find any scheme here. Therefore, one of the most famous will be considered.
Downrigger manufacturing steps
The manufacture of the device is associated with the assembly of all the constituent elements separately. After that, you can proceed to the final assembly of the device.
Do-it-yourself weight for a downrigger
The most popular are oval, round or elliptical shapes. They tend to sink perfectly into the water, creating little resistance for it.
Creation of cargo is accompanied by several stages:
- First you need to take a part of a suitable shape or make it from plasticine, and then fill it with plaster.
- After pouring, the form is dried together with plaster, and after that it is divided into two halves. To fill, you need to make holes and fill them with lead.
- After complete cooling, the load is pulled out of the moulds.
- Before pouring, you need to insert the ring for fastening.
- After that, the cargo can be used for its intended purpose.
The size of the load depends on the depth of fishing. In this regard, a formula has been developed that recommends using 0,5 kg of weight for every 5 meters of depth. Therefore, the size and weight of the cargo depends solely on these data.
DIY clip for downrigger
The reliability of the entire structure will depend on the quality of manufacture of this part, and reliability is directly related to the clamping power.
As a clip, an ordinary clothesline is used, which is attached to the desired part of the device.
There are 2 types of clips:
- Cargo, which connects directly to the cargo.
- Cable, which connects to any section of the cable.
The parameters of the clothesline are selected depending on the nature of the line used.
DIY Downrigger Coil
The coil is made of any material. Its length is about 250 meters. It is mounted on two bearings.
DIY clothespin
This detail of the downrigger in appearance resembles an ordinary clip, so its principle of operation is absolutely identical. The only thing that makes it different is how it is attached. Fasten it directly under the fishing line.
DIY winch for downrigger
The winch is the most important and most expensive part of the fixture, which is not so easy to make yourself. You can’t do without a drawing, since the manufacture of the gearbox requires accurate calculations. After manufacturing, the winch is assembled and a fishing line is attached to it.
After all the components are prepared, proceed to assemble the device itself. For this you need:
- Prepare all ingredients.
- Assemble them into one whole, according to the drawing.
- Each element is securely fastened.
The finished fixture can reach a length of 1 to 3 meters.
How to multiply the fish catch with a downrigger?
With the help of a downrigger, it is really possible to increase the number of fish caught, therefore, many anglers make it. The effectiveness of fishing increases due to the following features:
- Since it is possible to lower the equipment to a considerable depth, the probability of catching a fairly large fish, such as pike, increases. As a rule, in such cases, fairly light baits are used.
- The presence of a latch, as well as a weighty load, allows you to hold the bait at the desired depth without hesitation, which does not alarm the fish and it always attacks the prey.
- To increase the chances of catching fish, you can immediately fix several baits that resemble small fish. As a rule, larger predatory fish peck at small fish.
Fishing has always been valued among the strong half of humanity. This is due to the fact that you can not only relax, but also provide your family with fish. Recently, fish, as a product, has risen in price greatly, and yet it is needed to replenish the human body with vitamins and microelements. In addition, fish is an easily digestible food that does not adversely affect the gastrointestinal tract. Unless personal intolerance to this product can become an obstacle to its use.
Fishing accessories are constantly being upgraded and new ones are being created. Downrigger is another device that can increase the number of fish caught. The device is not difficult to manufacture, but to implement this fishing method, you need a boat or other watercraft. In addition, you will have to find a promising place for fishing with considerable depth. In other words, this method of fishing requires suitable conditions.