info Down rigger info

[emitt1]

I am looking for information and maybe some used ones.  what do youns think of scotty down riggers?  i ve had walker and cannon haven't had good luck with either. Have cannon manual ones now and one broke the spool in half at the end of the season last year so i am looking.  thanks

[Mike M]

I've had Scotty 2106's since 2012 they've been bulletproof. Had Cannons previous with many problems. Lots of guys are liking Cannons lately. Maybe they've improved. I've heard alot of good reviews on the Scotty 1100 series electric riggers too . I'll be sticking with my Scotties for for seeable future.

[emitt1]

thanks for the info,,,, had a buddy with the new cannon and twice now when they would stop on the drop it broke his cable....   

[guffins fisherman]

Have used Scotty and Cannon extensively in the past, and there is no comparison.  Scotty.  With that said, I have not used the boutique brand riggers:  Magnum Metalz, Traxstech, etc.  so I can't form an opinion there at all.  I know they are well liked by those that have them.  

[kman05446]

I've only used electric captain pak Big Jon. Love them. My oldest is 34 yrs old and still going strong. 

[steelydan]

8 hours ago, kman05446 said:

I've only used electric captain pak Big Jon. Love them. My oldest is 34 yrs old and still going strong. 

I’m still using 2 pro tourney golds from early nineties! All original still!

[nickihoyboy]

I guess a lot depends on how much you’re willing to spend, how much you use them, and where you can get them serviced. I had Cannon Marlins that I bought new around 1990 on my old boat and they worked well until I sold the boat in 2002. I had them serviced twice in that time and had no complaints. I bought a pair of Scotty 2116’s when I bought my new boat in 2019 after hearing complaints about the new Cannons having a couple of issues. The Scottys are awesome in every way, and are easy to access for service yourself. As a big plus, the batteries in the non-serviceable line counters went bad two years later while I was on a two week fishing vacation. I called Scotty in British Columbia, explained the problem, and they sent me two of the new style counters, no charge, which have replaceable AAA batteries, sending them Fed Ex Overnight at their expense, and I had them the next day. That made me a Scotty fan for good.

[UNREEL]

Great customer service with Scottys honoring their lifetime guarantee. A service tech actually answers the phone in British Columbia

[emitt1]

thanks for all the great information,,,, scottys is what i think i am going with  Now if I can find a deal..

[rolmops]

On 3/15/2026 at 9:42 PM, emitt1 said:

thanks for the info,,,, had a buddy with the new cannon and twice now when they would stop on the drop it broke his cable....   

It is a common problem with things that move too fast. But it is easily solved with a snubber just above the weight. It will act as a shock absorber and solve the breaking cable problem

[rolmops]

I have had cannons and Penns. My Penns are 30 years old and are well maintained, they have yet to cause me a problem.

The cannons, are ok but not great.

Edited March 18 by rolmops

[sherman brown]

I have never used the Penn electrics, but the manuals were my favorite brand. I have nothing to add on the Scotty riggers, but I have heard good things about them.

 

My first set of electric riggers, I bought a new set of Big Jon Pro Tournaments a few years ago, which I love. Then, my oldest son bought a new to us used boat that came with a pair of Cannons, which we have been using and haven't had any trouble with them at all, and these are old riggers, and that's all I know about them.

 

In my opinion, any of the major brand riggers make good riggers. Something you might think about is getting a good used set and try them out. I'm not sure of the warranty on the others, but Big Jon puts a lifetime warranty on most, if not all, of their electric riggers. But make sure to register them for your warranty.

[emitt1]

thanks sherman,,,  i hoping to maybe find a used set of scotty's   hopefully they would pan out better than the walkers,,,they left a bad taste in my mouth,,,,, and the cannons all were used and i took care of them the best i could being that they were used  so will see i guess

[sherman brown]

10 hours ago, emitt1 said:

thanks sherman,,,  i hoping to maybe find a used set of scotty's   hopefully they would pan out better than the walkers,,,they left a bad taste in my mouth,,,,, and the cannons all were used and i took care of them the best i could being that they were used  so will see, I guess

I thought hard about trying the walkers with the auto stop on them. I really liked the way the auto stop works on them. The auto stop on my Big Jon's didn't work long before they stopped working. I'm still not sure why they stopped working, but if I had tried harder to get them working, it probably was something simple. And we used the ball retrievers, and the bead kept hanging in them. I switched to the Traxstech ball retrievers, and they worked so much better, but when the auto stop stopped working, I removed the beads and just use them without the auto stops, and I still love them.

[Shakemsam]

On 3/18/2026 at 8:26 PM, emitt1 said:

thanks sherman,,,  i hoping to maybe find a used set of scotty's   hopefully they would pan out better than the walkers,,,they left a bad taste in my mouth,,,,, and the cannons all were used and i took care of them the best i could being that they were used  so will see i guess

What exactly were the issues you had with the Walkers? 

[emitt1]

well first of all ,,, the one motor went so i had a parts doner. then the clutchs went one at a time and both times i lost everything.  so i tried to have them fixed with no avale used them again and the one faled again so it was time to get rid of them.  junked them.  

[Shakemsam]

2 hours ago, emitt1 said:

well first of all ,,, the one motor went so i had a parts doner. then the clutchs went one at a time and both times i lost everything.  so i tried to have them fixed with no avale used them again and the one faled again so it was time to get rid of them.  junked them.  

Wow! That's rough! I've never heard of experiences with Walkers, that bad. Good luck with whatever you choose.

[emitt1]

thanks,,,,  like i said they were used when i got them.  Now try and find a good used set or just buy one at a time..  not long till season opens,,,,,,,may 1  

 

[Shakemsam]

I bought mine new but old stock. Not thrilled with the auto stop but I prefer their small profile over Cannon and Scotty, and their slow speed as I fish alone a lot. But If I had issues like yours, I would look elsewhere.

[sherman brown]

On 3/21/2026 at 8:18 PM, emitt1 said:

thanks,,,,  like i said they were used when i got them.  Now try and find a good used set or just buy one at a time..  not long till season opens,,,,,,,may 1  

 

 

You're always better off buying new if they are in your budget. Not putting buying used down, but you still run the risk of getting a lemon. The very old cannons that came on the used boat my son and I bought are still working great.

 

If you buy used, just make sure, as sure as you can, that they are working when you buy them. You could get used that will work for years or puck on you the first season! Usually, if they run when you get them, they should make you a great set of riggers.

 

 

[emitt1]

yea,,, going to try and get a deal at fishusa this coming weekend.  probably buy one at a time.  thanks for the help to everyone that chimed in.   

[sherman brown]

15 hours ago, emitt1 said:

yea,,, going to try and get a deal at fishusa this coming weekend.  probably buy one at a time.  thanks for the help to everyone that chimed in.   

Good deal!