Jump to content

Scotty Downriggers


Recommended Posts

Pro, cons 

Thinking about new downriggers for a 22ft Islander currently have Walkers . Been looking at Cannons which I have used and like them but a another guy I know just put Scottys on his boat. I have never used these but have been looking at them on line and I'm interested to hear from any one that has them what they think. 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have them, bought a set used off Craigslist. They've been very good to me for almost 10 years now, and who knows how old they were before I bought them. I remember when I went to Screwy Louie's to pick up some heavier balls 2 years ago, the 1st thing he asked me was what kind of downriggers I had.  I was looking at the 16#  torpedos and he told me the Scotties would have no problem bringing them up, and he was right. The only thing that has gone wrong with them in the time I've had them was 1 of the mechanical counters broke while I was out once, again, Screwy Louie's had the part on the shelf, so if you need something it's readily available.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

i have a pair of scottys 1116's on my boat. they work fine, and i like them ok, but i'd rather have cannons. the one thing i do not like about the scottys is the way the cable runs down the side of the boom vs under it. with the cable on the side, it increases the chances of the line contacting the cable (happens while setting the rigger out). it scuffs the line up bad enough that i have to re-tie it. happens mostly on the port side because of the orientation of the rigger. i have to be careful how i hook that rigger up so the line doesn't contact the cable. i'd much rather have the rigger cable running underneath the boom.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

i have a pair of scottys 1116's on my boat. they work fine, and i like them ok, but i'd rather have cannons. the one thing i do not like about the scottys is the way the cable runs down the side of the boom vs under it. with the cable on the side, it increases the chances of the line contacting the cable (happens while setting the rigger out). it scuffs the line up bad enough that i have to re-tie it. happens mostly on the port side because of the orientation of the rigger. i have to be careful how i hook that rigger up so the line doesn't contact the cable. i'd much rather have the rigger cable running underneath the boom.
Both have pro's and con's I have Scotty 1116's 560.00 for a pro pack , more of a basic design not alot of technology compare to the newer cannons but I've never had a problem with them . My buddy has the newer cannons they pull heavy weights fast only thing that I've seen is he got hung up once and they do not give breaking the cable and bye bye fish hawk

Sent from my Moto G (5) Plus using Lake Ontario United mobile app

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The boats I work on in the summer have cannons and Scotty's, depending on the boat. The only con I can see to Scotty's is they are huge. If you don't have a huge fishing area on the back of your boat, the Scotty's will be really cumbersome. They pull 12# weights with wingers as if nothing was there and are really simply built and easy to maintain. Cannons on the other hand are a lot smaller, taking up less room on the back of the boat. They have a circuit board and delicate switches, and if they are not working properly, you will dump them overboard in frustration. Especially when you have multiple Kings on, etc. The new ones are fast, powerful, fairly reliable, small bodied and really expensive. Hope that helps.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Had Cannons for more then 20 years. Had my fair share of problems. Got to a point where I bought an xtra cannon just to keep as a spare while one was in the shop getting repaired. Went with Scotty 2116's on new to me boat in 2013. Zero problems since then. Only problem I'd say is Scottys don't look as cool as Cannons.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've had my four Scotty's for over 20 years running charters with them and never had a problem.   Haven't had much experience with Cannons but if these Scotty's ever give up I'd replace them with Scotty's!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I had two Cannons on my boat, decided to add two downriggers after some research and advice from a fellow fisherman  I went with Scotty's had them two seasons now and have no regrets, I'd say you made a good choice, Good Luck with them. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...