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Braid vs wire downrigger cable?


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Yes it is a concern but it is with wire too when they fishhook variety are thick. Everyone has their preference and the braid may be quieter (e.g. stealth) but nobody is sure whether the hum of the wire attracts or repels either. In the end it is a preference issue. If tyou run two downriggers change one to braid  and the other to wire and decide for yourself.

Edited by Sk8man
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20 hours ago, die9895 said:

 

I am thinking about switching to braided downrigger line, but I am concerned if fleas are an issue with braided line.

Depending on what brand of rigger you have, switching from wire to braid can affect some functions of your downrigger. Specifically Cannon down riggers with the auto/short stop feature. Changing to braid will disable this feature, just something to keep in mind.

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I sold my cannons last year and bought Scotty's specifically to run braid so the auto-up function would work (it wont with newer cannons with braid). I switched because the humming was really bad at times with wire and i wanted to see if there was any difference with electric current on the wire vs no electric current on braid. I didn't see much of a difference in hook-ups but the quiet trolling with braid was well worth the switch. I use the scotty 2200K premium braided line in 250 lb test. Its thick, maybe even thicker than wire and flees don't seem to stick to it. In my opinion, switch to braid if your equipment allows it. Quiet, no wire fray or kinks, better to bounce bottom with for lake trout and its easy to cut and tie without crimps or special terminals.

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  • 3 weeks later...
9 minutes ago, anniep said:

ANY WAY to run braid on cannons t make short stop work

 

Not to my knowledge, the short stops works by electrical current. When the current is broken (with the water) as the wire termination comes out of the water, the cannon shuts off. No stainless wire, no current, short stop doesn't work. You could use the old style switches which are either on/off not auto-up, but you would still need to turn the motor off before the ball smacks the boom end. Scotty downriggers use a switch that turns off when a bead or a swivel runs through it. Some guys like them some don't, but that's one way to run braid with auto-up still functioning

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On 3/24/2021 at 12:38 PM, anniep said:

Does anybody on the forum have a solution for cables balling up on cannon riggers while retrieving?

I've utilized the cannonball hook to center the cable coming onto the spool. We run braid and this is how I remedy the situation. I don't know what repercussions cable going through that hook might do?

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