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No More Downrigger Blues…
Big C Tackle’s Pro Release is a cure for the problems you are likely to have when using a downrigger. Premature release, um, means you have to start all over again by winding in the downrigger ball, reeling in your gear, letting whatever lure or attractor you’re using back out to the setback you’re after, and then putting the line in the release and easing it back down.
Put too much tension on the release (assuming it’s adjustable), and you may end up dragging and killing small fish that just don’t make the rod tip bobble.
Neither situation is a good thing. Been there and done that on both, and I can see where the frustration of trying to find the right release tension can put folks off downrigger use completely.
Granted, if you’re using ‘riggers for salmon fishing, you don’t have to worry overmuch about setting the tension too high as most decent salmon will trip a release easily. However, if you are fishing in an area with a lot of resident coho, you do need to have trip gear early so that you don’t troll them to eternity. In this case, it’s better to go somewhere else.
For trout and kokanee, you definitely need a light release, and I used to spend most of a trip fine-tuning release tension and matching it to the attractor and lure of the day, in concert with the size of the fish I was catching and boat speed.
By the time I had it figured out, often enough, I’d limited and it was time to go home. The next trip usually required I start all over again.
The Pro Release takes away some of the hassles out of adjusting the tension because it’s relatively easy to do: twist the thumbscrew until you get the tension right.
It also makes it a lot easier to use braid or other superline with a downrigger. Braid is a bugger to get to stay in a release clip because it is so slick. If you’re using 50-pound braid, it’s relatively easy, at least compared to using 20-pound or lighter, or one of the new braids that incorporate Teflon or Gore fibers.
The Pro Release pretty much solves that because you wrap the line around a spindle, which in turn fits into the body of the release. The thumbscrew provides the tension to the clamping part of the release, which in turn puts tension on the spindle.
When a fish hits, the spindle rotates open, letting the line you wrapped around it slide off.
Fortunately, there are good pictures on the website that clearly show what you need to do to make the release operate properly.
As it stands, the release provides everything from very light to very heavy tension.
There are four colors, and each release comes with a three-foot leader of 150-pound test to connect the release with the downrigger weight. You’ll also find a stacking clip that you can use to clip the release on the downrigger cable so that you can run two rods off one rigger.
For more information, and good instruction pictures, go to: www.bigctackle.com
