downriggers

[workwear]

ive been online looking at riggers....so many different models to choose from...i know im goin with electric..but...which name to go with....scotty..big jon..canon

 

any help would be greatly apreciated

 

cheers pete

[Pigeontroller]

I guess everyone will give you an opinion based on what they own...I have two Big John Captains paks...I like them. Whichever you choose make sure you get auto-stop, thats a feature you'll appreciate! Ideally you would try different brands, thats not easy to do...If you're not in a hurry you'd be more than welcome to come see mine, and go out fishing...In April. Of course I'm way down here in St.Catharines...

[Tom McCutcheon]

I have been using the same pair of Big Jons Captains pak since 1987. Not a hint of trouble from them. I have changed the cables twice in that time just to be on the safe side, not because I had to.

I am sure others will chime in with their favourites and most of the name brands are pretty compareable regarding function. Some have features which would benefit your specific type of fishing. Do your research and get what you feel works for you.

Good luck and be happy with your choice.

[strik]

I know this was not on your list but i have had good luck with walkers i do not like the rod holder they come with but love the riggers

 

This year i am going to try to mount my big john rod holder on my walker riger

 

On my boat i have two walkers and One big john ( had two big johns but droped down to 3 riggers)

 

Have used the cannon and scotty

 

Traxstech just came out with whats to be the best of the best little rich for my blood (950)....... But lots are intersted

 

Some good deals to be found on used ones

 

Walkers and Scotty are both Canadain products (walker/Ontario Scotty/BC )

 

Good luck

 

Strik

Edited January 25, 2012 by strik

[irishfield]

Like Dax says.. it's a personal thing Peter. I like my Cannons but I have lots of gunnel to swing all 4 of them in for docking. Other guys like other models for various reasons. Some fold up and stand up straight, some run on belts, some are nice an shinny!

Edited January 25, 2012 by irishfield

[fishdawg]

all 4 major brands make good electric riggers with various features that fall into different price ranges

 

some types of riggers just to tend suit some boat's layouts better then others as well

 

ive been able try 'em all in the last few years on various boats

 

it looks like ill be sticking with my Scotty Propacks (1116) for a while now

[FishAbout]

I have tried all of the riggers out there. I have cannons now. I like using the scotty's also. The brute big johns are good and fast also but you pay a lot more then the normal big john. The normal electric big johns are very slow when using a 12lb ball. Walkers are ok but have over priced themselves for what they are. I would go with cannons or scotty's and both can be fixed in ontario.

[workwear]

thanks guys for all your responses......Dax...we have a date...

 

anyone hear of the positive ion charge system from canon.....

 

wondering if it really works

[captpierre]

Love my Scottys. 10 yrs now

[irishfield]

Yes... my Mag 10's are positive ion / auto stops... although I feel I've caught less fish since going to them from manuals. My boat has + 0.5 volts it's own.... wish my riggers had an output control so I could turn them up/down/off to see if it makes a difference. There is a cannon with just such on it and I probably should have had Bay Distributors modify them when he was putting new boards in both of mine from a lightning strike.

[JTorra]

I went through the same thing a year ago. Went with Big Jon for a few reasons:

 

-Mine were used but they still look great. No (well, little) plastic to crack, fade and "grey-out". Machined aluminum is durable.

 

-Highly modular. Anything breaks (hasn't happened yet) and they are super easy to fix on the water. I always have a few spare parts on board like counter springs and a spare pulley.

 

-Canadian service and parts distributor in North Bay is excellent

 

-If you buy them used, you can usually sell them a few years later for the same price you buy them for. Sold my manuals to upgrade to electrics and had this scenario work in my favor.

 

-Great integrated base, mount,rod holder and cannon ball if you are looking for a compact set-up. http://www.fortune3.com/BigJonSports2011/product.cgi?group=583&product=596

 

Cons are:

 

-Fixed boom length (non-telescopic)

 

-Not the most attractive compared to others when they are new. (white Cannon Digi-Troll Mag 10's are sexy!)

 

 

 

 

This is the cole's notes version. I did a ton of research and wanted something that would last forever. These should fit the bill...

Edited January 26, 2012 by JTorra

[silveradosheriff]

I am happy with my Big Jon Pro Tournaments.

I really like the Scotty Pro Pack 1116s too....they are smoking fast.

 

Lots of good choices....don't think that you can really make a bad choice if you are buying a 'premium' model from Canon, Scotty or Big Jon.

[Uncle Buck]

I'd go scotty if i were to buy riggers again...

[Grimace]

I have a set of walker electrics. They have always functioned perfectly for me. They aren't as fancy as some of them but they are serving me very well. I have heard the Cannon Mag 10's are the nicest. They all make really good products. All the manufacturers give back to the Great Lakes fishing community with tournament sponsorship and events. Congrats on your soon to be purchase. You are going to love them which ever you decide.

 

Edited to add: My Walkers are not fast as some of them but they still bomb the balls up and down fine with me. If you have plans on going 300 feet and run 15 pound balls you might want to look into one of the magnum packages some of the manufacturers offer. I just run 10 pound balls with my plain jane Walkers. I can fish down 200 feet with them depending on current.

Edited January 26, 2012 by Grimace

[BillM]

I just put a set of dual rod holders on my Scotty 1106's tonight.. Oh baby, can't wait to get out in the big water this year!

[DRIFTER_016]

I worked on a bunch of different charter boats on Lake Ontario over a 15 year period.

During this time I had the chance to run Cannon, Walker and Big Jon riggers.

The ones I liked best were the Big Jon Captains Pak riggers.

The biggest advantage I found with the Big Jon riggers is the ability to lift the rigger arm to swing the ball into you when re-rigging. The Cannons I didn't like their ball retrieval system at all and the Walkers didn't have one at all, but had short arms so it was not that big of an issue.

I run a pair of manual cannons on my boat, but if ever decide to go electric it would be a pair of Big Jons.

[irishfield]

I have retrievers on mine Dave... but if you run 3 to 4 foot release leads (which equals not draggin shakers anymore) you can just hoop them with rod line and bring them to the boat without ever bringing the ball on board ever again.

[DRIFTER_016]

I have retrievers on mine Dave... but if you run 3 to 4 foot release leads (which equals not draggin shakers anymore) you can just hoop them with rod line and bring them to the boat without ever bringing the ball on board ever again.

 

I did run long releases (24"-36"), still didn't like their retrieval system though.

Almost forgot that another thing I really liked about the Big Jons were the pivoting rod holders. It made it much easier to pull the rod out of the holder when a big king was peeling line.