I got my DR today,and need to know what sort of accsesories to get. All it will be used for is Salmon in the sound. How much weight? What kind of release? Are stackers worth the extra hassle? And a short list of flasher's and lure's to get me going. My wife's right....this used DR is gonna cost me $300 Oops,forgot about the black box,make that $400.

Thanks.

HBP,
Downriggin was kind enough to give us these picks. check-em out.

http://www.piscatorialpursuits.com/ubbcgi/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=011712

Now that he's got us all using the wrong setup he can catch all the fish

Weight: 12-15lbs.

Release: Scotty Hairtrigger

Use a plastic clip to hold the 'rigger ball, Scotty sells some.

Put a green rubber snubber between the end of your 'rigger cable and your 'rigger weight.

A stacker clip is good if you are only running one 'rigger and have two people fishing. "Stack" your lines at least ten feet apart on the 'rigger cable.

11" Hot Spot dodgers in green/glow or white/glow.

Large spoons - Coyotes, Coho Killers, Apexs

4" rubber squids (hoochies) in white/glow or green/glow

That is a good set of picks that DR put up there. As far as the flashers go; Green and Glo are the words to remember. I'd also recommend a 12lb weight, and for the releases I prefer the Scotty hairtrigger releases with the 48" cord. You cac see them at: http://www.scotty.com/hair_triggers.htm

No. 1031 is the one I like the best.
Also check out Salmon University.com and look at their links to types of tackle they mention in their write-ups. These will show you pictures of all the set ups that they recommend.

Easy,
What does the rubber snubber do for the DR ball?

sorry if this sounds stupid but how do run your line thru the hair triggers?

I've seen them but it isn't obvious how they work.

The green snubber will allow your ball to bounce along the bottom without ripping the boom off your downrigger. Or, even worse, rip your 'rigger from your boat. Also, if you have a Scotty electric, the snubber will keep the 'rigger from bouncing back up at you in the boat (safety measure).

The hair trigger release has a male part and a female part. The female part has the hole (obviously) and you run your mainline in the groove of the male end (teathered to the female part) before you stick it in to the female part. You can adjust the tension using the dial provided on the female part. When a fish takes your lure the force on the line will pull the male end out of the female part.

Does that make sense?

perfect sence

HBP,
If you are going by the boat show, check out the Outdoor Emporium booth (I think they have 2). I saw a sign that said 10% or 15% off prices plus the ProTroll BB was $80. Flashers were on sale as well and I spotted a few of those roto-chip lures people have been discussing.
JMS

Hooches (IMHO)
1) Cop car
2) Army truck
3) Green spatterback

Spoons
1) 3.5" Coyotes (same colors as above)
2) Coho killers (ditto on the colors)
3) #3 Freak (if ya can find one)

Flashers
1) Hot Spots (11" green/silver green/glow)
2) Kelp kutters (size #1 chrome or chartruese)
3) Fish flash (medium or large various colors)

Releases
I like the Offshore mediums, sorry never been thrilled with the Scottys.

DR Balls
12lb vinyl coated (15 if you have an electric DR)

End connectors
I personally like the Canon end connectors fro attaching the ball to the end of the cable. I insulate the SS clip from the DR ball with a piece of parachute cord.
Also add a small stainless steel wire brush and make sure you clean your zincs EVERY time before you fish.

Good luck and tight lines, Jeff

Oh ya, I forgot to mention how important a coated 'rigger weight is. Especially, if you are using a Black Box.

A coated weight will be insulated so the metal in the weight will not send off any eroneous voltages in the water.

Couple more Q's. What is the average life span of a hootchie? How many do you take for a day's fishing? Is a round ball better,or a flat one? Is the rudder on the ball a good idea?
Thanks again.

Instead of a snubber I use either a foot long piece of 150 pound seine twine or parachute cord - much cheaper than the snubber and does the same thing. I also use a halibut snap to attach a 4 foot cord to a heavy Offshore release - the halibut snap clips to the twine so you don't wear out your cable and you can remove your release easily. The 4 foot cord on your release is so you can hit bottom with your ball and not snag your lure. If you want to stack lines or flashers get more 50 cent halibut snaps, don't bother with that $10 stacker release.

Use a 15 pound ball and get 400 feet of 150 pound cable - that way you will have extra in case of accidents and the 400 is only $4 more than the 300. Use a Penn clip on the end of your cable - it has a ball bearing swivel that allows the twist to stay out of everything even when under load, and if you kink or fray your wire you can easily re-attach the clip in the field with a key and pliers. Plus, the clip is plastic and insulates your ball from your wire.

Buy or borrow a microvolt meter before you buy a black box and check your voltage. Mine is a perfect .680 without box, but only if I use uncoated lead balls - nice because it saves me a hundred bucks and the hassle of a box, and the balls are cheaper. Since you have the same boat as me you might wind up with the same voltage.

The stuff I use is somewhat on the cheap side on purpose - you will lose gear, and that's good, because just like steelhead fishing, if your not losing gear you're not catching fish

How do you check the voltage? I have a multi-meter,and can check easy enough.

With your boat in the water away from other boats and electrical equipment drop your downriggers down about 10 feet.

Turn on all electrical devices on your boat. Connect the negative probe of a sensitive voltmeter to the motor and the positive probe to the downrigger cable. In saltwater, the reading should be 0.8 volts. A normal variation between 0.7 and 0.9 is OK.

I don't know what the average life span of a hoochie is. I usually take at least six for every fisherman in the boat, just any case.

For blackmouth fishing, I think the popular vote goes to the round ball weights. Fins are OK too.

All very good answers....

My picks:

Flashers: (Hotspot or Ok'i)
1) Green/Glo
2) White/Glo
3) Green Splatter Glo
4) Custom Painted Super Glo on both sides

Hootchy: (Radiant) 2 1/2" - 5"
1) Aligator
2) Glo Below
3) Irish Mist

B2 Mini Squid:
1) Triple Glo
2) Triple Glo Green flake

Spoons:
1) Sonic Edge Green Splatter
2) Sonic Edge Army Truck
3) Coho Killer Green Splatter
4) Radiant Glo Below 4" and 5"
5) Radiant Army Truck 4" and 5"
6) Radiant Watermelon 5"
7) Radiant Jolly Roger 5"

Extras:
Wire cutters, 'rigger cable, weight, connectors
GOOD HOOK SHARPENER

Downriggin'

I wanted to add to what Easy said about normal variation of 0.7 to 0.9. Although these numbers aren't too out of whack, my boat has a natural voltage of around 0.87....which I found to be too high. Last summer fishing in Canada (before I had a BB) I had very few hits while trolling and most the people I talked with thought I was running hot. Now that I have a BB, I run it between 0.6 an 0.7 and have had far better success.

Same with my boat.

If we're talking Scotty here, I highly recommend the add-on weight hook that attaches to the boom.

It's nice to not have to remove the ball everytime you want to run...

I just swing my ball in and set it in a cup on the seat next to me. You can get a pair of these for $5 or so. It makes me real nervous having my balls hang over the side (well, in more ways than one )