Utilizing downriggers to present your lure at a desired depth in the water column is a viable option to using wire line. Fishing for striped bass in salt water is best accomplished by placing your bvait or lure down deep where the fish are located. When bait fishing or jigging this is best done by using a weight large enough to keep the bait near the bottom. The primary factor that has to be considered when determining the size of the weight is the current that you are fishing in. The stronger the current the more weight that is needed. During slack current at "The Race" for example, yoiu do not need near the amount that would be necessary during a full rip.

Trolling on the other hand presents a different picture. The movement of the boat as well as the current tends to put the lure up near the surface. Putting it lower in the water may require a weight between the line and leader; commonly known as a trolling or keel sinker, but this will not get you near the bottom in thirty five feet of water. Another option is to use wire line. Wire is effective and it will allow you to work the lure as well. Using a parachute jig on wire is a very effective way to catch big bass. The problem I have alsways had with wire is once the fish is caught you are not only hauling in the fish but two hundred feet or so of wire also. There is not guarantee either that you are placing the lure where you want it considering the set and drift of the current.

Years ago I used downriggeres when fishing deep lakes for lake trout and salmon. The concept goes back to the early nineteen hundreds when East coast fishermen used a weighted pully system called a hurdy-gurdy.the weight carried the bait to where the fish are. Today there are a number of companies that make a more sophisticated product designed for the sport fisherman. manual and electric models come in all different sizes but the concept is the same. A weight attached to a cable is lowered to a depth you desire and your line is attached to a release mechanism either on the weight or the cable.

The advantage over wire is you can now use monofilament line of the size you desire. A large striper on thirty pound test mono will give you more excitement than the same fish on two or three hundred feet of stainless steel. One drawback is you cannot work the lure but that is not always necessary if using an umbrella rig or bunker spoon.

When fishing the rips in Long Island Sound or off Montauk the typical depth is usually thirty to forty feet. I prefer using a manyal unit over electric for the simple fact that they are less expensive and there is less to go wrong. Granted, if I were pulling up three hundred feet of cable it would be nice to have the motor do the work but it is rare that I would ever fish those depths.

Most models come with swivel mounting plates that are attached to the boat. These allow you to rotate the unit 360 degrees. You can also use a low profile mount that is fixed and provides for positions for the downrigger unit. I prefer this as it presents less of an obstruction for fishing lines to be caught on when not using the downrigger. Design of the basic unit is simple. There is a drum on which a cable is contained that has a handle for raising the cable and a friction brake for lowering it. An arm with a pulley extends out from the boat to keep the cable at a workable distance. The terminal part of the cable has a snap swivel that attaches to a weight. The release clip may be of two types and where it is attached will depend upon its design. One model is made up of a friction pad through which the line passes and the tension on it can be adjusted. this style is attached to the weight by a short wire and clip. when the fish takes the lure it pulls the line out of the release. Learning how much tension to put on the line in the release takes some time and it will vary with line size and strain on the line. I have had small fish hooked without a release and never new it until I reeled in. The other model, which I prefer, is attached between the terminal end of the cable and the weight. It is a metal clip with the line held on by forming a loop around your finger and slipping it over the clip prior to setting it.

The typical downrigger weighted ball runs any where from four to twelve pounds.