Quinte Fishing

Planers boards, leadcore, the odd dipsy... what about balls?

Curious to know who, how many and what kind of success anyone has had dropping the riggers to wherever in that upper 40? Have tried it very briefly once, but thinking maybe will again as part of six rod spread. Any thoughts about balls?

Honestly, I don't like them down there. I've spent time trying them and it just isnt that productive compared to setting out another pair of boards. If i am east of the ferry

4 guys- 6 boards and 2 braid dipsys
3 guys- 6 boards
2 guys- 4 board
just me= 4 boards lol j/k

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U.S.C.G. Licensed Captain
Pure Fishing Ambassador

I have taken a few fish off the riggers. Obviously the boards are your best bet getting your baits away from the boat, but if you got room in your spread, which there's always room for more!!!! lol j/k usually runn a 2 color core off my riggers. It gets it down and 100' back of your balls. Salmon season is over now, so I always cut up my full cores and make few 2,3,4,5 color cores up.

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LUCK HAS NOTHIN TO DO WITH IT!!!!!!

I have had some success with riggers but like pickerel killer said, you want to be back a good 100' behind the balls as they are usually spooked by them

One effective tip a buddy showed me was to drop the ball down past the depth you are targeting and trip the line from the release when you start marking fish. Do not reel in but let the lure make its way up thru the water column until it is running back of the boat. if no strikes bring the rigger ball back up, clip on again and drop down, repeat. As you do this the lead out the back of the boat increases so lots of line is a benefit. I tried this on erie this summer and on slow days it proved its worth. Its makes sense when you know that the pics like raising up to attack their prey.

Used them last Tuesday afternoon when it was 28c...................lol
135' back @ 1.3mph - 1 real nice fish to the boat (TD 11) but was unable to land it - my extender on the net missed the retaining clip and I watched my net slip away... - at least I still have the handle
Then a frantic drive to CTC in Picton - just made it with a couple minutes to spare (they close at 6pm) - now I have a 1 piece.

Ran the riggers all day Wednesday in the rain - zip.

Thursday decided to try - are you ready - W Harnesses/big Colorado blades (Silver was best)
and Bingo

The Boat is home and the Riggers are coming off. Next trip out will be with the boards and my new net.

bobby

i have luck with riggers i always run them it seem i do well with the reef runner on them i watch the fish finder because some times u can see big fish come off the bottom to look at the ball or what ever they are doing so i shorten my lead to have it like 30 ft off the ball and have luck. its all what mr or mrs walleye wants that day i guess lol happy hunting

I too have had luck over the years running baits off "the balls". I run regular Husky Jerks 40 feet back. I do not lower the balls below 20 feet even though it is awfully tempting to go lower at times. In my opinion, and from what I have learned from other members, going lower exposes the fish to a greater mortality rate. The fish I have caught off the balls have all been returned to fight another day. Tight lines.

Jimbo

I tried dropping balls down with no luck and quickly changed to boards when all my fish came on boards. I thinks the wire noise and boat traffic spooks the fish out to the side where the boards run. Sure guys get one or two fish on riggers but even a blind squirrel finds a nut.

Interesting guys, thanks for your input on this.

Like to keep options open, especially on any tougher bite days out there. Zinger, I think that's a gnarly idea to try... escaping bait trying to swim up and away... But gotta take note of balls scaring them eyes too. Spooky buggers they are some days. Usually I run only a 4 rod planer spread, and sometimes just a 5 with three in the boat, (like days when my little one and father are out) This said, I kinda wondered about the 4 on the boards, a dipsy or core, and rigger in a 6 spread. Will still give it a shot methinks.

while the water is still warm (above 50 degree's), a two colour core off a rigger pulling a worm harness works well on Quinte....quite well actually.

but for some reason, once the water cools into the magic range, that setup goes cold....

i can't imagine running a tail dancer or reef runner off a rigger....unless that rigger was only set 5' down, lol.

Nightcrawlers have a tendency to not be a productive below 50f. Question for you Steve, if you are pulling a harness off a rigger why is it you use core? Do you think the action of the core triggers more strikes? I am just wondering why it wouldn't be better and more accurate to pull that harness off mono. I can understand riggers for harnesses although i would still snap weight them off the boards.

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U.S.C.G. Licensed Captain
Pure Fishing Ambassador

Harnesses with core interesting.

For rigger like the dipsy, just thinking spoons myself.

I've caught a few eyes on Quinte using the riggers, 25 to 30 feet down, with long leads behind the ball. I've run spoons, Reefrunner ripsticks and Ripplin' Redfins. Not a lot of fish caught off the riggers, but a bonus 1 or 2 some days.

I few times I've dropped the riggers deep to see what those fish we alway seem to mark 50 to 70 feet down, only thing I've caught that deep on the riggers are sheephead and silver bass.

I often run a braided line dipsey set up as my 5th rod, usually with a spoon. I haven't caught a lot of fish on the dipsey, but the few we get always seem to be bigger fish, nice 11-12 pounders and a 20 pound lake trout last year.

Starting to get the itch to make the trip to the Bay.

JimW

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"EyeCandy" 2007 Tracker Pro Guide 17 walk thru windshield, 115 hp Mercury Optimax, 6 hp Yamaha 4 str kicker, Scotty electric riggers, YakAttack Gear Trax, Scotty Orca rod holders

Smiths Falls DCI Redhawks Fishing Team Coach

shark, the reason I do that is it drops my presentation below the actual ball.

a old friend of mine, hoover, told me of that setup he used on erie while guiding.

it seems to work.

we tried it the years of the slamb the lamb...we found if we ran the setup clean off the rigger, without the core, we would get the drum, but add the 2 colour core and we found we would catch more walleye.

could have been just a coincidence....not sure.