horsehunter wrote:
So even if a boat was producing say 0.75 volts what effect would this have on a lure on a monofilament line a hundred or more feet behind the boat. If it did have an effect couldn't other boats in the pack effect it as much or more. I sometimes think we try to over complicate things.
Frank, originally the experts thought that the ion dissipation would only affect fish 30 feet behind the trolling weight. Now they believe that it could be up to 200 feet. Like I said " it is the last piece of the puzzle."
I know of 1 particular boat that only caught 1 salmon and 3 bows in an entire season. After testing the voltage on each rigger, I knew the reason why. The voltage on 1 rigger was 1.95 and on the other was 2.15. I checked anodes on the boat and lower unit and they were in good shape, but the owner changed them anyway as a precaution. Re-tested and voltage was the same. It was head scratching time. I ohm tested all engine and internal boat grounds. They were OK. We ran the boat with all electronics off and again with all electronics disconnected. The voltage tests were the same.
With the riggers down at trolling depth, I disconnected the power wires to the riggers and voltages on the cables were normal at .35 of a volt. Really, disconnecting the rigger power wires should not have made a difference.
These were Cannon Short Stop riggers. Here is how they work. When you hit the up switch, the rigger induces a current of 7.5 volts from the rigger thru the water to the ground plane of the boat. When the weight breaks the surface of the water, the circuit is broken and the rigger shuts off. We called Gagnon Sports in Oshawa who were the closest Cannon dealer. They got back to us the next day. Apparently there was a problem with the short stop boards. The motherboard was OK but the short stop board had to be replaced. Warranty was over and at $165.00 each, he sold the riggers and bought new ones.
Problem solved
Al
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Captain - Team ATOMMIK/Rockets