Theine Posted April 5, 2016 Report Share Posted April 5, 2016 I'm working to build a lure that will be fished rather deep 100' behind a downrigger ball. My thought is to make it back weighted and lipless as I would like it to go thru the water parallel to the bottom. I would very much welcome suggestions and or ideas on a better way to achieve what I'm looking to do. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobP Posted April 6, 2016 Report Share Posted April 6, 2016 (edited) A friend of mine uses shallow running flat sided floating lipped wood baits that I build for him to fish for striped bass on an inland reservoir here in the SE, trolled 100' behind the down rigger ball. Lots of thump and the stripers seem to like the action. The problem as I see it is that if you use a crankbait with no lip, it will not have any vibration, essentially a glide bait with no action at all since it is being pulled continuously. Not ideal. Yes, the lipped baits dive below the depth of the ball and you have to account for that. A good rule of thumb is that at 100', they will troll at about twice the depth they would run when fished as a casting bait. These baits swim about 5' deep when cast and retrieved so he adds 10' to the down rigger ball to estimate the trolling depth. A big consideration when building wood baits that will be trolled is to use a topcoat that will have maximum durability to withstand the hook rash and water pressure they will be subjected to. I use Devcon Two Ton epoxy which creates a fairly thick durable topcoat. Edited April 6, 2016 by BobP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clemmy Posted April 6, 2016 Report Share Posted April 6, 2016 To do specifically what you are asking for (whether it's a good idea is a seperate conversation), I would look at a center bottom weight for stability and some action, and a very small lip. Perhaps just a few millimeters, and at 90 degrees. It depends on speed you are trolling. I would pay very close attention to your hooks. That far behind a down rigger your strike to hook up ratio (if the strike even tripped the release) will be terrible. I would want thin wire trebles for sure, in a larger size, especially as you don't need to worry about tangles on a cast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vodkaman Posted April 6, 2016 Report Share Posted April 6, 2016 Pretty much what Clemmy says; build your lure as if it was a shallow swimmer. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Theine Posted April 7, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 7, 2016 Excellent advice, very much appreciated. I will post a picture when complete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aulrich Posted April 7, 2016 Report Share Posted April 7, 2016 Lipless like a flatfish or a rattling rap Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
