Downrigging for Trout in Lakes: Depth, Lure Action and Light Tackle

A downrigger becomes useful for lake trout when the fish are below the depth your lure will reach on its own, or when you want to repeat a productive depth without changing the fishing outfit.

It is not a reason to fish deep all day. Trout feeding around a shallow edge may be better reached by casting or flat-line trolling. Use the downrigger to solve a depth problem, not because it happens to be bolted to the boat.

This guide is about brown and rainbow trout in Australian lakes, not the North American fish called lake trout. The job is to put a working lure through the right water, release it cleanly when a fish takes, and repeat what produced the bite.

Decide whether you need the extra depth

Start with the water in front of you. Look for bait, trout activity, useful edges and fish marks. Consider the recent conditions, but do not turn a season or a surface temperature into a universal depth rule.

Fish showing deeper than the lure's normal working range are a good reason to try a downrigger. So is a productive band you want to hold through several passes. If the fish are already shallow, the extra gear may add work without adding much fishing value.

A customer's successful depth from last week is a starting lead, not today's setting. John Meggs reported catching trout with hardbodies on his downrigger. Another customer's preferred winged lure or a different lake's successful depth does not cancel that out. The common point is getting an effective presentation where the fish are.

Downrigger, diving device or flat line?

With a flat line, the lure and the line behind the boat largely determine the working depth. A diving device adds another component to help pull the presentation down. With a downrigger, a separate line carries the weight and the fishing line clips to a release.

Those differences matter after a bite. The downrigger weight stays on its own line when the release lets go. You can then play the fish on the rod, reel and fishing line rather than hauling the downrigger weight with it.

A directional diver and a string of trolling blades, such as those pictured, are not interchangeable with that system. Choose the method you can operate neatly from your boat and understand how each piece is rigged. Do not connect equipment simply because it appears together in a photograph.

If the installation is new to you, begin with the general downrigger setup guide. The lake-specific work starts once you can deploy and retrieve it safely.

Match the release to trout tackle

There is no need to turn a trout outfit into offshore kingfish gear merely because a heavy weight is going down. The weight belongs to the downrigger. The fishing outfit needs to suit the fish, the lure and the release.

Check that you can operate the crank, hold the rod and reach the release without stretching outside the boat. The mount and holder must be suitable for the load, not just convenient places to put the equipment.

The release must hold against the lure's normal drag but still let the fishing line go. Start with a controlled test near the boat, using the same line and lure you intend to fish. Follow the release manufacturer's adjustment method.

Too loose and it keeps popping free while you are setting up. Too tight and a small trout may stay attached to the downrigger system instead of releasing the line. Do not solve every false release by winding the screw tighter: first check a fouled lure, a sudden speed change or a poor line placement.

The downrigger release clips are adjustable. Adjustment is part of using them, not a once-only setting that suits every rod and lure.

Find a speed the lure will tolerate

Check the lure beside the boat at the intended trolling pace before sending it back. Look for a stable swimming action rather than a lure rolling, blowing out or dragging a hook caught over its leader.

Start with one lure whose action you understand. A winged lure, small spoon and diving minnow do not necessarily work best at the same pace. If you add another presentation later, make sure the two can run together.

Wind changes and turns can change lure speed even when the throttle setting stays put. Pay attention to the lure's behaviour and the rod, and note the direction of a productive pass. Boat speed on a screen is useful information, but it is not a complete description of the water flowing past the lure.

Build a repeatable first pass

Choose a safe route with enough depth beneath the gear, clear of submerged timber and other boats. Put the lure back a measured or otherwise repeatable distance, attach the line to the release and lower the weight under control while managing the rod line.

Set a modest, visible bend in the rod rather than hauling it down as hard as possible. Follow the rod and downrigger instructions, and keep fingers and loose line clear of the moving equipment.

The counter tells you how much downrigger line has gone out. It does not prove the weight is vertically that far below the surface. Drag angles the line behind the boat, and the lure may run above or below the release depending on its design and how it is set back.

Allow generous clearance over the bottom and trees. A safe first pass is more useful than testing the exact height of a submerged branch with an expensive weight.

Record enough to repeat a result:

• Lure and its setback behind the release.
• Downrigger counter reading and any visible line angle.
• Boat speed and direction.
• Water depth and the part of the run where the bite came.
• Whether the release worked cleanly.

Change one major variable at a time. If you swap lure, depth, speed and route together, a catch tells you much less about what helped.

Watch for bites that do not pull the clip

A clean release often changes the rod from its loaded bend to a straighter position. Pick it up and recover slack promptly. A small fish may produce a change in vibration or an unusual bend without releasing the line.

Check the presentation when the rod behaves differently or the lure stops working as expected. Do not tow a small trout around while waiting for a dramatic strike.

Have the net ready and agree who will recover the downrigger weight. The small-boat landing and release guide covers preparing the net, tools and working area before the fish arrives. Keep the fish away from the separate line and other tackle. Recover equipment under control rather than leaving a heavy weight swinging while someone reaches for the catch.

Before the next deployment, inspect the weight connection, fishing line and lure hooks. Secure the weight when it is aboard. A short check is quicker than retrieving a tangled spread.

When the first run produces nothing

If the lure returns carrying weed, fix that problem before changing colour. If the release keeps tripping, check lure drag and line placement. If the presentation is working cleanly but there are no bites, try another depth band or a different pass.

If fish are feeding at the surface or along a shallow edge, put the downrigger away and fish that opportunity. The aim is to catch trout, not to prove that one piece of equipment is always the answer.

Check the current rules for the particular lake, including seasons, tackle restrictions and retained fish. Inland conditions can change quickly, so plan for cold water, weather and safe boat operation. Leave yourself enough daylight and attention to get home comfortably.

For the complete equipment package, see the Downrigger Shop downrigger. For the fishing itself, keep the first setup simple, watch what it does and make the successful pass repeatable.