I enjoy fishing in Pugeut Sound near Seattle Washington for salmon. However, I do not have a downrigger and am forced to use other methods which are not as successful. For next year I plan to use a downrigger, however there are so many brands and styles out there I am not sure what to buy. If anyone can give me advice on what to look for in a downrigger I would really appreciate it, THANKS.

I would recommend the Scotty electric downrigger model with the adjustable boom. I have 2 of these and they are great! They have a low amp motor that uses gears to get a very fast retrieve....check these out ....I bought mine at the outdoor emporium in Seattle ....they seem to have the best prices......

I upgraded from manuals to electrics this spring. After quite a bit of research, I couldn't find anything wrong with the Scotty electric w/30" boom. Unless you have a large boat, I don't see the benefit of an extra long arm (30"+). The electric amp draw is very low on the Scotty and they claim that their retrieval rate is the fastest with the heaviest weights (10+lbs). After shopping around, most Scotty dealers sell with a msrp of about $335.00 for the 30" fixed boom electric (model 1100 ?), but in Canada the msrp is the same, and you get a benefit of a great exchange rate. I bought 7 of these units from Berry's bait & tackle in Richmond B.C. (just S. of Vancouver) and with shipping (UPS) and customs they were $256.00/each at my door. The people were great and they sell Scottys to "Yanks" everyday because of the exchange rate. Hope this helps, snit

[This message has been edited by snit (edited 11-10-1999).]

don't waste your time with scotty. get penn 825s much more buttet proof.if you can't get825s get 625 manuls and keep them as far forward as possible.keep in mind your your turning radius.this way you can make crazy turns without getting tangled.you may have to cut the booms down to get rite length.

Scotty's are a no brainer, call repair shops and ask what downrigger they see the least...
I did alot of research before buying (3) 1105 scotty's. Almost every shop I talked to said if ya buy Penn or Canon Electrics, buy an extra because of shop time. Now this is all hear say, but I'v had mine for 3 years and used them 2 years strait (all three of them) and logged 130 days fishing with them each of the two years. Never had a mechanical problem and they never failed in any way. Only problems is me hanging my balls on the bottom too close and hanging them up. (boy that waters cold). anyway call Johns in Everett or Narrows Marine, they both repair all makes.
Hope this helps.
Oh buy the way look into buying them at Barry's bait and tackle just north o the border. You wont believe there price on Scotty's.
Hope this helps

Bob D.

I've been using Penn electric's (825) for years with minimal problems however as far as I know they don't make them any more. There is a rumor that they may start making them again. Otherwise Scotty is the only way to go. Just remember if your going to fish blackmouth in Puget sound you'll be fishing most often with 150 to 220 feet of wire out or more, this means mounting the downriggers as far towards the transom as you can otherwise you'll be putting your wire in the prop and that gets spendy in a hurry.

Good luck.

Scotty's are pretty much tops, and Penn doesn't make an electric downrigger anymore, although it was also an exellent downrigger. With a 10 pound ball Scotty's will crank around 140 feet a minute, while the rest will get you somewhere around 100 feet a minute. And best of all, they come with a lifetime warranty, so you just send them to Johns every year and get them rebuilt.

Another vote for Scotty electric's. Very trouble free,(they carry a free lifetime warranty) I have had mine for 3 years now and only had 1 switch go bad and one counter, John's Sporting Goods in Everett is a service center and I paid $3.00 postage and got them back in the same week. I bought my 1105 adjustables at the HUB in Abbotsford for around $300 Canadian and you get your GST back at the border and you are allowed $200 (American) duty free, so take you wife or who ever for a drive and a nice lunch and save a bunch of money.
If you use a kicker for fishing, spend 40-50 bucks on a prop guard on you will not have to worry about hanging up in the prop. Plus w/electrics, you can check your bait often w/o wearing out your arm.