03-20-2007, 07:22 PM
ANY fish finder that is working at all should show a 4 pound downrigger ball. The only reason it would not show is if you were traveling so fast that the ball is trailing too far behind the boat that it is out of the cone. The beauty of a downrigger with a line counter on it is that one can just look at the line counter as the ball is lowered and immediately stop it at the desired depth. By using a fish finder to gauge the correct depth one would often have to lower it more slowly and look at the fish finder. Another trick that you could use is to count the turns as you lower it. Drop it once to the desired depth, either based upon the fish finder or where you caught a fish and then return it to the exact depth the next time by merely letting it down the same number of cranks. PS -- replace your old fish finder ASAP and enjoy the benefits of not only being able to see fish but also see your jig at the same time.
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