Northwest Fishing Reports

Just wondering if any body has built something so you could use your electric downrigger to pull crab pots? I have an idea about a rig that would slide down the pot line with a grab hook that would get hung in the harness. Just wondering if any body has tried this before.

I would definitely be careful about how much weight you are pulling up with your down rigger. A pot full of crab can weigh quite a bit more than your downrigger is designed to pull, and there is a good chance you could end up breaking it.

rcthepirate wrote:I would definitely be careful about how much weight you are pulling up with your down rigger. A pot full of crab can weigh quite a bit more than your downrigger is designed to pull, and there is a good chance you could end up breaking it.

Same concern I would have. I'd contact the downrigger mfr to find the max weight your downrigger can pull AND ensure your mounting location can handle that kind of weight.

Ya that's the kind of stuff I was wondering about, I would rather learn from somebody else's mistakes rather than make them myself. Thanks for the input

Pulling a recreational crab pot is really not that much effort if you use a pulley. It's not like you are at shrimp pot depths, are you? You can get yourself a Scotty "Trap Ease" pulley that fits in a rod holder mount or you can make something similar yourself.

Downriggers are designed to pull up the 10 to 15 pound balls. Not a 40 to 60 pound crab trap. Now lets talk current......
I would rather not ruin my downriggers pulling up a crab pot a few feet.