Winter 2020 Blackmouth

[Stein]

Agreed, or it should cost $5 which is reasonable for a piece of plastic.

[funkster]

These are all great tips, keep them coming, thanks guys!

I did go through pretty much every nut and bolt and coated the threads with a very small amount of marine grade grease in hopes of keeping the salt from penetrating the threads and seizing them up if I ever have to replace a part.

[OltHunter]

I put manual counters on my HD's and drilled a hole to see it and plugged it with a round rubber grommet for backup. My magnetic counters have failed before too or battery goes out. Pop the rubber off and you're still fishing easily.

[huntnphool]

 Been running 1116’s for 15+ years and not had any issues. I do have a couple extra belts on the boat somewhere, but the downfall is they have never needed replacing so I forgot where I stashed them.

[funkster]

Been running 1116’s for 15+ years and not had any issues. I do have a couple extra belts on the boat somewhere, but the downfall is they have never needed replacing so I forgot where I stashed them.

These are all very reassuring post! So sounds like I should kept at least a belt and a counter onboard and rinse the riggers down with fresh water after ever salt use but try to kept the water out of the motor/electrics? Sounds simple enough.

[Stein]

Yeah, once you take one apart you realize it isn't exactly rocket science.  There is a motor that spins a small pulley and the belt connects to the large pulley that has all the line on it.  Don't get water under the cover or it can leak into the motor and it will start squealing and trying to seize up due to rust.  They are replaceable but not that cheap.

Depending on how you have them stored on the boat, the cover can flap open when driving down the highway, I have a bungee over both.  It should have been fixed 20 years ago in their design, but oh well.

If the counter goes out I can almost always still use my sonar to see how deep I am, so it isn't a mission critical thing.  If the belt goes, it makes for an unpleasant day as it usually just starts to fray out and that gets caught in the small pulley and makes life not fun.

The only other thing that can cause problems is the electrical connection, make sure you keep on top of the plug and receptacle and do a first rate job wiring the receptacle using the recommended size wire or larger.

I have mine set so they auto stop with the ball still in the water a foot or two down.  I have a 6' release attached to the ball, so it will be dangling back behind the ball out of reach.  I took a chunk of dowel and screwed a hook in the end so I can reach out with that and grab my release instead of falling out of the boat.  I also have the cord that Scotty sells that lets you pull the line back in so the ball is closer to the boat and the release is easier to reach.  Don't forget to release the line before you start letting the ball back down.

I also have 3-4 spare releases, I use the Scotty ones and if you get any kind of scent or oil on them they won't hold and I just swap them out and wash when I get home.

I also have a spare snubber, ball and terminal tackle for the end of the downrigger cord.  Every once in a while a ball goes poof, down to the bottom and then you are down to 50% unless you have a spare.  If they break it will almost always be in the metal connecting the ball to the cord, check them often for wear and rust.

The brakes eventually wear out but are very cheap and a quick fix.  You will know long before they go out, I have a spare on the boat but it isn't necessary.

Use a big ball if you are out on the salt, being 90-100' down requires a bunch of weight or you will be long lining.  Lakes are OK with a small one.

Don't drive off with one ball still down or you will be buying all new line, weight, snubber, clips and brakes.

After a trip or two you get a system down and then off to the races.  I still remember all my years of hand cranks, man that wasn't fun and I am so much more productive.

[blackpowderhunter]

just grab one of those scotty repair kits at outdoor emporium, keep it on the boat, learn how to adjust the brakes and youll be good to go.
they're simple, but they work!
also you can get replacement pads for the release clips, so you can swap those out...a lot cheaper than replacing clips.
i have a few plano 3700 boxes with spare parts and replacement parts. 

[fishngamereaper]

Don't be afraid to rinse the Scottie's really good. The motors are sealed and designed to get wet. I fish in crap weather and big water and often put green water over the boat. No issues with Scottie's over my 15 plus years out of using and abusing them.

As for fishing it seems to get better into March ... depends on what the bait is doing and what moves in as we get close to spring.

[funkster]

Stein, thanks for the detailed instructions! These post are very helpful.

[Dirty Mike]

I'll be out this weekend !

[funkster]

I'll be out this weekend !

Good luck! Sunday is supposed to be decent weather but we all no how that goes.

[Crunchy]

Im holding out until March.  I have to buy my yearly launch pass as well.  Lost money last year paying 13-14 bucks for each launch.

[huntnphool]

Don't be afraid to rinse the Scottie's really good. The motors are sealed and designed to get wet. I fish in crap weather and big water and often put green water over the boat. No issues with Scottie's over my 15 plus years out of using and abusing them.

 I drench mine after using them too.

[Stein]

Don't be afraid to rinse the Scottie's really good. The motors are sealed and designed to get wet. I fish in crap weather and big water and often put green water over the boat. No issues with Scottie's over my 15 plus years out of using and abusing them.

As for fishing it seems to get better into March ... depends on what the bait is doing and what moves in as we get close to spring.

The Scotty motors aren't sealed, they have holes i both the top and bottom of the case.  The motor sits vertically in a plastic enclosure and the motor shaft pokes through the top of the enclosure and the pulley is connected to that.  If water gets in there, it will eventually run down the shaft and into the motor.  There is a washer and you can add some grease, but it's about impossible to seal up where the shaft pokes through.

Maybe the newer high power ones are, but the older ones certainly aren't.  I had the problem and when I bought a new one at John's they said not to go crazy on the rinsing or I would be back there buying them frequently.

[funkster]

What is everyone attaching to their riggers? Basics flasher, spinners, hoochies, plugs? What’s everyone’s preferred leader length? We usually drop four different combos and see which one is getting the action and switch it up. For coho we were running 24” leaders. I’ve heard 36” is recommended for blackmouth?