Hunting Washington Forum

Equipment & Gear => Power Equipment & RV => Topic started by: Ghost Hunter on September 02, 2025, 08:03:25 AM

Title: Cannon or Scotty downrigger?
Post by: Ghost Hunter on September 02, 2025, 08:03:25 AM: Want two for a 14' Valco. I know; boat, fishing, and budget don't go together well. Primarily for kokanee fishing? Side wind or top wind? I'll need to add 6" pedestal to flat base. Cannon has some decent aluminum ones. Don't need/want electric. Have swivel seats but still tight maneuvering. Considering the Cannon Easi-Troll manual. I'm generally on the pay once, cry once list. Suggestions, recommendations?
Title: Re: Cannon or Scotty downrigger?
Post by: GWP on September 02, 2025, 08:31:30 AM: I have the top wind Scotty and am happy with it. The top wind has a bit lower profile (my take) which can be good.
Title: Re: Cannon or Scotty downrigger?
Post by: pickardjw on September 02, 2025, 09:29:25 AM: I've had good luck with the Penn Fathom-Master downriggers. Discontinued but often on the used market and there's a company making parts for them. Very easy to work on.

Bought mine used up in Lake Stevens. Looks like there are some for sale on FB Marketplace in Oly and Puyallup.

I've used the horizontal wind scotties before and prefer the vertical wind.
Title: Re: Cannon or Scotty downrigger?
Post by: Stein on September 02, 2025, 10:26:50 AM: If it is a manual, I would for sure go with vertical wind unless you only plan on light downrigger balls, like 4#. It's way easier to crank and develop torque vertical vs horizontal. The manual downriggers are much more reliable than electric, find one you like used at a good price.
Title: Re: Cannon or Scotty downrigger?
Post by: CP on September 02, 2025, 10:49:05 AM: I'll 2nd the vintage Penn Fathom-Master if you can find them. Even more rare is the swivel base for them, snap those up if you can find them.

Troll-Master makes a clone that they call the Seahorse. I don't know how good they are, but they look identical. I believe that Cabela's carries them.
Title: Re: Cannon or Scotty downrigger?
Post by: C-Money on September 02, 2025, 10:50:20 AM: Quote from: Stein on September 02, 2025, 10:26:50 AM
If it is a manual, I would for sure go with vertical wind unless you only plan on light downrigger balls, like 4#. It's way easier to crank and develop torque vertical vs horizontal. The manual downriggers are much more reliable than electric, find one you like used at a good price.

:yeah: Especially in a 14ft boat. I'd go Cannon. I do like both brands though.
Title: Re: Cannon or Scotty downrigger?
Post by: RB on September 02, 2025, 11:14:45 AM: Quote from: CP on September 02, 2025, 10:49:05 AM
I'll 2nd the vintage Penn Fathom-Master if you can find them. Even more rare is the swivel base for them, snap those up if you can find them.

Troll-Master makes a clone that they call the Seahorse. I don't know how good they are, but they look identical. I believe that Cabela's carries them.

3rd for Penn have four and they just keep cranking! Only bad part for any manual is going below 100 feet takes a bit to wind it back up.
Title: Re: Cannon or Scotty downrigger?
Post by: h2ofowlr on September 02, 2025, 02:36:16 PM: Penn, Scotty and Cannon all make a manual hand crank downrigger. Penn and Scotty's are easy to use and parts are available for both. Scotty has lots of parts available if needed. I run both Scotty and Penn on my boat and no issues with either.
Title: Re: Cannon or Scotty downrigger?
Post by: Ghost Hunter on September 02, 2025, 07:01:26 PM: Give me a lot to think about. Likely won't exceed 4lbs. or 100'. Hadn't looked at Penn's. Just stopped at Talon this morning. Good outfit, replaced a kokanee rod that failed on my 2nd trip out. Prefer not to put another weight on it. Hoping I fixed a small leak in the boat today. Slowly working out the bugs. Not sure I'll have time for another run before i head east for early archery season. Next question will be on fish finders.
Title: Re: Cannon or Scotty downrigger?
Post by: Happy Gilmore on September 02, 2025, 09:13:04 PM: Get a good used halibut rod. Dual purpose
Title: Re: Cannon or Scotty downrigger?
Post by: Ghost Hunter on September 03, 2025, 04:43:03 AM: Quote from: Happy Gilmore on September 02, 2025, 09:13:04 PM
Get a good used halibut rod. Dual purpose

:o Hmmm. Got one of those. Do I need a 2-pole endorsement? :chuckle:
Title: Re: Cannon or Scotty downrigger?
Post by: Happy Gilmore on September 03, 2025, 08:06:36 AM: Quote from: Ghost Hunter on September 03, 2025, 04:43:03 AM
Quote from: Happy Gilmore on September 02, 2025, 09:13:04 PM
Get a good used halibut rod. Dual purpose

:o Hmmm. Got one of those. Do I need a 2-pole endorsement? :chuckle:

You might get checked because it looks like it but, as 4lb ball and release isnt fishing.
Title: Re: Cannon or Scotty downrigger?
Post by: EnglishSetter on September 03, 2025, 09:12:10 AM: In a 14' I'd go vertical spool. I had manual Scotty on a 17' inboard with rails, so you were standing effectively over the spool and found it to be fine, but not a 14' low mount from a chair. That would be grueling.

The Penns are/were the shiznit.
Title: Re: Cannon or Scotty downrigger?
Post by: GWP on September 03, 2025, 09:37:27 AM: I ran the manual Scotty with a 12 lb ball on one side with a flasher array and a Big Jon electric on the other side with a 9 lb for the pole with the hooks on it.
The lake I was on most of the time is a single pole lake and I got called in for it a few times and got checked. No issues as there was no hooks on the flasher array. It let me know someone on the lake was watching.
My manual horiz Scotty has a handle that extends out for more leverage but pushes in to keep it out of the way. Not sure if all of them do, but I had an even heavier ball on it at one point and it was doable and it held fine.
Title: Re: Cannon or Scotty downrigger?
Post by: pbg on September 03, 2025, 10:56:01 AM: Well here's my 2 cents, I used Scotty's and Cannons and the Penn's and the Cannon's and Penn's are by far the fastest as far as cranking that ball up and the other thing you will never get is a wire jump like what can happen with a Scotty.
Title: Re: Cannon or Scotty downrigger?
Post by: Ghost Hunter on September 03, 2025, 01:32:17 PM: Just a Penn locally, and maybe a fishing buddy. The pair up north with swivel bases had sold.
Title: Re: Cannon or Scotty downrigger?
Post by: huntnphool on September 03, 2025, 10:41:17 PM: FWIW, I’ve owned both, and will never go back to Cannon!

My Scotty’s are way faster to bring up and put back down, and way easier to work on if I need to do anything. :twocents:
Title: Re: Cannon or Scotty downrigger?
Post by: Happy Gilmore on September 07, 2025, 08:20:41 PM: See them around flathead lake on Facebook marketplace cheap all the time. Saw 6 Penn golds for 350 a while back.
Title: Re: Cannon or Scotty downrigger?
Post by: Hiker82 on September 07, 2025, 08:55:41 PM: I've used both but currently I'm running Cannons for the last 5 years. I haven't had any issues, however, I like the lower profile of the scottys. I got both of the Connons on sale at about 30% off each which was the deal sealer. Best of luck as the fishing has been amazing this year.
Title: Re: Cannon or Scotty downrigger?
Post by: baldopepper on September 07, 2025, 09:05:22 PM: Pretty cheap penns on Craigslist right now. Pretty reliable manual downrighers, used them for years before moving up to Cannon electrics. Not a big fan of Scotty's, actually have a couple on my smaller lake boat and seems somethings always acting up on em.