how to set up outrigger pulley for dredge

Once the base is attached, adding the rigger poles is pretty easy. A template of the base made measuring holes easy, but I still measured everything and mocked it up about 100 times before drilling. I chose stainless steel bolts with lock nuts and added a washer to the bottom side of the mount. To mount the bases, I drilled right through the soft top and the aluminum mounting plate on my T-top. 'They are there when you need them and out of the way when you don't,' Asher said. Boats with more than a 10-degree drop should include an angled wedge to keep the riggers level.īoats that don't have a T-top can go with gunwale or rod-holder outriggers, but T-top units keep the halyards out of the way so they don't interfere with fishing. Asher also suggested I take the T-top slope into account. 'Be sure to mount the base where it won't interfere with the T-top supports or hit people in the head,' he added. For larger boats with hard tops, Asher suggested TopGun bases that place the rigger control below the top. 'Your boat is easy to reach the top of the T-top,' he said, recommending Rupp's Stinger base to avoid drilling a huge hole in the soft top and metal mounting plate.

Asher looked at pictures of the T-top on my boat to pick out the best outrigger bases. Over the winter, I contacted Darin Asher, technical service advisor at Rupp Marine, to learn more about setting my boat up with outriggers. We caught fish, but I knew we could do better. Without outriggers, my lines constantly tangled and I couldn't get the baits out of the boat wake into clean water. When gaffer dolphin showed up inshore two years ago, I attempted to target these fish by trolling naked ballyhoo from the rod holders on my 20-foot Jones Brothers center console. Pulling baits from outriggers spaces out the spread, creating a larger footprint in the water that will attract more fish. This is particularly important on a small boat. Not only do outriggers keep the baits from tangling, they also elevate the lines so the lures or baits run on the surface. And the backbone of an effective trolling pattern is correctly rigged outriggers. A properly working trolling spread is a joy to behold.

How to set up outrigger pulley for dredge