with a pair of outriggers on that same boat, your
spreadprobablyjumpsto 15mor more!That’sa huge
increase in coverage,an onet ata s tremen ous
flexibility. Now you can increase from running four
lines without tangles to pulling six to eight – along
withteasers or dredges if you want.
Smaller boats enjoy the same benefits as the big
boys,perhaps even more so. Boone Oughterson works
for Tigress Marine (www.tigressoutriggers.com) and
oversees their outrigger business which caters to
small-to medium-sized fishing boats. He says a pair
of outriggers – even a pair of rodholder outriggers
mounted in the gunnels – are a tremendous asset,
sincemost of these boats have a narrow transom and
outboard motors that produce a lot of wash.ANGLE OF THE DANGLE
Outriggers also let you adjust the angle of attack that
your lures and baits enter the water. By raising or
lowering the outrigger release clip’s position on the
pole, you can make a tumbling lure settle down or
makea lazy lure more active.
This ability to change the towing angle comes in
handyin rough seas or when the wind starts pushing
yourlines all over the place. Simply lowering the clip
enables you to lower the angle of attack, putting more
linein the water and stabilising the lure or bait. This is
especially helpful when pulling small baits or lures that
don’toffer much water resistance.Using outriggers allows you to adjust the pulling angle
to findeachlure’ssweetspotandrunit withtheaction
youwant. entro ing roma ro tipyoucanony et
a lure back so far before the line angle becomes too
flat and the lure’s action bogs down. However, with the
benefit of an outrigger’s height you can position that
same lure considerably further back and still maintain
its towing angle to achieve optimum action.
Beyond the realm of increasing your spread area and
pulling more lines, outriggers also allow you to deploy
a wide variety of teasers. Many boats pull teasers
through the outriggers, controlled by the captain
through teaser reels. Some teams also deploy one or
more weighty dredge teasers run through elaborate
pulley systems on the outriggers with electric reels
operated by the crew in the cockpit.HOW LONG SHOULD THEY BE?
Like a lot of the parameters involved with setting up
your ’riggers properly, choosing the right size poles for
your boat comes with a whole host of variables. Asher
says it’s important to start by assessing the amount
of surface area you have on the boat to anchor the
bases, and then consider what’s going to be the most
functional and aesthetically pleasing. There’s a happy
medium between too long and too short.
There are a lot of variables to consider, but the usual
rule of thumb, he says, is that your poles should be
two thirds the length of the boat. For example, a 12m
boat can usually accommodate 9m ’riggers. That can
all change on a boat with a full tower and enough
structure up high to support a longer and heavier setup- as long as it doesn’t overpower the look of the boat.
Dave Snure says all the general rules can go out the
window depending on various details such as the boat’s
superstructure and design. There’s a wide range of
latitude, but generally speaking he recommends 4.5m
poles for trailerboats and centre-consoles up to 9m in
length. In contrast, a 9 to 15m flybridge gameboat can
support poles of 9 to 10.5m in length, 15 to 18m boats
will suit poles 11 to 12.5m in length and boats between
18 and 28m will suit poles from 13 to 17m in length.
OUTRIGGER POLE MATERIAL
Although the first outriggers were fashioned from
bamboo, present day anglers get to choose fromOutriggers
significantly increase
the width of your
spread, covering
more ground and
enabling you to troll
more lines. Their
height also enables
you to position lures
much further back
behind the boat while
still maintaining a
steep towing-angle,
which preserves the
action of your lures
while also holding
the line and some of
the leader out of the
water.Considering their
small beam and low
height, trailerboats
need outriggers even
more than larger
gameboats.60 facebook.com/BlueWatermagazine