The 9 Best Manual Downriggers

On a trailered fishing boat, the Cannon Uni-Troll 10 STX earns its keep with a stainless boom that telescopes: push it out past a wide hull to fish, pull it in to trailer. A one-hand clutch lowers the weight under control, a quick retrieve brings it back up, and a counter shows how much cable is out. A swivel base, a rod holder and a limited lifetime warranty come with it. It's heavy and pricey.

Lake trollers on a budget can pick the Cannon Easi-Troll ST, with a one-hand clutch, a depth counter and a fixed stainless boom. An enclosed pulley at the tip keeps the cable from jumping off, and Cannon rates it for weights up to 12 pounds, enough for most lake and a lot of inshore trolling. Deep sets mean lots of cranking, the cable can run short in deep water, and a swivel base costs extra.

Small boats that fish deep get a fast spool on the Scotty 1060 Depthking. Each crank turn brings in about two feet of cable, and an extension handle adds leverage on a heavy ball. A boom rod holder, a depth counter, a line release and a deck bracket come with it, plus a limited lifetime warranty. There's no published weight limit, the short boom keeps the cable close to the hull, and owner feedback is thin.

Anglers who move one rigger between boats get two mounts with the Scotty 1050MP Depthmaster: a deck bracket and a portable clamp for a gunwale or transom. Its disc brake is designed to let cable slip on a snag, which can spare the boom and mount, and either hand can work the top crank. A rod holder, depth counter and line release come with it. The spool brings in about a foot per turn, and there's no published weight limit.

Made for kayaks, canoes and aluminum boats, the Scotty Laketroller is a small, light rigger that bolts to a deck or the side of a gunwale and turns a full circle on its bracket. It handles the light balls used at slow lake speeds, and a line release and a lifetime warranty come with it. There's no depth counter, so you count crank turns, the cable angle gets steep above 1 mph, and a rod holder costs extra.

Depth readings on a small boat come easy with the Cannon Mini-Troll, a clamp-on mini rigger whose dial counter swivels at the boom tip. It's made in the U.S. with a lifetime warranty. Plan on 4-pound balls at most. Cannon advises mounting it on the transom rather than the gunwale, with a wood block behind thin aluminum, since side loads can crack the frame. The retrieve is slow, and there's no rod holder.

Anglers who liked the old Penn Fathom-Master, a classic saltwater rigger, will recognize the Troll-Master Seahorse, which follows its design, and Troll-Master says it also services the original Penn units. It comes spooled with stainless cable, uses a one-hand drag to control the drop and has a dial depth meter. It suits heavy weights in salt water, and a 10-year warranty backs it. Owner reports are few, setups differ between sellers, and it's pricey.

For mid-size boats, where a short boom would keep the cable too close to the hull, the Scotty 1085 Strongarm is the heavy-duty choice in Scotty's lineup. Its long, thick stainless boom carries the cable well clear, a depth counter tracks it, and a large clutch brake controls the drop. It's heavy and needs a solid deck mount. An independent marine dealer sells it rather than Scotty, there's no published weight limit, and owner feedback is scarce.

A low-cost pick for kayaks and small boats, the Brocraft Mini pairs a nylon body with an aluminum boom. Its quick-release base mounts on a deck or the side of the hull, and a line release is included. Each turn of the reel brings in about a foot of braided stainless wire, and it's meant for light balls and slow lake trolling. There's no line counter, the base doesn't fit Scotty mounts, and it has little owner history.