One of the best ways to make fishing easier and more productive abroad your boat is to install a center console outrigger. This type of outrigger will offer the best fish-around capabilities. It's also easy to set up and maintain.
However, you need to avoid some potential pitfalls to take full advantage of your new outrigging setup. The following are five mistakes you should avoid when you're outrigging the center console of your boat:
Setting up an outrigger that can't deploy right at the helm of your boat
When you have an outrigger that deploys at the helm, it's not necessary to reach to the top of the boat and it will take less effort to swing the outrigger.
It's best to avoid having to lift up to unlock a rigger, and ease of deployment is one of the most important considerations when you're dealing with heavier outrigger equipment.
Setting up an outrigger that doesn't have a clear area around which to deploy at the handle
If the handle of your center console outrigger is obstructed, it will perform much less effectively and cause you a lot of frustrations.
When designing a center console outrigger, make sure that the handle has a fully clear path around which it can deploy so that you can easily reach the fishing holes that are most active at the moment without having to reposition your boat.
Choosing an outrigger pole length that is excessively long
It's not a good idea if the outrigger pole you choose is so long that its capable of extending out beyond your engine. This can make control more difficult and may cause you problems when you're docking.
Not using a telescoping pole
The ideal pole for a center console outrigger is a telescoping pole. These poles are easily adjustable in length and can allow you extra spread when necessary.
A telescoping pole is especially ideal if you're going to be using a boat in a lot of difficult situations. If your boat multi purposes and you fish with it in diverse environments, choose a telescoping pole.
Using anything other than braided nylon for your halyard
Choose braided nylon for your halyard and you'll learn to appreciate how versatile this material is. A braided nylon halyard won't show any memory and will make it very easy to control your pole when it needs to be either retracted or taken off the outrigger base.
Look out for halyards kits that are prepackaged because they conveniently include all the materials you need as well as clear directions regarding their use and installation.
For more information on this topic, contact Coastal Rigging and Tackle.
