What weight downrigger ball for the Sound?

Looking to pick up a ball for my new 1050, should I go 6# or 8#? It seems like there are mixed opinions on this. I'd like to see the ball on the FF as much as possible but know that won't always be possible, but I also don't want to have a really hard time trolling due to too much weight

This is a question that I wrestle with every time I go out with my downrigger. An 8lb ball is great, but it'll wear you out pretty quick. I found this out earlier this summer when I hit MA4 for two days -- spent 8 hours the first day dragging an 8lb ball, on the second day my legs were too toasted to troll effectively.

Another thing about heavier balls is that they'll make you more inclined to fish deep... for better or for worse: early September of last year I'm fairly certain that I was fishing beneath the coho I was targeting when I used an 8lb ball.

If I'm targeting coho, pretty sure I'll be using a 4lb ball. Chinook, probably 6lb and maybe 8lb, the latter if I have a good tip that they're deep (below ~70').

As for seeing the ball on your FF... Yeah it's nice, but kentucky windage works too... slow down till you see it, then resume normal trolling speed & guesstimate where you're presentation is in the water column. You can also angle your transducer back a bit to better pick up balls behind you.

A heavier downrigger weight will get pushed back behind your kayak less than a lighter weight, and a heavier downrigger weight will remain visible on your fish finder at greater depths, at greater speeds, and with higher-drag lures than a lighter weight. I use an eight pound weight with my Cannon Lake-Troll.  I don't think that an eight pound downrigger weight produces noticeably greater drag than a six pound weight, but it does stay under my kayak better, and remains visible at greater depths and greater speeds than a six pound weight.

I never use more than 4#. Just personal preference. Can't imagine using 8 or 10, I'm no professional tho. I  pretty much only use my downrigger for kokanee.  I tend to see my 4# on the finder at 1.5 mph or less. I realize while fishing for salmon, probably dealing with more current,  so that is a factor.

...I don't think that an eight pound downrigger weight produces noticeably greater drag than a six pound weight...

Idk if it's the drag or the additional 2lbs, but the difference between 6 & 8lbs do be way noticable when you're trolling for salmon for any period of time... lake trout maybe not so much, I've never tried trolling b/w 1.5 & 2mph w/ no current.

spent 8 hours the first day dragging an 8lb ball, on the second day my legs were too toasted to troll effectively.

Typically, I'm only out for about 4 hours at most. Would you be more inclined to recommend an 8# ball in that case?

Good point on the estimation, though. Any idea how deep a 6# ball can be fished? Can you use on effectively for kings in the Sound?

If I am fishing deep (75' plus) I prefer my 8# pancake weight (less blowback).  Shallower I will use my 4# or 6# ball. 

Any idea how deep a 6# ball can be fished?

How deep you'll be able to see a six pound downrigger weight on your fish finder while trolling depends on (a) how fast you are trolling, (b) how much drag your lure has, (c) how much drag your downrigger line has (a steel cable has more drag than a thin braided downrigger line), and (d) the width of the cone of your sonar (your weight will get pushed back out of a narrow cone sooner than it will get pushed back out of a wide cone).

spent 8 hours the first day dragging an 8lb ball, on the second day my legs were too toasted to troll effectively.

Typically, I'm only out for about 4 hours at most. Would you be more inclined to recommend an 8# ball in that case?

Good point on the estimation, though. Any idea how deep a 6# ball can be fished? Can you use on effectively for kings in the Sound?

Everyone is different, but my preference is to go as light as possible. If I have to winch 8lbs up every time I'm checking my presentation, I'll likely check my presentation with less frequency, increasing my chances that I'm dragging sanddabs & shakers around, preventing me from fishing effectively. That happened just today -- passed through a baitball, checked my gear & had a shaker on it... PB passed through the same baitball just after I did and they nailed the only king I saw boated today.

I can see a 6lb ball on my FF down to around 70' when pulling an 11" flasher. What bugs me more than not seeing the ball on my FF is when my gear gets way scoped out behind me; I haven't had that happen yet with 6lbs.

WRT the question about 6lbs being sufficient for kings in the sound, I was killing them last year with a 4lb ball. But last year was atypical, based on convos with folks who've been fishing the sound for a long time. I do think that 6lbs is sufficient for PS kings. I was using an 8lb ball today because I heard that fishing deeper than 80' might be $$ today.

Like pmmpete said, there are many variables at play when determining how deep you can see your ball. If you're just going to be trolling (and not jigging/mooching), I'd advise that you look into angling your transducer towards your stern a bit. That'll help you see your ball when it's deeper. Also, I think the lower frequencies throw a wider cone... don't quote me on that though.

I run a 6 lb ball. I can see how deep it’s running on my fish finder when fishing the top 50-60’ of the water column. The blow back pushes the ball outside the scope of my fish finder when I go deeper. Through trial and error (i.e. bouncing bottom) I’ve learned the blow back lifts the ball 20-25 feet with 80-140’  of cable out …so, for example, I’ll have about 120’ of cable out if I want to be fishing the bottom 10’ in 100-115 FOW.

The magnitude of the back penalty is a function kayak speed, of couse, but is also impacted by the terminal tackle. The blow back with flashers or dodges is a lot more than when I’m pulling a plug.

I run a 6 lb ball. I can see how deep it’s running on my fish finder when fishing the top 50-60’ of the water column. The blow back pushes the ball outside the scope of my fish finder when I go deeper. Through trial and error (i.e. bouncing bottom) I’ve learned the blow back lifts the ball 20-25 feet with 80-140’  of cable out …so, for example, I’ll have about 120’ of cable out if I want to be fishing the bottom 10’ in 100-115 FOW.

If you can't see your downrigger weight on your fish finder, downrigger trolling far above the bottom (for example, trolling about 80 feet down in water which is reliably about 250 feet deep) is pretty safe.  But if you can't see your downrigger weight on your fish finder, downrigger trolling close to the bottom is risky because you could easily snag your weight on the bottom, and if there is current or swells your snagged downrigger line could quickly pull over your kayak. To stay safe, I don't downrigger troll any deeper than where I can see my weight and its relationship to the bottom. 

Yes, those are great points regarding safety. I should have included that I only go deep during calmer days and in familiar areas that I know have mud/sands bottoms …and that just in case I do snag up I have a shot of 20 lb braid at the end of my cable and a Victorknox taped to my DR’s boom for quick access. Regardless, you can never too many layers of safety measures.

Time for me to eat my words -- I've been using a 6lb ball all coho season, haha.

Also, regarding snags w/ the DR, the only time I've snagged my DR in PS was when I was fishing mid water column. I'm fairly certain I was snagging derelict crab traps and their floats. Just stating this to convey that in PS, just because you can see your ball on the FF and confirm that it's above the bottom doesn't mean you don't have to worry about snags.

Also, regarding snags w/ the DR, the only time I've snagged my DR in PS was when I was fishing mid water column. I'm fairly certain I was snagging derelict crab traps and their floats. Just stating this to convey that in PS, just because you can see your ball on the FF and confirm that it's above the bottom doesn't mean you don't have to worry about snags.

I was downrigger trolling in a lake, and could see that my weight was above the bottom, but something hooked my downrigger line, and my kayak ground to a halt.  After some work, I pulled up the obstruction, which was a polypro water skiing rope, a loop of which had floated up from the bottom.

As the year progresses, the kokanee have gotten deeper.
It's my first year fishing for em. Now that they're 80'+ down, realizing my 4# isn't actually enough. It has considerable blowback at those depths,  making it harder to know exactly what depth it's running at. Will be buying a 6# soon.