Warm weather is on the horizon and checking your gear should be too! We have a few suggestions to make sure you're getting the most out of your trolling adventures. We'll go over inspecting your cable/braid, spares you should have on board, and storage and maintenance of your seahorse downrigger.

How Often Should I Change the Cable or Braided Line?

In saltwater environments, we recommend changing out your cable every 3 years. If fishing freshwater – every 5 years. Please, closely examine the condition of your downrigger cable on a regular basis especially near the swivel terminator. This is where majority of the cable failures occur. If your cable is kinked or frayed, remove the damaged section and re-rig your cable terminator. Troll-master strongly recommends that you use wedge style cable terminators with ball bearing snap swivel. We offer replacement Cable Terminator kit.

What Spares Do I Need?

When fishing with downriggers we strongly recommend to have spare accessories with you on the boat. At least one spare trolling weight, Cable terminator kit and couple of line releases. Also, make sure to have a spool of replacement Stainless Steel cable or Braided Downrigger line in case you will have to re-spool on the water.

What About Storage and Maintenance?

Your Seahorse downrigger system is constructed of the most durable materials available. Periodic Servicing and maintenance will assure trouble-free operation and long product life. After each day of use, especially if used in saltwater environment, the downrigger and all of the exposed metal parts, boom, boom tip an especially the cable should be should be thoroughly washed off with fresh water.

The boom pulley and swivel assembly friction areas should be sprayed with anti-corrosion oil every few weeks. The threaded portion of the hold down knob should also be sprayed with anti-corrosion oil every few weeks.

At least once a season, lubricate the inside of your Seahorse downrigger. Use Parts diagram as a guide to remove the spool and gain the access to the internal components.

We recommend using marine grease for the internal lubrication.

NOTE: Do not use any lubricants on the drag system components.