Like everyone else I have my favorite setups. I have Penns that are nice, but I have several Diawa 50H reels that I love. I run downriggers (Invader brand) and these reels just keep working. They are just over 30 years old and look pretty much like new. (Maintenance is a wonderful thing). You can still see/buy them on eBay.
I use different rods depending on how I'm going to be trolling. If I'm using umbrella rigs I go for the heavier 6' rods because of the extra drag of the rig. If I'm using worms, j-plugs, any kind of single lure then I use 8' downrigger rods.
I usually use 25lb mono but I'm liking SpiderWire braid more and more.. Tried Monel and SS and leadcore.. it just doesn't do it for me.. that's why I went downriggers. I cast my own fish shaped 10 lb weights, and I can control the depth easily. It's cool that along with the counters on my downriggers I can also see my weights on my FF so if I mark fish at a particular depth I can precisely put my lures at that depth.
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1987 V20 w/1987 150HP Yamaha on a Shoreland'r Trailer
1978 16.5 Airslot w/1996 120HP Force on a Four Winns trailer
1996 V21 w/1993 200HP Mercury on a Shoreline Trailer
All towed by a 5.7L Hemi Durango.
If God didn't have a purpose for us we wouldn't be here, so
Live simply, Love generously, Care deeply, Speak kindly.
(Leave the rest to God)
Silence, in the face of evil, is itself evil. Not to speak is to speak, not to act is to act. God will not hold us guiltless.