First post / Advice rigging my boat

[ReelTime]

OK guys here goes first post. I have been fishing all my life and have fished Erie in the past but primarily for smallmouth around Kelly's and Bass Islands with my dad. Now I am ready to do some walleye fishing (and perch).

I just bought my boat and want to rig it for catching eyes. It is a 21 foot Aquasport center console with 175 outboard. From what I know and read I will probably need to add downriggers and planer boards. I'm looking for any advice you guys can offer in rigging the boat and methods of fishing for both walleye and perch.

I'm planning a weekend trip to the lake Aug. 7-10. I know the walleye fishing will probably be slow by then but hoping to fill a cooler of perch with my wife and sons.

Thanks in advance.

[anger management]

I wouldn't mess with Down riggers . You can use Jet divers, Dipsys , In line weights , Lead core ,snap weights, or bottom bouncers to get your lure into the strike zone. Do alot of reading and asking questions to experienced fisherman , costs add up quick when rigging a boat. Make sure you get all the safety gear you need first . Alot of different ideas to consider. I would say you will need either planner boards or in line boards. I use both types depending on the number of rods and type of lures being used. have four down riggers and only use two when Salmon fishing .good luck

[ERIE REBEL1]

Some of this depends on which basin you are planning to fish the most.Also need to know how slow that boat goes then I can help you more.Does the boat have good electronics?A must for successful eye catching on Erie.And as stated before safety is number one when it comes to fishing Mother Erie.

[ReelTime]

Yes I understand the safety gear. I should have said that I'm not new to boating. I've been boating all my life and owned a boat for the last 20 years.

I will be fishing the western basin...from Kelly's on west.

Not sure how slow the boat will troll but I'll check that with GPS here shortly. The boat has a good color fish finder and GPS.

[spoontang]

I am a firm believer in quality equipment. Spare no expense. Rather than purchasing 2 or 3 of an inexpensive product, get 1 very good product. I love downriggers. I love knowing the exact location of my bait. I often outfish others due to the precision of the presentation. They are however expensive. You need to troll 1.6mph early then up to 2.2 later. You can control speed with buckets, drift socks, prop plates etc. I would recommend picking up 2 down riggers, 2 size 1 dipseys, 2 yellow bird inline boards and 6 quality trolling outfits with line counters.

[ReelTime]

Thanks guys. I am looking for some good quality rod holders. What do you reccomend?

[athenskid]

The first item I would purchase is a good set of drift/trolling bags because I know that your boat will not idle down slow enough, you just run one on each side of the boat to slow you down. I would not purchase downriggers its a waste for the area you are going to fish, put your money into good rod holders and good inline planer boards. I personally use snap weights, dipsies, jet divers, or bottom bouncers depending on the depth I am going to fish. Good Luck.