They are a hybrid of sorts, part outrigger and part rodrigger/outrodder, offering the best of both worlds and the downside of neither. It affords anglers the ability to spread their baits anywhere from 4 to 6 feet outboard from each gunwale of a sportfishing platform, using a standard outrigger release clip mechanism (like an Aftco Roller Troller, Rupp Knock Out, etc.). But unlike standard outriggers, the Outrigger Unlimited isn’t encumbered by costly aluminum poles that can protrude 10 to 20 feet above your vessel’s T-top or hardtop and must be brought down to get under bridges and other restricted height areas. The Outrigger Unlimited is also an evolutionary improvement over outrodders or rodriggers, which stick your rod out horizontally from the vessel’s gunwales, making it somewhat challenging to pull it out of the rodholder when a large pelagic has taken the bait and is heading into the deep under full strike drag. In contrast, it’s easy to remove a rod from the Outrigger Unlimited when under the load of a big fish, since it’s in the standard gunwale-mount position within convenient reach from the cockpit. And you can’t beat the convenience of the Outrigger Unlimited, which breaks down easily to its basic parts in a matter of minutes for easy stowage when not in use.
Here’s How It Works
The Outrigger Unlimited is packaged with two anodized aluminum bases that plug into your vessel’s gunwale-mounted rodholders (0-degree units are ideal). Depending on the brand of rodholders that are installed on your boat (Lee’s, Perko, Rupp, Sea Dog, Smith, etc.), their size and the internal diameter of the rodholder’s tube, you might have to remove the protective vinyl or rubber insert so that the base of the Outrigger Unlimited will fit into the opening. Each Outrigger Unlimited comes equipped with a pair of 2-foot long anodized aluminum outrigger poles that are screwed together to form a 4-foot long boom, which is then screwed securely into to the Outrigger Unlimited base.
There’s a notch in the bottom of the base that will hook into the rodholder’s gimbal pin, which keeps it firmly in place when it’s time to fish in the “spread position”. When traveling to and from the fishing grounds, the Outrigger Unlimited bases can be rotated 90 degrees to keep their spreader poles inside of the boat’s gunwales. A gimbal notch in the Outrigger Unlimited base keeps your fishing rod securely locked in place when trolling, and you can install your preferred release clip mechanism in the rotating tip section of each boom via a clip or snap swivel. I found that the Aftco Flatline Clip was a perfect out-of-the-box solution for setting up my Outrigger Unlimited, since it comes with a short tag line and snap that’s already pre-installed and a real time-saver.
Once the Outrigger Unlimited is in place and ready for action, simply set out your lure or bait to the desired position in the boat’s wake, snap the running line into the release clip, rotate the base 90 degrees outboard and secure it in place in the gunwale mount rodholder, and you are all set to go fishing. Each pair of Outrigger Unlimited bases are color coded and clearly marked, with one for portside (green) use and the other for starboard (red). If you need more outboard spread than the standard 4-foot booms can offer, the Outrigger Unlimited can be equipped with optional 6-foot long spreader poles. No matter what length pole you prefer, each is equipped with a standard adjustable “sock line” to give it some stiffness and support when dragging heavy baits or lures in rough seas.
Multiple Uses
The Outrigger Unlimited is a flexible fishing tool that can perform multiple uses for offshore anglers. For smaller boats, the O/U is a relatively low cost, portable, easily stowable primary outrigger setup that will work great and offer newfound capabilities when trolling multiple baits without tangles. For larger vessels that already have outriggers onboard, the Outrigger Unlimited is an excellent secondary or back-up setup that can be used in conjunction with the primary outriggers, or as a portable emergency unit that can be deployed in minutes and stows neatly out of the way when not in use. The bottom line is that no matter what size boat you use this on, the Outrigger Unlimited will give you an additional 8 to 12 feet of outboard spread with your lure or baits and will do so with none of the liabilities of traditional outriggers or rodriggers.
The Outrigger Unlimited is precision manufactured from non-corrosive aluminum alloy, and all of the parts fit perfectly right out of the box. It is backed by a lifetime guarantee and can be purchased directly from the Outrigger Unlimited website. For more information, call 941-456-1071, or visit the website. https://www.outriggerunlimited.com/
