Testing the Shasta Tackle Shuttlehawks.

Strawberry 08-11-2013

        On this trip I took Randy and his wife Judy. We were going to try to catch a few Kokanee and whatever else decided to cross our paths. I was also testing out a new device, Kevin a friend of mine had told me about for my down rigger’s called a Shuttle hawk; it’s made by Shasta tackle.  The shuttle hawk clips to your down rigger cable via a slot cut into it and rides on a small “c” clip to keep the cable from eating through the plastic planer, it uses a ball bearing in a pocket on the bottom side of the planer to assist it in diving or returning to the surface when tension is released.  On the Shuttle hawk is the Shasta tackle ultra release, which was surprisingly easy to use after you tune it to the line you are using.

      So how does it work? The Shuttle hawk provides a simple stop that is attached to your downrigger cable.  This stop, when placed on the cable, enables you to use the Shuttle hawk as a stacker. The stop will also go through the boom and onto your spool without any issues, or you can also choose not to use it and let the Shuttle hawk run down to your terminator clip. You start by tuning the release to your line; you will need to remember to bring a small screwdriver on your boat with you. After tuning the release you can let out the appropriate amount of line, then clip the release and Shuttle hawk to your line, then to the down rigger cable; or clip the Shuttle hawk to the cable and let out line, then to the release.

      Once the Shuttle hawk is attached to both pole and cable, and tension is applied to the fishing line, the Shuttle hawk begins to dive. If you’re using it as a stacker it will continue to dive as long as there is tension on the line, until it hits the stop. Once it has hit the stop, you simply reel in until you have the arc on your pole that you like. The Shuttle hawk will now hold its position.

     Once the release is triggered, the ball bearing in the shuttle hawk rolls towards the rear of the Shuttle hawk and it rides the cable up to the surface.  

  

      I found the Shuttle hawk very easy to use and in my opinion is the better mouse trap. The ease in which it is set up and returns to the surface without my interference was nice, it functions well and the release is simple yet effective. You can also see the Shuttle hawk on the fish finder, giving you the added visual indicator that you’re holding at the right depth. The only negative remarks I can make about the Shuttle hawk is that at first it is difficult to tell when it was  at the stop, but with a little practice and patience you learn to tell when the Shuttle hawk has reached the stop.  If I used line counter reels, setting the proper depth would have been a breeze.

      The biggest asset I think the Shuttle hawk possesses is the ability to leave the deepest pole at the target depth while resetting the stacked pole.  The Shuttle hawk would save a lot of time and effort for the guys and gals with manual downriggers. You would never have to reel in the downriggers again, just to reset a pole.  

      Overall the Shuttle hawk performed as advertised and we ended up catching one Kokanee and in the neighborhood of 45 Rainbows and a few Cutthroats. Not a bad test for the new Shuttle hawks.