I got an e-mail recently from someone who had watched a video I had done on fishing off the mouth of the Klickitat River. He was excited about this fishery, but was reluctant to drag his lead downrigger balls through the sand bottom here. Well, I just happened to have picked up the perfect alternative! Fisher Fighter Products makes steel downrigger balls that not only address the environmental concerns about using lead, but have other advantages. They have come up with a Variable Weight System that allows anglers to purchase the weight of downrigger they most often use, but can add or remove weight for other purposes. The steel downriggers can be ordered in four sizes: 1 to 14 pounds, 1 to 12 pounds, 1 to 10 pounds and 1 to 8 pounds. They also come with steel side plates that are either Flash or No Flash. There are three connection points on the weights, and are available with Adjustable Rear Rudders of 0 degrees and 10 degrees. Using these rudders you can have your downrigger run away from the boat, which is an advantage in many fisheries. I have found another advantage over a round, lead downrigger ball. These steel weights have a narrow profile and cause very little “blow-back” when trolling. This allows you to use less weight and still have a good angel on your wire. The steel downrigger weights are made in Idaho, and have the Fish Fighter 100% Money-Back Guarantee.