I fish lake Murray SC and have never hired a guide. I learned from a friend and ended up buying my own boat and gear. I have never used downriggers. I can tell you that I love down fishing. You find the fish on your finder, notice the depth they occupy and pull off enough line to get down to them and set the clickers on your reels. If you have never done this, you measure the distance between the reel face and the first guide and you know how much line to pull out. You can use shad, mullet, shiners, or herring. I really like the spring fishing when you fish more shallow water with cut bait. I hope this helps you some.