Multiple lines on one downrigger

[bluewater]

I was wondering how you guys hook up 2 or more lines on one downrigger. I see people do it a lot but not sure how they do it. Is there some kind of special clip you need to do this?

[Gray Fox]

A good way is to use Roemer releases for your top rod. You can also use the long tethered scotty releases. I run two on one rigger alot during the summer. I usually run dipsys off the bottom rod though and clip the release right to the downrigger ball. Then I run my top rod out of a blacks just above the ball.

[Shade]

Most fishermen run slider lines instead of 2 poles on a downrigger. Puts the same amount of spoons out using less poles.

Shade

[bluewater]

How do you rig a slider line?

[stan]

My mistake thought it was a slidediver

[chowder]

Blue water, there is a couple ways to rig "cheaters" (a 2cd bait off one rigger rod). In the first and simplest method you let out your main rigger presentation, be it spoon or flasher, and before you crank down the slack in the line you clip a 4' stretch of mono or fc onto the main line w/ a snap swivel or snap, on the other end of the stretch is a snap swivel w/ a spoon clipped to it. You toss the spoon in and crank the rigger rod tight. This is called a "free slider". The other way you can do it is to use a Roemer release which enables you to "fix" the cheater spoon at a specific depth. Both techniques have their place. Either way you have two different presentations at different depths w/ one rod.

[Shade]

What Stan has is a slider diver a slider line is when you take your pole and put a large colored bead on before you attach a swival. Then you take about 10 - 15 feet of line and put a ball bearing swival on one end and a swival on the other. Attach your a spoonto the pole and one on the leader line ( most like the same spoon on each line). Attach the leader line on the pole line with the swival above the bead so it can slide up and down the line on the pole. Hold the slide line and let the pole out 15 - 20 feet, attach the pole normally to the release on the downrigger still holding the slide line and send the downrigger down 15. Throw the leader slider line in the water. Continue to send your downrigger down to your preferred depth. The slder line will stay about 10 - 15' above the line that is attached to the release on the downrigger.

I am sure that one of these guys will explane it to you better and they may have some pictures.

Shade

[GAMBLER]

You can run 2 rods and cheat the top rod covering a lot of teh water column. This works good in the early parts of the season when the fish are scattered in the water column more. You can buy the Scotty stacker releases. They work great. Just be careful when you are bringing up the rigger. The metal clips can cut the cable if they slam into the boom of the rigger.

[chowder]

Shades tip on the bead on the main line of a rigger rod is a great point. I've forgotten to do this a bunch of times when retying and always regret it later. The bead helps keep the free slider from getting caught on the snap or snap swivel on the end of the main line and twisting into a mess or cutting into the main line. One thing to remember when you are using free sliders and the rigger rod trips or bounces is that if it's the slider bait that got hit you will need to reel like crazy to get all the slack out of the line b/c the slider will run down to the main bait before you actually have tension on the fish.

[ray koziatek]

Using a alberta clipper or roamer liberator is another way for a fixed slider then if ya wanna play games run a free slider in the mix (the tangle game) sometimes when im hunting (looking for fish) ill run this rig usually 1 fish (tangle) will get ya back to reality ...but when your alone its a good way to get 6 lures down with 2 rods ,I just keep a couple back up rods ready to deploy while i fix the mess ,but it ant always that bad usually 5 min and your ready to go (1 min with a sharp knife)

[bluewater]

Thanks for all the excellent info I will certainly try this next season.