Hi, I have been stacking my downriggers for about 3 years now. The problem I keep seeing is that where you clip the top release the cable eventually frey's. I am using the halibut clips. I now cut about 25 foot of cable off before each season. Have any of you come up with a solution to this. I was looking at the double releases they sell that has what looks to be a swivel to attach to the cable then you take one of the release and attach it to the cable to hold it in place and the other to your fishing line. Problem I see with that is How the heck do you attach it to your line when your leaning over the side of the boat in rough water. I suppose you could just leave it in place when you raise your downrigger and let the release hit the top of downrigger till it pops or you get the bottom one up. But then you still need to try to hang onto it while letting the rigger back out ? I really like using the halibut clips but their a little rough on the line. Any of you have solutions to this problem?

"double releases"

....point your rod tip toward the bow as you play out your flasher, grab the line, engage whatever drag method you prefer (drag, thumb, clicker, etc) put in holder, attach release, drop.

What I am really looking to solve here is the problem with the halibut clip freying the cable overtime and to see if anyone uses the releases that free float on your cable and use a second release that attaches to your cable to keep it from moving up and down on your cable.

perhaps i still don't understand...

to keep your cable from fraying, use the padded double releases that slide up and down your cable as I suggest above. you don't have to lean out over the water ifyou point the rod tip toward the bow, grab the line, etc etc etc

I use a snap like this:


And put a 1-2 inch piece of rubber tubing over the part of the snap that contacts the cable. This prtects the cable and prevents it from slipping vertically.

I am probably not explaining it right. Problem I see with the double clips is your will have to lean over the edge of the boat and clip it to the cable then clip it to the line from your fishing pole. And you would also have to hang onto the release while lowering the downrigger ball after you attached your first pole.

One issue with the double release if you leave it on while the rigger is coming up is they wear out very fast. The rubber inside the second clip gets rubbed out by the wire. Other than that they work great. I go through about 2 stacker clip a year. Really depends on who is fishing with me. I try to remember to tell them to take the clip off and just drop it. It still has the swivel attached to the wire so it's not going anywhere. When dropping I attach the bottom as normal and clip the second to the rigger. I have pens so there is a spot that hold the wheel on that is nice to clip to. When I get the first ball to depth then you just remove from where you clipped to the rigger and clip to the line. Hook up and drop... I find this whole process easier if one person does it but if you want to sit back and get a good laugh at your fishing buds watch the two go at it while blaming everything that goes wrong on each other.

Did that make any sense??

Skyguy, Do you use surgical tubing to put over it. I you use something else where did you pick it up at . I would think it would have to be fairly flexible.

pmartin, yes that makes sense I will give it a try and also give skyguys a try. I have seen somewhere dont ask where but they were selling the rubber pads as replacements for worn out ones. Seeing as I have probably been in just about every sporting good store in washinton , oregon and british columbia. As I get older my mind doesnt work as well anymore. maybe its not the age but the beer but anyhow I dont remember where I saw them.

Replacement pads would be nice to have. I supposed something a little tougher yet still grips would be nice to have onboard if the others wear out while fishing... Any suggestions?

I use the same black rubber tubing used for setting up drift rigs.

My method requires that you lean over to pull the clip off before retreiving the lower clip, but with the quick release snap it is pretty easy and less fuss than other methods I have tried.
I also use a scotty downrigger cable stopper above the stacked rig so it will automatically stop.

replacement pads are available bulk from Offshore- I've even seen them @ the Pt Def boathouse- i would rather go through pads than cutting off 25' of cable and re-terminating the cable ball clip. just my 2 cents...

Offshore type replacement pads are available at Seattle Marine and Fishing Supply at fisherman's terminal. They also have the best selection of plugs, spoons, hootchies, flashers, etc. etc. you'll find anywhere.

Sky Guy's tubing method works great - use a little vaseline if it's too tight of a fit.

I use the tubing too, as for leaning out over the water to attach/remove the top clip, I use the Cannon weight retreivers to pull the cable in to me so I don't have to lean out over the water. The halibut clips are nice and easy and faster than some of the stacker clips that are made for this purpose. I use electrical tape in a pinch since the cable will tear up the tubing after a little while until I can get more.

Troller, one thing you can do when you use the Offshore clips is lengthen the line of the clip that you put the fishing line on so that you can pull it into the boat. Swivel mounts might be another alternative. If your having to hang ouside the boat Im assumming your useing 4ft or longer booms. When stacking I dont personally use the Offshore stackers but I do buy them and then make 2 release setups useing the clips skyguy pictured for a few bucks cheaper than buying them separately.

I assume you are not using the Scotty clips with the 60" leader. I don't really have any problem with the fraying. When I stack, I use the little stoppers in line. Of course I am using Scotty Electric Dwonriggers. I have swivel bases and just swing in the boom to remove the top halibut clip/release Then swing it out again and bring the next one up. When I reset the clips I have a 4' dowel with a hook on the end to pull the downrigger clip and line in to fasten to. This also doubles as a fish release. the longer leaders on the releases really are better as I have 60" booms. I use the pro releases on one of my 10'6" 8#-17# graphite rods. The Scotty clip would break it pulling it out. I installed the 60" halibut clip and leader on this clip too. Fraying has never been a problem but I change out my downrigger cable every two years anyway. Sometimes when it gets worn out it will start fraying and breaking on a constant basis.

Lengthen the release to 48" inches and get a "grabber" like your dehooker (dowell with tea cup holder) You still have to lean over to attach snap and short release.

Outdoor Emporium also has replacement pads for the offshore. Just dig out the old pad, put a drop or two of super glue on the new one and stick it in there. The pressure from the release holds them in place until the glue sets.

They also have loose/unrigged Scotty releases, the nice ones with chartreuse heads for $3.50 or so.

Why stack at all? Stacking is a pain in the...

If you must, take Sky Guy's idea and run with it. Also, loosen the tension up on the trolling snap by bending it back slightly- problem solved.

If you want to run the double snap, cut off one side and replace with a 5-foot (or to your liking) piece of mono...

I agree DR.

I only stack one side if fishing four rods, because I don't like to have two rods out the back with just weight or divers while trolling. My boat isn't big enough. If you have a larger boat, running two-three lines on the DR's and two mainlining out the back is no problem.

I stack all the time and use the small diameter surgical tube on the halibut snap like Sky Guy, works slick, doesn't damage the cable, and surge tube is cheap and easy to replace. I also always use a 4 foot piece of nylon seine twine between the snap and the release so I can get the release clip in the boat to make getting the line in the snap easier - I like to set it at quite an angle so the fish has leverage to pull it out, and it's hard to do this leaning over the side in rough water. This set up also has the advantage of keeping your lure off the bottom and out of the weeds or rocks when you bounce bottom with your ball.