Spring clip holds the pin-release where desired. Free-sliding snap swivel and rubber band also works.

Making use of multiple rigs on a single downrigger really enhances the effectiveness of this tool. And, it allows you to try several baits or lures at a time, changing over to the most effective bait as you find what the fish want.

There is a variety of ways to rig your downrigger to accommodate more than one fishing line. Some tackle shops and downrigger manufacturers offer "stackers," which are line-release devices that you can position anywhere you like on a downrigger cable. The Cannon Universal Stacker Release is one example. Other anglers prefer to rig their own stacker systems (see accompanying story).

As for me, I like the simplest of all: a slider. A slider enables you to troll two lures or baits from two rods off the same downrigger cable, with no tangles. To rig a slider, first fit a sturdy, large offshore snap-swivel (a back-to-back double snap is handy for this) around the downrigger cable. Next, knot a rubber band onto the fishing line above the bait, and fit the rubber band into the snap-swivel clasp.

When the snap is closed and lowered on the downrigger cable (with the fishing line and bait in tow), it slides exactly halfway down the downrigger cable. The bend, or bow, in the cable's midsection during trolling prevents a slider from going all the way down to the downrigger ball and tangling with the lower bait or lure. A downrigger bait fished at 40 feet has a slider bait fished at 20 feet.

Anglers using two downriggers typically position the second deeper, perhaps dropping the ball and attached bait or lure down 60 feet, its slider down 30 feet. Because the baits are widely separated by depth, tangles are rare so long as you keep your turns wide and steady. And you'll make a killing on kings, cobia, wahoo or whatever happens to be down there, because you're presenting baits at a variety of depths, giving the fish a much better chance to see them.

When a fish hits, be sure to keep the boat under power, or clear all the slider lines before putting it in neutral. If the boat stops, downrigger cables straighten, and sliders sink all the way to the balls and tangle with deep lines.

Rubber bands are used with sliders because they're a perfect release mechanism, cheap, dependable and non-corrosive. At the strike, a rubber band stretches until it breaks, which then frees the line from the down-rigger. You'll need to do some experimentation to find the right size rubber band for the tackle you're using-heavier rubber bands being needed for larger baits and greater trolling speeds.

Rubber bands also are desirable because they stretch and so are very forgiving should the boat suddenly rock in an ocean swell or if boat speed is increased briefly. Yet, at the strike, rubber band(s) stretch to their fullest and always break cleanly.

As you become comfortable with the system, you might try fishing two or even three baits above the one on the ball to present fish a real smorgasbord of opportunities

Get Stacked

Here's another stacker system you can easily make yourself. Unlike the slider, this involves a total rebuild of your downrigger system, so you'll need to do the work at home. You'll need: two Black's pin-release clips (like the ones you'd use on a kite outfit), two spring clip releases (such as those sold by Penn), two small split rings, a few yards of heavy monofilament, and crimps sized for the mono and for your downrigger cable.

First crimp about 6 inches of mono to the grommet on the spring clip release; to the other end of the mono crimp a split ring.

If you're starting with a pre-rigged downrigger setup, cut off the snap swivel at the bottom of the cable. Thread the cable through a Black's pin-release, oriented so the pin opens upward, and position one of the split rings inside the two arms of the clip body. Repeat. Finish by crimping the downrigger cable to a snap swivel for attachment to the weighted ball (instead of rigging a final release device to the ball itself, at this point some anglers rig a Black's clip in-line above the ball so that the clip can pivot on the cable).

As you deploy your first, and deep-est, bait off the ball, the cable will slide through the stacker clips at the top. When you're ready to add a second bait, simply clip a stacker in place with the spring release at the desired height above the first bait, let the second bait out behind the boat, twist a loop in the fishing line and secure it with the pin release.