If you've heard or read of someone talking about using a "cheater"... that's exactly what that was. Usually people use a stacker release to clip the "cheater" line a certain distance above the main line and onto the rigger cable... but as long as your rig wasn't tangling who needs it?
Its funny... when I've had several people on the boat and decide to "stack" the lines on the downriggers, it seems I catch more fish on the upper lines.
Not sure what everyone else does, but I usually run my upper lines further back than the lower ones? My reason for this is that if a fish were to get on a longer bottom line they (fish or bottom line) might tangle in the hooks of the upper line on their way up... but with the top line being longer, they should slide by the line with no tangling.
Perhaps my running the upper line further back is whats causing a higher amount of hookups there - the fish see it sooner or it looks wounded and tastey?

Curious to know others opinions on this.

i have tried the stacker that roemer makes, and have caught fish with it. i think i like this sliding swivel thing better. i think it gets an up and down motion with the speeds and steering changes, and with the boat bouncing, i think maybe a front to back jigging motion. however it works, im going to remember it, especially when there is to many people on board with everyone wanting their lines in the water.

Oh yeah, I agree... I haven't tried it without a stacker release, but now that you say it worked without tangling up... be certain I'll try it that way. That's a lot quicker and easier than hooking up the stackers... not to mention (like you said) the variations in height and speed of the upper lure as the main line fluctuates during wave activity, turns, current, etc. Good idea.
Did you notice any problems with the fish not releasing from the main line release when caught on the upper line this way? I'd guess there'd be enough tension in the "sag" of the main line to allow a consistent release either way?
Thanks for the idea. Always like making an old technique easier/better. I'll definitely give it a try.

i was using one of those cable roemers and the fish popped the release within one or two headshakes every time, even one small 10 inch salmon released just fine. ive had scotty and cannon stackers not release lately and they are a pain getting the ball up out of the way having to stop the downrigger to remove them while fighting the fish. dont know if this was dumb luck, but this was easy. the one i set up slid down to a swivel that had a four pound tippet for the the bottom lure. the one i set up for my dad later had a much smallr swivet so that the snap easily slid past it to the bottom lure.

Yeah, I have been using the roemer releases too. Adrien got me hooked on them. Never seem to have false releases on them and I love the way you can adjust to any tension you want.
Any time I use a "cheater" I put a swivel on thats big enough to slide down and catch on the main lures hook. This way there's no chaffing on the main line at knots. Whatever it takes to keep from losing two lures at once!

fishlessmen,
when do you send the snap w/leader down, if you have the first line 15' behind the ball do you send the slider down at say 20' or do you send them down together?
would like to try that, seems alot easier and quicker than stacking.

ilucas

Am i correct in assuming that the slider rig would be considered your 2nd line ?

ilucas

YES IT IS YOUR SECOND LINE!!

Every state except new hampshire allows multiple lures per pole and still considers it 1 line but not us.

You just set your rod to depth. then snap the snap around your line and throw the lure in the water it will find the mid way point itself and stay there.

excellent, seems so easy, do you use that method much on winni?

ilucas

Only use it on winni when i have 5 or 6 guys on the boat. makes it easier than having 12 poles in the water. Especially on a charter with people that don't really know what they are doing 12 poles confuses them too much. You ought to see the look on their face whan they catch 2 fish on the same pole at once, completely baffled for at least 15 minutes.

Adrien,
I wish i knew that trick 2 weeks ago when i was in maine. i fished most of the week by myself w/ just 2 lures in the water. Next time i will take full advantage. thanks

ilucas

Hey guys... not to be a smart***... but before venturing out with "cheater" lines, be sure to read the regs for the waters you will be on. I've fished in a couple other states (AK & MA) that have "2 hook" laws similar to NH.
Actually, Alaska has a general freshwater fishing law of only one "line" with up to two hooks on that one line. While this law varies depending on location and species, it ends up covering most freshwater species anglers target.
Last time I fished Massachusetts I read a law in their book stating it was prohibited to fish with more than "two hooks"... with a "hook" described as a device targeted to catch a single fish at a time. With two lures you fail to comply with that law. I checked before writing this and that law is still part of the regs. Perhaps I'm misreading it?
In either case... check pertaining laws prior to attempting anything you read or hear from others. Better to be safe than sorry.
Just trying to keep anyone from getting a fine...

Carry on.

i only set the first line about 4 to 6 feet behind and above the ball about a foot. that way the ball can occasionally bounce bottom. when setting up the cheater i hook the cheater lure into the gunnel and then drop the weights. when things are set up i toss the cheater lure over board. ive been using 20 pound main line which adds more dragg and bow to the line as it goes down to the ball and use 4 pound test flouro tippets which get changed regularly. be careful of the laws, i consider this technique 2 lines in maine and so do the guys at kittery trading. ill ask the maine dept about this at one of the shows this winter but i never like the answers i get from them. last year i asked them about the use of cusk for bait as i actually caught a few in my bait trap. 3 different answers at the show and none were from the rule book. found out that cusk are considered a game fish, mentioned in another book, not the rule book, so we are sometimes expected to know more than we are told.i was supposed to get a call later confirming this but never did. sometimes its best to play it safe until you know waht is right. i like the fact that the state of nh responds to questions on this site as it adds a lot to the knollege we need.

Fishlessman,
I was standing there in person while my friend asked the colonel in maine about this one. He worked at the department and i showed him the way to do it. The game wardens were not sure as they had never heard of it. So we got the Colonel and he said it is a go, so it is legal.

then maybe ill change some things, it does make you feel a little skittish when the guys patrolling dont know whats up though. the game warden on sebago seems like a real nice guy, a real hard worker. last year was a little different, we were approached a couple of times by a different guy that thought it was ok to approach the boat all hunched over with a firm grasp on his guns handle. would you say 2 is the limit then for cheater lines on 2 rods

never went past 2 lines per rod, so i don't know?

fishlessman,
looks like you had alot of action last weekend, are you fishing the shoals across from nason beach on the back side deep drop? the week I was there there were alot of boats there until about 8:00 am. the game warden told me that they were catching some good size lakers about 1/4 of a mile off the west point of frye island were it goes from 20' to over 100' real sharp

ilucas

i was fishing wards cove last weekend. just a little south of long beach (jordans store is across from long beach). i havent had much luck fishing the big shoal for salmon, lots of lakers on and around it. i usually fish the drop off just in front of nathans but the last 2 weeks seem to be a little slow there. i seen charlie from the marina fishing there a few weeks back and decided to try it, from land it goes from 20 feet to 80 feet back to about 50 feet and then gets deep. seems that both sides of the 50 feet section hold fish. we fished the shalower side this weekend but saw most boats on the other side.