Dusting off an oldy but a goody....
I was out on a guide boat recently and saw a modification that has still got me impressed.
I can't stand, and I'm sure many agree...the "tick tick tick" sound that your reel makes as it ever so slowly releases more line when hooked up on the down rigger. I assume that it is due to blow back of your mainline.
Prior to this 'new to me' (I have yet to see anyone use it but the guide) we would crank down the drags until the ticking stopped and the reel was quiet. Problem with that is the drag is set far to tight when adjusting downrigger depth, or when a big fish grabs on and gives it a pull.
The mod is simple. You simply clip a Scotty down rigger clip just in front of the reel, attached to your mainline. The clip must be attached to a fixed position on the boat (down rigger boom, grab rail, cleat, ect...)
I will include a picture, but this method is awesome. You never need to adjust your drag. Simply set your drag to a tension that allows you to drop the ball without breaking off on the way down. Once at depth, clip the fixed Scotty "drag clip" in front of your reel. The clip will hold your mainline in one position, with no more blow back or the more than annoying 'tick tick tick'. When a big fish breaks it off the clip, the clip in front of your reel should pop off too. On smaller fish you simply detach the fixed clip in front of your reel and begin the fight from there.
One other method I learned from the guide was, rather than reeling down, and yanking on the rod to free it from the clip (at the risk of breaking rods, as the convergence is notorious for this it sounds), simply engage the down rigger and drop the ball while holding the reel. It will pop off smoothly and you can begin fighting the fish.
It sounds like a lot of extra work, but with a bit of method and practice, it becomes very efficient.
The easiest is if a big fish bites and pops both clips (the one on the down rigger and the "drag clip"), but when dealing with smaller fish, here's a few steps to make it work fluently.
1. smaller fish bites 2. unclip drag clip 3. remove rod from holder, hold reel steady 4. drop down rigger a few feet (or until rod pops). 5. begin fighting!
the process takes less than a few seconds. No fish were lost, and it really smooths things out.
I'm sure many will say all of that is a waste of time, but I found it quite efficient. Within a few fish, I had the method down.
PS used the Tuna Cord system for the first time on the Sculpin. Awesome set-up that is!