Stacking rods - > WTF

AndrewH

Well-Known Member
Lost two fish today with tangles...

What am I doing wrong?

I can land fish no problem when the fish take the 'upper' rod but if I get a hit on the lower it seems to tangle.

I forgot to draw in clips but you get the idea in my pic.

DnElFvi.jpg
 
Looks good, but I like 20’ between rods and clip 6’ back on the bottom and 12’ for top rod. My bottom rods are pointed straight back and my tops are out to the side. I like long clips I use 48”, short ones seem to screw it up as well.

Also when I pull the pin on the bottom rod, I pull towards the other side. Another trick I use with newbees or if the fish pulls the pin, turn the boat slightly. If starboard bottom rod hits, turn slightly to port.
 
Andrew your top rod is way longer off the clip to lure set up then the lower rod.
Make the lower rod a little longer.

I normally set mine back the same distance but when clearing lines..... On the bottom I snap it off the clip then just let er drift back a bit before reeling up.

Some times fish will go deeper or shallow hooking up the other line any way.
Nature of the beast when stacking.

But for now...... If anything..... Reverse what your doing.

When sox fishing. Im close together. Ten feet back ten feet appart on rigger. Even with dummy flashers 6-10 feet off rigger and 10 appart
Not having any issues. Let er down slow.
 
this.

Bottom rod is way out there, top rod is in tight.
Maybe for springs when fishing 150’ deep but I’m guessing he is sockeye fishing, and gear needs to be tight and working together.
 
If you have 11/12" flashers on top and bottom, I think they should be more than 10' apart

I run 20ish feet in between, length back from clip variable.

However I run my deep rods on the outside out to the side and top rods on the inside straight back. Run 4 rods when fishing by myself most of the time, rarely a tangle. Usually, for me, a tangle results from a small fish I didn't see hitting and not popping the clip, and then swimming up/down into the rotation of the other line.
 
Bottom rods out the side, top rods out the back. Both lines 10'-20' off the clip and stacked 20' apart.
 
You have your setup a bit backwards.
15-20 feet between the lines and the bottom line farther off the downrigger line than the top.

Also do as Casper said and reverse the rod locations. Bottom rods out the side, tops out the back.
 
Doesn't matter where your rods are located, mid, side, deep shallow... Both work, both setups will have people argue they are better, but considering that, they must both work.

Major issue is if you are only separating the two clips by 10 feet, you need to reduce the amount of line you putting behind the boat on the top rod. Just imagine what is happening when that bottom rod blows off - its going release, and drift back directly into the line above it, flasher meeting flasher = cluster f. Bring that top rod tighter to the cable and you should be all good. And as Ardihol said you could add a little distance to the bottom rod, but it doesn't need to be much.
 
Don't know about others but with two anglers I always pop off the top rod if the bite is on the bottom rod.
 
I haven't tried stacking two lines on one down rigger. Surprised that you would run the top one further from the clip? It would seem to me that if the lower one is further from the clip, when it releases it would rise clear of the upper flasher. Perhaps the thinking is if a fish strikes, it will take the gear deeper at first? Then it would seem you have opposite conditions depending on if a fish strikes (gear goes down with fish) versus just popping of the clip to check the gear (gear goes up).
 
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Doesn't matter where your rods are located, mid, side, deep shallow... Both work, both setups will have people argue they are better, but considering that, they must both work.

Major issue is if you are only separating the two clips by 10 feet, you need to reduce the amount of line you putting behind the boat on the top rod. Just imagine what is happening when that bottom rod blows off - its going release, and drift back directly into the line above it, flasher meeting flasher = cluster f. Bring that top rod tighter to the cable and you should be all good. And as Ardihol said you could add a little distance to the bottom rod, but it doesn't need to be much.
I agree with Stoisy, run the bottom line further from the clip than the top line. I like to separate lines clipped to the rigger by 20 feet (also keeps the math simple). I preferred to run my deep lines out the back but agree that the opposite way is fine as well. We stacked 2 lines on 2 manual Penn downriggers for many years with no issues whatsoever.

The only problem is hooking a small fish on the bottom rigger. In this case I would reel down to release the clip but wait a few seconds before reeling the fish in.

I am now running 3 riggers so don't stack normally, except now with sockeye here (Sooke) I am stacking one side rigger. I have had no issues/tangles while fishing sockeye since it opened.
...Rob
 
I agree with the guys saying the deep rods should be out to the side and the shallower ones out the back, and get the top flasher in tighter to the clip.
 
I too agree that the bottom rod should be on the side and the top out back. That way if you get a hit on the bottom you can pot the top rod and bring it in while the fish is still (hopefully) deeper.
 
In my experience you can pop the top rod on the outside just the same as if it were on the inside / middle. The lines are attaching to the same down rigger line, does it really matter where the separation occurs at the surface by a matter of a couple feet when they are down 50-200 ft?

I think the separation between the release clips, and the length from clip to lure / flasher are more important factors.
 
Awesome guys, I will up the spread to 20' and have another go. I really appreciate the help!
 
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