Stacker releases

[jimcr]

When using a stacker release which line should be longer the top or bottom and why? Been thinking about trying these but I'm unsure of the set up.

[Nailer]

I am not a fan of stackers, but I would make the top line 20' or more longer. Reason being, if a fish checks out the lower line, and doesn't like it, soon a second offering will follow.

[1mainiac]

I don't run stackers very much but always ran the stacker longer it seems to give you a better chance of not having the bottom line grab the top line. Does not always work but seemed to work better for me to have my top setup back further some fish just won't play by the rules so is anyones guess which way they will run. I also tend to run the stacker rod on the inside of the spread but again is a just a guess that has worked for me in the past. One reason I do it is I know which rod is which and that helps a lot when starting the fight if you can steer the fish even a little it might avoid a problem.

[Adam Bomb]

I went with the same theory as the previous two posters when i ran stackers. I much prefer to run a fixed or free slider. Less clutter, less chances of a tangle and still effective. And, you dont have to reset two rods if the bottom one pops. Plus i can put those rod counts to use in the form of lead core or dipsey presentations.

[jimcr]

I went with the same theory as the previous two posters when i ran stackers. I much prefer to run a fixed or free slider. Less clutter, less chances of a tangle and still effective. And, you dont have to reset two rods if the bottom one pops. Plus i can put those rod counts to use in the form of lead core or dipsey presentations.

What is a free slider? Are you running multiple baits on one line?

[Adam Bomb]

Yes, running sliders whether its a free or fixed slider will allow you to run two baits off one rod.

Heres how ya do it:

Free Slider

Ok, you set your lure on your rod and send it down to the desired depth. Even though you crank the rod down tight there is still a bow in the line that extends rearward between the rod tip and the cannon ball because of water drag. Now, you take another piece of mono, say 6' in lenght and tie only a duolock snap on one end and a ball bearing swivel w/duolock snap on the other end. Put your spoon on the swivel end and attach the opposite end to your mainline on your rod and toss it over the back of the boat. The lure will ride the line down and stop when it hits the bow in the line. A common theory is that the lure will ride down half your depth. So say your cannon ball is at 70', then your free slider is at 35'.

Fixed Slider

To run a fixed slider say 10' above the ball you set your rod and run the bait down 10' then attach a slider in the same manner that you did with the free slider, only this time your going to half hitch a rubber band on the mainline and hook the snap around the line as well as the through the loop in the rubber band. This will keep the slider fixed at 10' above the ball. Once you have it attached toss it over the back and send the ball down to your desired depth. Say you put the ball down 60', the fixed slider would be at 50' in this case. You can put the fixed slider on your line anywhere you want. Just keep in mind that when using a fixed slider that if you get a fish on the main line lure youll need to either remove the slider when you get it to the boat or bust the band and let it go down to the lure with the fish.

If you get a fish on a rod with a slider your going to need to reel like mad until you tighten up the line. Ecspecially in the case of the free slider as you have to reel the line up until you get the mainline swivel up to the snap on the free slider. With a fixed slider the fish will likely break the band shortly after the initial strike and then it will begin to slide down towards the mainline swivel. Thats why its so important to get right on a slider rig and get the slack out. It can be benefitial to leave the rod in the holder and crank like mad to catch up. Sounds crazy, but that short time saved between removal and starting to reel can really make a difference. Sliders are a great way to cover more of the water column with less rods. If you run two riggers with with 2 baits each your effectively probing 4 different depths. I usually stager mine so i have 10' between lures probing a 40' section of water.

Hope this helps. If not, let me know and ill do my best to clear things up.

[tltorrice]

A free slider is a 6 foot peice of mono with a snap swivel on each end. Put a spoon on one end. After your downrigger is set take the other end of the the mono and attach it to your line. It will slide down to the belly in your line between the tip of your rod and where it is attached at the cannon ball. When a fish hits the slider your release at the cannon ball will trip and the swivel will slide down to the other bait. Land you fish and enjoy.

[jimcr]

How often do you guys use this type of rig , and is it productive. The only part I'm not clear on is the rubber band. You put the rubber band on with a half hitch , does the line pass through the loop and connect to the line below the band ?

and how heavy of a rubber band do you use?

[Adam Bomb]

I use a #16 rubber band, the same as youd use in a downrigger release. To half hitch, simply take the rubber band and wrap it aroudn the main line in the center of the band. Now, take and pass one end of the rubber band through the other and cinche tight. Now, take the snap on your slider and go around your main line and through the loop on the rubber band. That will fix the slider in position on your mainline.

Sliders are a productive method of catching fish and i use sliders as long as im running spoons or plugs on my down riggers with short leads, say 40' or less, from the cannon ball to the mainline lure. The reason for this is that you have to retrieve that 40' of line in addition to the line from the "bow" down to the cannon ball before you ultimately tighten up on the fish....Which is the reason i dont fish a free slider when fishing deeper than say 60'...its just too much line to retrieve. Im more apt to put a fixed slider on in that situation and keep it 10'-20' or so above the ball.

I dont run any sliders when im fishing with flashers and flies on the riggers. Your just asking for a mess doing so because the slider leader tends to wind together with the flasher and fly in my experience....There is a new method of using a double strand of dacron tied into your mainline and clipping the slider there, but that requires you to physically remove the slider when your reeling in a fish thats on the mainline. I have not tried that personally, so i cant comment on it. I can imagine it could make for some excitment though!!!!

[jimcr]

I use a #16 rubber band, the same as youd use in a downrigger release. To half hitch, simply take the rubber band and wrap it aroudn the main line in the center of the band. Now, take and pass one end of the rubber band through the other and cinche tight. Now, take the snap on your slider and go around your main line and through the loop on the rubber band. That will fix the slider in position on your mainline.

Sliders are a productive method of catching fish and i use sliders as long as im running spoons or plugs on my down riggers with short leads, say 40' or less, from the cannon ball to the mainline lure. The reason for this is that you have to retrieve that 40' of line in addition to the line from the "bow" down to the cannon ball before you ultimately tighten up on the fish....Which is the reason i dont fish a free slider when fishing deeper than say 60'...its just too much line to retrieve. Im more apt to put a fixed slider on in that situation and keep it 10'-20' or so above the ball.

I dont run any sliders when im fishing with flashers and flies on the riggers. Your just asking for a mess doing so because the slider leader tends to wind together with the flasher and fly in my experience....There is a new method of using a double strand of dacron tied into your mainline and clipping the slider there, but that requires you to physically remove the slider when your reeling in a fish thats on the mainline. I have not tried that personally, so i cant comment on it. I can imagine it could make for some excitment though!!!!

Ok this might sound stupid but how do you use a rubber band off the ball when using a downrigger. Are you not using a pinch pad release? Sorry new to all this and sometimes with out doing it I don't quite understand.

[Adam Bomb]

Dont worry about the questions. Thats what forums like this are for. We were all in yoru shoes at one time or another and know where your coming from. The only dumb question is the one thats not asked.

Back on topic...I am definitely using a release. I run the Walker terminator release which is a "blacks style" release which terminates my downrigger cable, is my release and attaches my cannonball. You can run a rubber band in this "blacks style release", big jons band buster release or on a pinch pad thats hooked to your cannon ball. I like rubberbands as they allow you to really crank the rod down eliminating as much slack between the rod and the cannon ball without popping the release. A rubber band is something not needed on a blacks style release because they are adjustable, but im a long time rubber band user and am slowly weining myself off them.

[Adam Bomb]

Another method of attaching the rubberband, and the one i use when attaching to a release is to take the rubber band holding one end and then tightly wrapping the other around the line 4 or 5 times and then hook both loops of the rubber band in the release. If done correctly it will not slip on the line as a half hitch can with too much pressure on it.

[1mainiac]

My fav for fixed sliders is Alberta Clippers I hate rubber bands the Alberta Clipper snaps on your line making setup and removal a breeze. I use sliders a lot the true fun is when you get multiple fish on the same rod.

[Nailer]

How often do you guys use this type of rig , and is it productive. The only part I'm not clear on is the rubber band. You put the rubber band on with a half hitch , does the line pass through the loop and connect to the line below the band ?

and how heavy of a rubber band do you use?

[jimcr]

My fav for fixed sliders is Alberta Clippers I hate rubber bands the Alberta Clipper snaps on your line making setup and removal a breeze. I use sliders a lot the true fun is when you get multiple fish on the same rod.

yea thats a video I would love to see a couple of 15lbs on one line.

[1mainiac]

never had 2 big fish on at once but have dbld on Steelhead several times. Used to dbl on coho down south may have to try it next weekend.

[jimcr]

this may be important if your going to run stackers how heavy of line should you run?

[Adam Bomb]

I run 20# mono on my rigger rods.

[jimcr]

I was concerned that running stackers on 20lb line might not be large enough.I am also running 20lb on my rigger and dipsy rods.

[Adam Bomb]

20# on the riggesr is plenty IMO. Never had any problems with it.

Id definitely beef up your dipsey rods. Your in for allot of lost tackle with 20# mono on them. Theres allot of torque there when you combine the pull of a dipsey, lure combo and a big salmon knocking the daylights outta it. Id go to braid in the 30-50# range. I use power pro.

[xpndbl3]

I run 80 pound power pro on my dipsies and never have to worry about cranking down on a big king when running large meat rig setups. Lots of money in tackle on that line to lose it because you are running too small a line.

[jimbobber]

Braid or fire line cuts the water better and does not have any stretch so it will pop easier when you are pulling lines as well.I stack my riggers all the time( if i have enough guys on board),I run the top one longer ( 20 back on the lower and 30 back on the upper)for the fish that drop back from the lower bait,I will also run a free slider (6 foot)on the top rod as well if i'm in deep enough water.Our riggers do very well for us all summer long. jimbobber

[Tad Pole]

I also use the Alberta clipper fixed sliders and i seldom run free sliders and never run stacker's anymore. We have four riggers on the boat and sometimes i think thats to many,the reason i don't run stacker's is i would rather run another lead core or a dipsey.

[Polar Bear]

A free slider is a 6 foot peice of mono with a snap swivel on each end. Put a spoon on one end. After your downrigger is set take the other end of the the mono and attach it to your line. It will slide down to the belly in your line between the tip of your rod and where it is attached at the cannon ball. When a fish hits the slider your release at the cannon ball will trip and the swivel will slide down to the other bait. Land you fish and enjoy.

I just started doing this year ........and let me tell you it works like a charm .....I run Spinnies 10 feet from the ball 40 feet down , slide the spoon an a 5' piece of florocarbon with a Michigan Stinger wammy my catch rate went up ....I was averaging 4 fish per trip , now 14 fish per trip usually 3 bigger fish on the Spindoctors and from 7-10 fish on the spoon slider that I would have never gotten before....I feel like KING DING ALING of the Lakers at my home Lake Raystown.....BUT ......MY BIGGER FISH ARE ALWAYS ON THE SPIN DOCTOR FLY COMBO

[zollerj]

when running a slider above a spinnie don't you end up with a big mess? I always ran double spoons when using sliders to avoid tangles. I can see ths working with a spoon stacked above a spin dr. If this dosen't cause tangles i might be interested in trying it. I was just afraid of the headache...