On Lake Ontario the regulation states that for every one angler, you can have two rods.  This helps anglers cover various depths and different baits so they can find out what the fish are after on that particular day.  On many occasions I find myself out for a quick night run for a few hours before the sun sets.  Although 2 rods are more than sufficient, having a third would be great when trying to locate fish within the water column on the slower days.

One way to add a second lure to your line is by clipping a cheater line to your main.  This is completely legal; in fact most anglers do this until they find a pattern.

How to make a cheater rig?

Take 4-6 feet of quality fluorocarbon leader material.  Tie a quality snap swivel to each end of the piece of fluorocarbon.  Use a palomar knot for each snap swivel.  This is your cheater line.

How to attach a cheater rig?

Your main line of your downrigger rod is attached to a release clip at the downrigger ball.  Drop the downrigger ball to the preferred depth, and you’re half way there.  The line from the tip of your rod to your release clip will essentially bow in the water column away from the boat due to the resistance of moving forward.  Take the snap swivel of the cheater line that is not connected to the lure and clip it to main line right at the tip of the rod.  Throw the lure in the water and it will slide down to the cusp of the bow in the line, approx. half way to the downrigger ball.  This will allow you to fish different depths on one line.

What happens when a fish hits the cheater line?

Two things happen when a fish hits the cheater line.  It could go to the surface or it could slide down the main line at the bottom.  If the fish swims to the surface, reel down as hard as you can until your line is tight to the release clip. You can free the line from the release clip by setting the hook.  Once you’ve done that, reel as quickly as possible so that you’re directly connected to the fish.  If the fish goes down, it will most likely release the line from the clip and your rod will snap up.  Grab the rod and reel as fast as you can so that you are connected to the fish.

Once you find a pattern, you can eliminate the cheater lines if you wish or keep them on to cover even more water.  Try this technique and I guarantee you’ll put more fish in the boat.

Gear Review:  Specifically for my cheater lines and leaders on any of my tackle when downrigging I exclusively use Seaguar Premier in 20-50lb test.  By far this is the best brand on the market with its high tolerance to abrasion and level of strength.  One spool should last you a whole season, so buy the good
 stuff.

 http://www.seaguar.com/products/fluoro-premier.htm