Well here is a tip concerning downrigger cables.
There are four things on the end of all my downrigger cables prior to the weights and I can change them out quickly. I have never timed it, but probably just a couple of minutes. If you do get a birds nest, I have pretty much learned – don’t miss with it just cut it out and be done with it. It’s not worth my time and it will usually end up creating other problems anyway resulting in lost gear. Yes, that applies to braid, also.
If you use ‘Cannon Terminator Kit’, you are familiar with these items. If you are not – get familiar, it will save you a lot of time and money. Most I fish with, even friends with Scotty now use these:
1. cushion
2. terminator
3. snap swivel
4. snap swivel with an insulator.
Don’t go out and by those items in a ‘Cannon Terminator Kit’, if you watch and don’t lose your gear usually the only thing you will have to replace is the ‘Terminator’ itself. All the rest can be used over and over again for years and the individual parts can be purchased a lot cheaper here:
http://www.fish307.com/779100101-cushionsleeveterminator.aspx
http://www.fish307.com/769100100-terminator.aspx
http://www.fish307.com/789100620-snapswivel.aspx
http://www.fish307.com/342200148-snapandinsulator.aspx
You are going to get frays in braid (kinks using wire), I don’t care how careful or what you use. Don’t throw all that stuff away. Use it to rebuild your release clips when they get a fray or kink. And don’t throw any release clips away – rebuilding them is easy and a lot cheaper than buying new ones. Just take a good section of that bad wire, a couple of sleeves, and you are back as good as new. The pads on the release clips are also cheap and easily replaced.