When you're letting the ball down as you pull the lever I put my thumb on the flat part of the drum and use a bit of pressure on it to control the speed and to slow it down as you get to the proper depth,saves on the wear and tear on the clutch.Check your stops if you are using the plastic stoppers they slip and the line is pulled up to much ,it will almost always result in losing your release clip,when the ball surfaces.I use brass stoppers crimped to the line,no slippage and cheaper than new release clips.Depending on the age of the downriggers see what plug they have on them the new twist locks have been working well for me this season.Try to mount your plugs out of the weather if you can the last 3 boats i've wired I have done that cuts down on problems.DAN