A No. 32 rubber band makes an inexpensive and dependable release for a line running the short distance to the propeller wash from a rod set in a stern holder.
Most anglers call this short-line arrangement a “flat line.” Capt. Jim Sabella ties the rubber band to the line and then loops it around a docking cleat.
The rubber band release is more dependable than a release clip like as those used with outriggers and downriggers; the tension never needs adjusting, and a rubber band doesn’t freeze up from corrosion or release prematurely if the bait is batted by an errant ocean swell, snags seaweed or in the event of a soft strike.
The rubber band even acts as shock absorber when a king mackerel or dolphin strikes, assuring that the line will not break at the take. When a fish strikes, the rubber band pops, the fish begins its first run and the fight is on.
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