Releasable mechanism for fishing line

A device for releasably connecting a fish trolling line to an underwater downrigger device comprising a bracket, means for attaching the bracket to the downrigger device under water so that the bracket remains in a relatively vertically fixed and vertically oriented underwater position with respect to the downrigger device while trolling, a pair of line snubbing devices on said bracket with which a portion of the fishing line is adapted to be connected, one of said line snubbing devices comprising a pair of laterally disposed, closely spaced stud means located on the upper portion of the bracket between which a portion of the line extending downwardly from a fishing rod is adapted to be extended, then wrapped tightly around both stud means and then extended tautly to the hereinafter mentioned resilient gripping means, whereby the rearward water drag on the portion of the line extending downwardly from the fishing rod to the bracket is ineffective to release the line from said stud means, said stud means being located on the bracket so that in the trolling position of the bracket the laterally spaced stud means extend generally horizontally rearwardly relative to the trolling direction so that an axial rearward pull on the trailing end of the line is effective to freely unwind and thereby release the line from engagement with the stud means, the other of said line snubbing devices being located on the lower portion of said bracket and comprising a means for resiliently gripping an intermediate portion of the line and adapted to release the line engaged therewith when the portion of the line trailing the bracket in the water is subjected to a pull in a rearward direction of at least predetermined strength, said gripping means also being adapted to retain said intermediate portion of the line extending between and engaged by said stud and gripping means in a taut condition, whereby a fishing line from a rod is adapted to be extended down to said bracket in a relatively taut condition and an intermediate portion of the line wrapped around said stud means and then engaged with said resilient line gripping means so that, when the rearward trailing bait end of the line is subjected to a rearward pull of predetermined strength by a fish striking the biat, the trailing end of the line is first released from the resilient gripping means and a continued rearward pull on the trailing end portion of the line then unwinds the line from the stud means to release the line from the bracket.