The independent fishing rod is set in a holder attached to the downrigger or placed directly behind it on the gunwale. A bow is placed in the rod by tightening the line between it and the release on the downrigger cable. As tension on the line is released, the rod appears to snap straight up and allows the angler to play the fish without excess line weight. The downrigging unit is typically mounted on the stern or along the rear side of the boat. Cable length is usually up to 200 feet.
Manual cranks are standard, but more sophisticated units are electrically powered.
Electric downriggers raise and lower weight via a 12-volt motor. Walker electric downriggers shut off if needed when the weight reaches the arm on retrieval via an automatic thermal overload. An optional auto-stop can be had on any model of electric to stop the ball at any distance desired from the boom tip. This allows cable to unravel when weight becomes entangled or caught on an obstruction. On Walker manual units, the clutch is built onto the handle, allowing weight to be lowered and retrieved quickly with one hand.