I have used the luhr jensen one (can't remember what it is called)off and on for 25 years and have had some success. I used em almost exclusively for blackmouth for an entire season fishing out of Oak Harbor. I limited most times out or at least caught one. The visibility that year was terrible due to the Skagit and many storms and high winds. I did not use a flasher or anything just the herring off the downrigger. Did extremely well when I was the only one in the boat but my success rate dwindled to 50% or less when other people were with me. When alone in the boat I would pay closer attention to the rod and notice exactly where I was gettin bites and which direction I was goin and would then concentrate on that area duplicating the speed and direction that had produced the most "bites". It may have been my imagination but I was sure that I was gettin bites without actually hookin the fish, the indications were most times very subtle. Hard to believe that you could tell that you are gettin a hit while fishin 60-120 feet deep usin a downrigger. The area that I was fishin is a rather non-descript smooth mud bottom with not much in the way of structure. Hope these random ramblins are of some help.

Sincerely,
RRR