i'm setup pretty much identical with Jeffhead and have never had any problem with my scottys. I, too, would love to have electrics like my buddy has, but what I have works. I don't have a black box, but have my weights tied to a loop of 60 pound dacron (so they can break off in an emergency, like snagging bottom) and to provide an insulation from the stainless wire(you do not want dissimilar metals touching or too near each other as they create an underwater battery). Something I read in a canadian downrigger tips section. I like the offshore mediums as they are reliable and you can vary the amount of tension by how deeply you place the line into the clips.