I have never run a line off the ball. I often run two of f the same rigger and find it is workable but often a pain in the butt. (It seems like any strike, hooked fish or fouled lines are always on the bottom line necessitating rerigging the whole thing.

I find the key is to separate the line by enough vertical space that they have a hard time getting together. i.e. if the lines are to be set to run 20 feet behind the cable I want 20 feet of space between them vertically. As far as proper distance behind the clip you will find a lot of opinions on that. I usually run well back 25-50 ft if I am fishing lures that wiggle like Coyote spoons. If I am fishing something that will spin like a cut plug herring I go shorter, say 10 to 25 feet.

Great question. I am eager to see the answers.