OK, look at it this way:

You have two forces pulling on the release while trolling. Above is the load of the rod and the water drag on the line. Below is the water drag of the bait (and attractor). The d'rigger release line is angled up at probably about 65 degrees. A pull on the bait yanks the release downward. With a short leash, you see very little movement at the rod. The longer the release, the more movement. To exaggerate, picture a 1" leash compared to a 6' leash. If the release is yanked down from 65 degrees to 35 degrees, the short leash moves about 1/4" where the 5' leash moves about 2' down.

Eh? ;\)
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