That's a total BS ticket. How many of us have been in a boat and deployed others rods before? Probably most of us. I think there are a lot of guys who don't trust their wives/kids/newbie buddies to deploy their downrigger and a $10 flasher. Your rod most definitely is not under your control when you have one hand on the rigger, and the other on your buddies' rod (sorry no way to make that last sentence innuendo free).

The intent was not to fish with two rods, but to get the other person's rod in the water. I always let our my daughter's rod for her.