Leadcore Fishing

[Tyler Voss]

Just got set up for leadcore fishing, but confused on getting down to the correct depth and what size rapalas to use. I understand the whole [30 feet per color] sinks 5' per color, but what about the size of the leader. I know some people say 10' and some say alot longer. How does that affect the depth of the plug. You have to account that into how much line you let out too? Lastly rapalas dive at different depths. Do you go of the chart and let out that much leadcore? Thanks for the help.

[tunrevir]

First off, good for you! Way to try a new technique to put fish in the boat. You are correct for the most part about 5' per color. Leader length varies from individual to individual but 10-50' isn't uncommon with around 25 being one of the most common lengths. I prefer to run shorter leads say 10-15' using a 10/4 fireline or 8 lb mono depending on the conditions I am working in. If you go with longer leads then you will want to know the dive curves that those cranks will reach on x amount of line(leader) to give you a feel for the depths you are reaching. With shallow running baits like stick baits it is fair to assume even on a 25' lead that the bait is only going to travel 1-3 feet below the tag end of the LC. If you are running deeper diving cranks then you will want to know the dive curve for the #test and length of leader you are running to know a close proximity as to where your baits are. The trollers bible is a huge help here and has most of the newer style cranks in it for quick reference. This can shorten your learning curve immensely. If you don't have a trollers bible then you can simply start deep and work your way in shallow till your baits contact bottom and record the speed and the depth in a note book for each crank you are using. Another method is to just let line out a few feet at a time and take note when your bait first contacts bottom and write in a notebook with the speed, depth of grounding and type of bait used making your own "trollers bible" to consult with.

Tunrevir~

[Tyler Voss]

Thanks for all the info. I already feel more knowledgeable in what to try after reading that. I also plan on picking up The trollers bible and getting it fine tuned before the time comes. Thanks again for the help.

Was just looking for the trollers bible and see its tough to find. Any tips on where to get one?

[JohnMickish]

I run a 10' fireline leader. Why you ask only 10'? Because I'm lazy and don't like math.

Leadcore sinks at a constant rate, all depending on speed. We all know that. If you run a 10' leader or a 50' leader, the same amount of leadcore will be at the same depth no matter what the leader lengh is. Leadcore is the sonstant here.

The variable is your leader length. at 10' the dive curve is pretty much non existant so that is not really a factor, but at 50' it is defintily a factor.

If you run a 50' leader you will need to know the dive for 50' out on that particular lure. Say it's 4' down at 50' out. Now say you want to fish 20' down. With a 10' leader it's a no brainer, 4 colors or 120' of line. (Keep in mind that these numbers I am throwing out there are all relative and for reference only). With a 50' leader you need to add in that 4' dive to your leadcore depth. If you run the same 120' of lead, your lure will now be at 24' down (20'+4'=24 feet). You will need to run a little more than 3 colors (5'X3=15') plus what it takes to get that extra 1 foot.

That's all pretty easy math, but now you want to change to a different lure or different size. Now you have to look at the book and redo the math. Say you are running 4 or 6 rods, with a couple of different lures and it can be a headache. Did I mention I don't like math??

There are times where a long leader will put more fish in the boat but I try as hard as I can to keep the leader short to keep things easy.

Now if you are only going to run a #7 Shad Rapp then by all means commit the dive curve to memory and run a long leader but I've got 3 rubbermaid 18 gallon storage tubs full of 3700 size Plano boxes each one full of crankbaits. My brain ins't big enough to keep all that strait and remember to breath.

Good luck and have fun, it's a great way to fish especially with kids or elders.

[JohnMickish]

Was just looking for the trollers bible and see its tough to find. Any tips on where to get one?

The trollers bible is now out of print and is going all digital. If you want one I'd search all the dark corners of the internet to find one and buy it now before they are all gone.

[Tyler Voss]

Thanks for clearing everything up mnfishinguy. The more I learn, the more I'm excited to try this out! I seen they were going digital. I read a post from January 22 of a prototype coming out. Hopefully its soon because I searched for the paper book for a while with no luck.

[Hoffer]

I dont want to hijack your thread...but I have been interested in lead core as well.

My biggest concern is regarding the "feel" when reeling in a fish. Do you feel you still get the same amount of fun reeling in a bigger walleye on lead core than you would mono? I ask this question having NO experience so far with lead core line...but it just seems to me that it would be "heavy" and you would lose the feel of the fish fighting when bringing it in??

Thoughts?

[tunrevir]

Hoffer, you will actually get a bit more feel when fighting a fish on leadcore because the line has relatively no stretch.

Tunrevir~

[outdrzman78]

eyeslayer- if you look on the bay you will find them.

[JohnMickish]

I think you will find that fighting the fish will be harder to do than with "normal" tackle, especially larger fish. As mentioned above, leadcore has zero stretch and you will probably be using a rod with lots of bend to absorb the hits without tearing the lure out of the fishes mouth.

Plus, you will be still moving forward (you don't stop the boat to fight the fish, leadcore sinks and if you stop the boat the remaining lines in the water will fall to the bottom and snag up on junk). So, you are moving at 2MPH or so with no stretch line, even a little fish can be very misleading until you see it.

[hanson]

Its definitely good to learn how deep certain lengths of lead sink at various speeds, and then add your dive curve in etc, etc. Don't make it a mathematical challenge though. Keep letting line out until your crankbait starts digging bottom and then crank in 4,5,6 cranks of line to get it off the bottom. You can fine tune exact depth from there but you'll know that 180' on the linecounter in a certain depth of water at 2mph you are digging bottom.

Obviously won't work for suspended fish but fish near the bottom, just find out where the bottom is and crank up a bit. Sometimes you want that crank ticking bottom every so often.

[Hoffer]

Thanks! Might have to give a try this year!

[Stick in Mud]

Thanks for all the info, guys. I know this issue comes up every year, but it's nice to hear new viewpoints...I'm also planning on giving it a try this year if I can scrounge up some cash for new rods/reels/line. This fishing this is expensive.

If I were pulling leadcore with only one other person in the boat, would it be wise to use planer boards, or doesn't it matter? And I see that there are specific "trolling rods" out there....are these necessary for pulling leadcore, or can I use some of my softer tipped (but still fairly stout) bass / catfish rods? I also see that Shakespeare has some Ugly Stick models that appear to be pretty close to the weight/action of the trolling rods....are these a viable option, too?

Sorry for all the questions.

[JohnMickish]

To planer board or not to planer board, that is the question...

Let me put it to you this way, a planer board WONT keep you from catching fish. Experiment and see what works best for you.

[JohnMickish]

Hanson has some great pointers about letting it hit bottom first. That is a great way to learn the depth of your gear, but if it's snaggy or heavily infested with zebs it might not work the best.

[jwmiller33]

Planer boards are definitely not necessary to catch fish with a leadcore setup, but like mnfishinguy said, they definitely won't hurt either.

[JohnMickish]

Here is a funny deal about planer boards. I friend of mine was up on Lake of the Woods last summer trolling cranks over the reefs and doing ok. They decided to put on boards and the catch rate when WAY up. LOW is not known for it's water clarity, but this is a case where spreading things out away from the boat worked very well.

[Stick in Mud]

I've heard similar things, mnfishinguy. The vast majority of my trolling would be deep on Mille Lacs. Yes, the water is clear, but it's also more than thirty feet deep most of the time. I dunno...I'll probably buy a few just to try them out.

[jwmiller33]

the walleye in my avitar was caught on leadcore... without a board... in 5 fow.... in the dark on mille lacs! haha!

[hanson]

the walleye in my avitar was caught on leadcore... without a board... in 5 fow.... in the dark on mille lacs! haha!

What a joke... just like the rest of your posts. Staff?? LOL!

[TruthWalleyes]

I've heard similar things, mnfishinguy. The vast majority of my trolling would be deep on Mille Lacs. Yes, the water is clear, but it's also more than thirty feet deep most of the time. I dunno...I'll probably buy a few just to try them out.

I've been in 32' on mille lacs and the two rods on planer boards were going, and not a bite on the leadcore. But, it was also glass calm out on the mud so getting the lines out and away from the boat was necessary! I've got planer boards, and they rarely get used, but there are certain times...