Lead Core

[ret swabby]

Looking for some tips with lead core. I have never used it before and wondering what some think of the ratio to one color out adds 2 feet extra depth.

Ole wally seems to disappear around mid june on my lake and I think that crankin down deeper would help. Just looking at option and Lead core looks interesting.

Swabby

[tunrevir]

Figure about 5' of depth for every color you let out of 18lb leadcore. The nice thing about the leadcore is it will rise and fall with speed changes but not as drastically as with a snap weight which will plummet on inside corners or with starts and stops. It is really alot of fun to play with, I like to run a 25' leader of mono or floro line. Hope this helps!

Tunrevir~

[PerchJerker]

Yep, extra 5' of depth for every color of 18 lb leadcore is the rule of thumb I use .... at about 2 - 2.5 mph.

[fishorgolf]

I like to use a line counter reel. I have a hard time remembering what day it is half the time.

[StrosLit31]

I just purchased a line counter reel recently and plan on putting lead core on it. I guess i wasnt planning on putting a mono leader at the end. Is this really needed when running crank baits? Advantage / disadvantage?

[HUNTINGBAILEY]

RUNNING A LEADER IS A MUST, BETTER ACTION WITH THE LURES, I TROLL THE ST.CROIX, I TYPICALLY USE A 6FT PIECE OF FIRELINE FOR A LEADER NO STRETCH AND DOESN'T NICK UP ON ROCKS AND GRAVEL. I USE A SWIVEL ATTACHED TO THE LEAD CORE AND THEN THE LEADER LESS LINE TWIST. THE NICE THING ABOUT LEAD CORE WITH A N0.5 SHAD RAP OR WALLIE DIVER, YOU LET OUT7 TO 8 COLRS AND CAN BANG BOTTOM IN 32-36 FT OF WATER.

[ret swabby]

WOW, Thanks for all the great info. I like to use fireline as a general rule for trolling cranks anyway. The line counter was my plan for the lead core presentation anyway but I wasn't sure on the color codes and relative depth each color represented. I take it a polmar knot will work with the lead core when I attach my swivel?

Thanks for all the great info. Now just have to get through the turkey season and can concentrate on open water.

Swabby

[tunrevir]

Retswabby, you can tie direct with the lead core to the swivel. Just push the nylon covering off the lead filament about four or five inches and tie a clinch knot and you are good to go. You really don't need a linecounter if you are running consistent depths but if you want to fine tune the presentation it is a bit nicer to have the counter. Just make sure the reel you are going to use is a high capacity reel as the leadcore can be a bit bulky.

Tunrevir~

[Questor]

I tried lead core on relatively small lakes of just a couple of thousand acres and it didn't work out for me. I needed more line out that I wanted to fish. I also couldn't feel anything. It was like I had no contact with the bait. Would I try it again? Yes, but on big water where I'm fishing particular running depth for long distances.

[Fish Head]

I've never used lead core so this might sound stupid, but where is the line when you start counting? Should the new color of line be just leaving the tip of the rod?

[iffwalleyes]

I count it at the water surface because that is true to what you actually have.

[tunrevir]

You can count it at the surface and that will give you the most accurate count as it goes out. As far as it not being very sensitive, man that stuff has no stretch whatsoever and the shorter the leader the more you'll feel it. It is not unlike fireline when you are fishing deep if you have a short lead to it. I use a graphite rod on my leadcore rigs and maybe that will make a difference on what you are feeling, but you want to have longer semi-straight runs to use it effectively in my opinion.

Tunrevir~ p.s.(not much strecth so what you feel is what is on the other end).

[PerchJerker]

Agree, lead is very sensitive, it is also very heavy and will put quite a bend in a soft rod.

Lead is very speed dependent, it will rise and fall on turns, or as you speed up and slow down.

The combination of the weight and the slow sink can work to slow down or smooth out the 'herky-jerky' action that gets applied to lures trolling with superline in wavey conditions - sometimes that's a good thing, sometimes that's a bad thing.

One of the first 'big' walleye tournaments (PWT I think) that was won with leadcore was done trolling a break that went from 5 feet to 10 feet. For the life of me I can't remember now who the pro was, but he would troll slower in 10 feet, faster in 5 feet, and effectively fish the whole break (all depths) with the same lures.

[ret swabby]

Great responses. I can see how lead line would rise and fall with the speed one is trolling. I am a bit surprised one would use lead core in 5 - 10 feet of water though. I will be doing alot of experimenting this summer that is for sure Gives me another reason to be on the water.

[PerchJerker]

I've never used it that shallow either, but you should think of it more as "depth control" instead of just "more depth".

[Mark13:33]

What reels hold up to 7 or 8 colors on them with the backing of mono necessary? The Sealines and others I have looked at appear to hold only 5 colors? Are these ratings underestimated or is there a reel out there that holds enough line without viewing the ocean magazine...

[ScottL]

the Daiwa 47's, the Shakespeare 45's and Penn 309 and 320GTI are all capable of holding 10 colors of lead(full spool) The Penn's are not line counters, but are high gear ratio reels, and believe me if you are running 7 or 8 colors out, you want a fast retreive reel.

[croixeyes]

As stated above,the Sealine47 will hold ten colors.I use 27lb test and get ten colors on my Sealines plus about 20ft of florocarbon leader.I use glass rods though for trolling instead of graphite,if you get hung up, the glass rods are much more forgiving.As for shallow water applications,trolling lead shallow works well cause lead tends to follow your trolling contours better than the longline approach,except when making very sharp turns.Fishing lead takes time to get use to but when you get it dialed in its an extremely effective method.