What lbs. test for leadcore?

[Wallygetter]

What lbs. test do most of you use when trolling with leadcore, 17 or 27? Also, how long is your leader of mono and what type, Trilene, Florocarbon, or other? Anything else you can add about trolling with leadcore would be greatly appreciated. Thank You, Wallygetter

[Kdog]

Walleyegetter,
My setup for local lakes leadcore fishing(different than Erie) is 18lb leadcore tied on to a small barrell swivel that can pass threw the guides,a 10 Ft leader of 15lb. copolymer leader such as Silver Thread.My reasoning for the heavier leader is i fish my lead fairly close to the bottom and alot of structure if i do snag up i loose alot less lures with the heavier leader.A copolymer is also thinner than a similar sized mono too and tougher.My experience has been that the heavier leader catches just as many fish as say a 10lb mono leader.If i was to fish Erie i would definately switch to a longer leader say 50ft or so and may even go with a Florocarbon.But it has been my experience that lead core has been a very precision technique to get lures down to about 30 ft.Any deeper than that theres better ways to do it.Also remember to use a very whipy rod especially if you go with the shorter leaders.Leadcore doesnt stretch.GoodLuck,Kdog(Keith Walters)

[Sunshine]

18 pound leadcore with 50 foot leader of 10 pound berkley xt. It acts as a shock obsorber. Remember that not all leadcore is created equal. Use the same manufacturers leadcore on all reels to assure repeatability.

[Chad]

I use 18lb leadcore with a 30' fireline leader. Each color of lead is 30'(10 yds) that is why I go with 30' leader. Everything is 30'

I treat lead just like fireline since it doesn't strech. Use a little softer rod tip.

All leadcore sinks at the same rate. The lb test reflects the dacron covering.

[s.f.]

my buddy, mr. leadcore, (i mean ron seelhoff), told me, as he thought i asked a dumb question about leader length, that whatever it takes to hook the lure onto the reel for storing is the length he uses. go figure...
#49

[Sunshine]

I do not agree that all leadcore sinks at the same rate. Look at the two leading suppliers and pull some lead. Do they look like they have the same diameter and weight? All leadcore is not created equal.

[steve]

magibraid leadcore all the way. I use 15 lbs leadcore, works great. Have won many tourn with it. use an 8 foot light action rod and tie 10 foot of leader right to the leadcore.

[MLD]

Sunshine, could you expand on what you've observed as to the differences between brands (what brands?) and their sink rates? I would appreciate the info. Thanks.

Mike

[Larry]

Most companies switch to a much smaller lead core below 18#. Above 18# the core is the same and only the outer cover increases slightly in diameter to facilitate the heavier breaking strength. The increased diameter will cause more water resistance with the net effect being that your bait will be higher in the water as you troll. The very slight increase in weight from the covering is more than offset by the diameter. This is the reason most use 18# for best diameter to weight ratio. The difference in the weight of the core material can be as much as .33 oz vs .72 oz per "color" when you go below/above 18#.

[Chad]

Let me clarify, different lb test of leadcoer made by the same manufacturer, will sink at near the same rate.

I guess I was assuming that most people will put the same kind of line on all their reels when using leadcore.

[Larry]

Chad, that's what I'm trying to say. These figures are from Gudebrod which is a major supplier of leadcore line. If you drop below 18# test, the lead is only 1/3 the weight that 18# and above has. They use the same lead core for all above and a different leadcore for all below. I can tell you from experience that the two won't run anywhere near each other for depth. The various # tests above 18# will be somewhat similar to each other but the main drawback in going "heavier" by test is the reduced line capacity on your reel due to increased line diameter.

[Chad]

So, what your really trying to say is that it's not rocket science?

Sometimes we all make things more complicated then they need to be.

[eyegetit]

I guess this comes under the "...and anything else you can add" category. I always try to remember to dunk my reels in the lake before I leave the dock. Your lead core line will reach depth quicker if the dacron/nylon sheathing is already soaked.