Lead core: which brand, weight do you use?

[Waconia Walleye Guy]

Greetings!
I am entering the world of lead core and want to know which brands and weights you feel give the best results. I will primarily use lead core for 'eyes athough lakers, pike, etc could be on the agenda as well.

I am starting with Tuf-line 18 lb. although a Pro buddy favors a heavier i.e. 25-30 lb version.

What do you think?

Thanks in advance!
Michael in Waconia MN

[j9f]

I like Mason leadcore.

I use 27#, but I use it for Salmon. If I were to use it for eyes, I'd go 18#.

[Gilligan unlogged]

I am switching from 18# to 27#. The only thing different is the strength of the sheath. I was misinformed in that I was told the 18 was a smaller diameter, it is not I have put micrometers to them both and they are identical so why not use the stronger of the 2 as they both react in the water the same...

[jwhite58502]

That is VERY interesting as I was told the same thing by a couple of pro's. Darn now I gotta upgrade to 27#. Thanks for the info.

good luck

jwhite58502

[j9f]

The diameter of 18 vs 27 may be brand dependant.

I read an interesting article once where they weighted 100 yards of leadcore from a half dozen different manufacturers. They also recorded diameter. If I remember correctly the Cortland was the heaviest. There was quite a bit of difference between mfg's.

I have always wondered who makes the Cabelas brand? I've stayyed away from it because I was told that Guttebro (just a guess on spelling) is very prone to breakage.

[Jim Carroll]

>That is VERY interesting as I was told the same thing by a
>couple of pro's. Darn now I gotta upgrade to 27#. Thanks for
>the info.
>
>good luck
>
>jwhite58502

It may vary by manufacturer. If somebody knows which brand has the same outside diameter in 18-27lb. line class post up.

Of the 4 brands I have tried (Cortland, Magibraid, Western Filament, Guedebrod) I've found that the 18lb. weight line has the best weight to diameter ratio. I would use 27 lb. line for walleyes only if I was fishing in flooded trees or other snaggy conditions, or perhaps when speed trolling in shallow water where I needed the extra "lift" the increased diameter will give. I think you will quickly find out that if you change line strengths from 18 to 27lbs. using the same manufacturer's line, you will not be able to put as many colors on a reel like a Daiwa SG47LC. That's been my experience.

Here is some info from Cortland's site:

http://www.cortlandline.com/catalog/2005sport.pdf

You'll note from their site that all their lines from 18lb. and up all have the same lead "core" and that they achieve higher breaking strengths only by thickening the outer nylon sheath as there is no strength in the lead "core" itself.

Here is another explanation I found on the WWW.

"Cortland uses two sizes of lead insert, one size for their 14# test, and a larger diameter for 18# -- 60#. This means that except for 14#, the weight of the lead remains the same for all line strengths. The weight of the line (core and case) is measured in grains (gr) per 10 foot section: 14# - 46 gr, 18# - 110 gr, 27# - 114 gr, 36# - 118 gr, 45# - 124 gr, 60# - 131 gr. The minor differences in total weight are attributable solely to the weight of the casing (stronger, thicker, heavier). One (1) ounce equals 437.5 grains. Therefore 10 feet of 36# test line weights approximately 1/4 ounce. For you trivia buffs a grain is an old English standard said to be the average weight of a "grain" of wheat taken from the center of the head.

Keep in mind that stronger line, besides being more expensive, is thicker. Thicker line uses up reel capacity, thus limiting the total amount of the line you can spool."

I've found that the thicker line, while heavier, does not fish as efficiently as the thinner diameter line especially at speed and or in current. Lots of river rats use 15lb. for this reason. Hope this helps some. Jim Carroll NPAA #333

[TravisC]

ive been running the cabelas lead for the last 4 years and never had a problem with it and i use it alot. i have found that it has a smaller diameter than the western brand in the same test but works just as good.

[Cabelas broke]

Two weeks ago I spooled up with some cabelas 18# and hit the water. Dropped back a Reef Runner and and caught a piece of junk only minutes into it and began cranking it in to take off the debris. Line broke with about three and a half colors out. Lead whipped around the first eyelet and I was able to save the crank, but I was scratching my head wondering how it would break so easy?

Maybe just a bad batch? Went back to snap weights for now.