help trolling with drop weights please [Archive]

SS2

05-19-2009, 08:48 PM

OK...20 plus is if you hang a 1 oz snap weight 20 ft in front of a crankbait it will add 33% more depth to the dive curve. Explained in detail in the more recent editions of PT.

For clarification - drop weights are hunks of lead used by deep water fishermen that are designed to drop off the line after you connect with a fish. Not sure how popular they are nowdays. Also remember all the information that follows applies to the depth of the sinker.

PT has depth info on smaller sizes of snap weights, not the stuff I'd use to get 50 ft but applicable for getting to maybe 30 ftish. I think the big water edition has some info on heavier weights but don't recall details.

You can likely dig up a lot more by searching "snapweights" and/or "snap weights" but below is some info I had stashed away on the pc. I don't know if the links will still work & I'm not checking tonite but here is a quick intro: With the 45 or 60 degree program discussed below you use enough weight to maintain a 45 degree (or 60) line angle to the water. The faster and/or deeper you go, the more weight you need to use to maintain the correct line angle. You'll likely want 2 to 8 oz weights for your end of the lake (hint if you can't find heavy stuff 2X4=8). IMO, 1.7 mph is going to be right near the very upper end of the max practical speed for the depths and weights involved. It can be a really good program for pulling spinners at slower speeds.

This is unconfirmed info from an unknown source but: 1.6-1.8 on a 4 oz. bb with 15/4 Power Pro at 80-90 feet will reportedly get you 35-45 ft

You can pull up to about 4 oz with in-lines. The key to dead on accuracy with the 45 or 60 degree program is maintaining the correct line angle. Before snap weights became popular rubber bands were used. You half-hitched a band to a bell sinker or two & then half-hitched the other end of the band to your line. The right band would break when it hit the 1st eye on your rod (positioned so the sinkers dropped in the boat)

BTW, the red offshores with the pin work well, Church clips will handle really heavy weights OK but they can come off when out of the water if they are only about 10 ft in front of a big fish. Any bell type sinker works but the bannana shaped trolling sinkers found in eastern OH baitshops are not the ticket.

If you wanna run diving cranks, the 20+ method is a good way to go but some central basin guys will use 2 or even 3 oz about 30-50 ft in front of the bait to get deep divers deeper ( and/or run 100/50 programs). Your on your own for depths though.

If you attach a snap weight 50 ft back from the bait changes in speed and depth will be more gradual and less "jerky" than if the weight is closer to the bait (5-10 ft lead snap weight or in-line sinker).

A lot of guys dispense with most of this nonsense and pick a depth to target and then based on experience start out with say 1 oz of lead on one side of the boat and run 30, 40, & 50 ft leads or whatever. Then do the same thing with 2 oz on the other side of the boat and fine tune based on what the fish want.

Good Luck

Here's the copy & paste:

Making your own curves is a good plan. I would try it pulling a couple of spinners though just to see how much lift they cause at the speeds your running. Big blades cause considerable drag especially when you approach 2 mph.

Here's another program if you can run short leads:
http://walleye.outdoorsfirst.com/winnebago/45.htm

The article kinda fine-tunes the 45 degree program. The link for their chart doesn't work but you can make your own quickly with a calculator that has a square root key --- a2 + b2 = c2 so, a2 is the depth you want, b2 is the distance back from the boat, c2 is the length of line required to equal a2 + b2

For some checks so you know your right:
2 ft depth requires 2.8 ft of line at a 45 degree angle
a2 = 2 squared = 2 X 2 = 4
a2 = b2 so,
4+4 = 8 = c2
c2 = sq root of 8 = 2.8 = amt of line needed to go 2.8 ft down if you maintain a 45 degree line angle.

10 ft = 14.1
15 ft = 21.2
20 ft = 28.3
25 ft = 35
30 ft = 42
40 ft - 57 ft of line

There is also a formula for a 60 degree line angle that I don't know. Here's a 60 degree table made by a friend:
5=10
10=20
15=30
20=40
25=50
30=60
35=70
40=80
45=90
50=100

Precision Trolling snap weight curve is based on speed & weight. The PT 7th edition covers 1/2,3/4,1, 1.5,2, & 3 oz weights with depth ranges for speeds of 1,1.5,& 2 mph. Each range is 4 ft if that makes sense. PT also has a good intro.

http://www.walleyecentral.com/dc/dcboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=14&topic_id=47026&mode=full

http://www.walleyecentral.com/dc/dcboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=3&topic_id=261427&mode=full


Walleye Message Central > Walleye Message Central > Strictly Fishing > help trolling with drop weights please PDA : help trolling with drop weights please rebs 05-19-2009, 08:36 AM I have heard about trolling with drop weights, using a 2 ounce weight and speed of 1mph let out line however far back from the drop weight you want the lure to be and then clip on a 2 ounce drop weight, then let out line one foot for every foot of depth you want and clip on a planer board. How accurate is this and what if the fish want a faster speed, how do you adjust for different trolling speed to get the depth you want ? For instance I want to troll at 1.7 mph and have the lure at 25 foot depth, would you use a heavier weight or how much line would you let out ? Would this system work on erie at depths of 50 or more feet ? Manxfishing 05-19-2009, 12:41 PM I believe your talking about snap weights You should invest in a Precesion trolling book Your talking about the 50/50 method and the dive cures are in the book Plus you'll have the dive curves for all the lures As far as fishing 50' down. Allot depends on the dive curve of the lure that you trolling I know I can fish reef runners useing the 20 plus method 35' down rebs 05-19-2009, 05:26 PM I believe your talking about snap weights You should invest in a Precesion trolling book Your talking about the 50/50 method and the dive cures are in the book Plus you'll have the dive curves for all the lures As far as fishing 50' down. Allot depends on the dive curve of the lure that you trolling I know I can fish reef runners useing the 20 plus method 35' down what is the 20 plus method ? Manxfishing 05-19-2009, 08:15 PM Rebs, THe 20 plus method is A 1 oz snap weight 20' in front of the lure will dive 33% more So a reef runner 200' back is 28' down, add 1/3 more it's a little over 37' down Every thing is covered in the book it's well worth the money SS2 05-19-2009, 08:48 PM OK...20 plus is if you hang a 1 oz snap weight 20 ft in front of a crankbait it will add 33% more depth to the dive curve. Explained in detail in the more recent editions of PT. For clarification - drop weights are hunks of lead used by deep water fishermen that are designed to drop off the line after you connect with a fish. Not sure how popular they are nowdays. Also remember all the information that follows applies to the depth of the sinker. PT has depth info on smaller sizes of snap weights, not the stuff I'd use to get 50 ft but applicable for getting to maybe 30 ftish. I think the big water edition has some info on heavier weights but don't recall details. You can likely dig up a lot more by searching "snapweights" and/or "snap weights" but below is some info I had stashed away on the pc. I don't know if the links will still work & I'm not checking tonite but here is a quick intro: With the 45 or 60 degree program discussed below you use enough weight to maintain a 45 degree (or 60) line angle to the water. The faster and/or deeper you go, the more weight you need to use to maintain the correct line angle. You'll likely want 2 to 8 oz weights for your end of the lake (hint if you can't find heavy stuff 2X4=8). IMO, 1.7 mph is going to be right near the very upper end of the max practical speed for the depths and weights involved. It can be a really good program for pulling spinners at slower speeds. This is unconfirmed info from an unknown source but: 1.6-1.8 on a 4 oz. bb with 15/4 Power Pro at 80-90 feet will reportedly get you 35-45 ft You can pull up to about 4 oz with in-lines. The key to dead on accuracy with the 45 or 60 degree program is maintaining the correct line angle. Before snap weights became popular rubber bands were used. You half-hitched a band to a bell sinker or two & then half-hitched the other end of the band to your line. The right band would break when it hit the 1st eye on your rod (positioned so the sinkers dropped in the boat) BTW, the red offshores with the pin work well, Church clips will handle really heavy weights OK but they can come off when out of the water if they are only about 10 ft in front of a big fish. Any bell type sinker works but the bannana shaped trolling sinkers found in eastern OH baitshops are not the ticket. If you wanna run diving cranks, the 20+ method is a good way to go but some central basin guys will use 2 or even 3 oz about 30-50 ft in front of the bait to get deep divers deeper ( and/or run 100/50 programs). Your on your own for depths though. If you attach a snap weight 50 ft back from the bait changes in speed and depth will be more gradual and less "jerky" than if the weight is closer to the bait (5-10 ft lead snap weight or in-line sinker). A lot of guys dispense with most of this nonsense and pick a depth to target and then based on experience start out with say 1 oz of lead on one side of the boat and run 30, 40, & 50 ft leads or whatever. Then do the same thing with 2 oz on the other side of the boat and fine tune based on what the fish want. Good Luck Here's the copy & paste: Making your own curves is a good plan. I would try it pulling a couple of spinners though just to see how much lift they cause at the speeds your running. Big blades cause considerable drag especially when you approach 2 mph. Here's another program if you can run short leads: http://walleye.outdoorsfirst.com/winnebago/45.htm The article kinda fine-tunes the 45 degree program. The link for their chart doesn't work but you can make your own quickly with a calculator that has a square root key --- a2 + b2 = c2 so, a2 is the depth you want, b2 is the distance back from the boat, c2 is the length of line required to equal a2 + b2 For some checks so you know your right: 2 ft depth requires 2.8 ft of line at a 45 degree angle a2 = 2 squared = 2 X 2 = 4 a2 = b2 so, 4+4 = 8 = c2 c2 = sq root of 8 = 2.8 = amt of line needed to go 2.8 ft down if you maintain a 45 degree line angle. 10 ft = 14.1 15 ft = 21.2 20 ft = 28.3 25 ft = 35 30 ft = 42 40 ft - 57 ft of line There is also a formula for a 60 degree line angle that I don't know. Here's a 60 degree table made by a friend: 5=10 10=20 15=30 20=40 25=50 30=60 35=70 40=80 45=90 50=100 Precision Trolling snap weight curve is based on speed & weight. The PT 7th edition covers 1/2,3/4,1, 1.5,2, & 3 oz weights with depth ranges for speeds of 1,1.5,& 2 mph. Each range is 4 ft if that makes sense. PT also has a good intro. http://www.walleyecentral.com/dc/dcboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=14&topic_id=47026&mode=full http://www.walleyecentral.com/dc/dcboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=3&topic_id=261427&mode=full