downrigger balls???

[byron]

bought a downrigger from cabelas and it came with a bare lead ball. Most balls you can buy always have a rubber coating over it and i was wondering that if i fished with the bare lead ball, would i have any problems with it or should i paint or put some type of protective coating over it??
thanks in advance.

[jim/UT]

I've been using the bare lead ball for years. Nothing wrong with it, it works. I agree, I'd prefer a painted one, but it doesn't bother me enough to make me paint it!

Jim

[Larry]

Unpainted (sounds better than bare balls) work just fine but if you want to experiment....try this. Hang them in your oven set at whatever temperature activates your brand of "powder paint". Leave them in at least an hour to be sure they get up to the correct point. Then remove them, hold them over a newspaper and use a shaker type container to coat the balls. If you then reheat them per your powder paint instructions, they're almost chip proof and you've got a huge selection of colors available.

[Phil T.]

Don't make them too pretty. You want the fish to notice the lure, not the cannon ball. Some local salmon anglers tried chrome-plated cannon balls a few years ago. None are doing it any more.

[KevinA]

Another option to cover the balls (and limit scratching anything) is to use the liquid vinyl you can buy for covering the handles of pliers, wrenches....it's PVC dissolved in toluene, put a couple coats on. Works great, mine have several years on them without any change in appearance.

[Gunga Din]

My lead balls are beat to crap from dragging and bouncing across the bottom. Who cares, as long as their shape isn't affected causing them to track off course.

[Steve(CO)]

I've read something about uncoated lead balls being a negative attractant for the fish. Something about too much negative charge (I think). Any thoughts on this? I got the free uncoated lead ball with my downrigger but bought a second, coated one for that reason. Can't remember where I read this right now.

[Phil T.]

Considering the extremely slow rate of corrosion of lead in fresh water, I'd forget where you read that, too.

[MR.Pike]

Exactly,,I think that is a saltwater issue. I've got a buddy who is a salmon"head". He ;layed with the positive ion stuff on the great lakes and came to no real conclusion on whether or not it made a diff.




<;{{{{{<<( Mr.Pike

[GORD]

Painted / Unpainted ???? No great advantage /disadvantage either way. Personally, if there is no reason to do something, I don't do it. OOPS...(take my advice,I'm not using it) I just painted my anchor. CABIN FEVER perhaps ??? lol