Lead Core or Fireline

[Nellie]

I've heard more and more about Lead core.It seens to be real popular on the MWC.I would like to Know more about it? Is it better than a Fireline? What are the benifits? Do you fill your whole reel with? Any help would be great.
Thanks in advance

[byron]

fireline is an alternative to using mono. Leadcore gets your lure down deep and is an alternative to using weights on your line or a downrigger. Also, leadcore line has a very large diameter and needs a leader to be attached to your lure so you don't scare off the fish.
Some people put three colors of leadcore on their reels to hit the 25-35 ft depth while others spool all 10 colors of line on a large baitcaster to get deeper.
the book, "Precision Trolling" does a great job of explaning how lead core works.

[eye1]

Is one better than the other? For certain things each probably have their places.Using leadcore ,slower, means deeper which allows you to "swing" and pause a crank or spinner down the edge of a break because it sinks as you slow down.Leadcore also allows you to use non-diving type lures to pretty much any depth.The downside is it will sink right to the bottom if you go to slow or have to stop for some reason.Using Fireline or similar simply allows you to run diving baits deeper due to its thinner diameter.Additionally fireline has superb sensitivy so you can feel the vibration of the lure you are running.

[800proX]

i feel there are not comparable. they are 2 different lines used for different things IMHO. i use fireline for shallower instances and when i want to run a PRECISE depth i use the lead core. also you will need a different reel for leadcore and prolly different pole as well. we have used leadcore to great success on Mille Lacs and on Rainy lake. we were catching 4 - 8 pounders 30' down in 80' of water last fall on Rainy pulling lead core through the schools of ciscoes and between 4 guys, 2 boats, prolly caught 50 fish in that range in a couple of days.

i have tried, just out of curiosity, to catch using fireline when partner was using lead core and was ALWAYS outfished 5 to 1. remember these are conditions for deep water, suspended, aggressive fish that are trolled at of speeds up to 5 mph.

it takes some experimenting, but each has their own place in my boat, and when one worx (fireline shallower, lead deeper) it seems the other does not.

once again this is how i do it and in no way implies it is the right way - prolly just the opposite!!!!!

jeff

[bottomfeeder]

My first thought when I saw your post was two different lines for two different purposes. Then I remembered a video I saw by Parsons and Kavia???s that talked about using small diameter Fireline to get deep diving crankbaits down to depths that were previously only attainable using leadcore or snap weights. I don't know if this is to what you are refering, but I have used 10-4 Fireline and have reached almost 30' using large deep diving Thundersticks, or deep diving Reef Runners. I am still not convinced that these work better that using leadcore and shallow running baits, but it sure is easier to set up and use. I have had great success using core in deep water at Erie and Bay de Noc.

Bottomfeeder

[GORD]

Leadcore fishing line is a braided line with a thin lead thread running through the center. Leadcore line is just used as a weight to take your crank deeper. You only use a piece of it (section), tied into your normal fishing line, near your crank. The longer the piece is, the heavier it is, and the deeper your crank goes. A spool of lead core has various colored sections. The more "colors" you use the deeper your crank goes. ie. if one color is 10 ft.... 3 colors would be 30 ft. To have consistant depth control a lot of trial and error is required and a lot of fancy knot tying too.... Fireline on the other hand gets its depth by being a very thin diameter line. It offers little water resistace. It cuts it's way down though the water( careful, it will cut your skin badly too). If you want to go deeper still, hang a clamp on weight about 50 ft ahead of your crank. I recommend using fireline for pulling cranks. Read the pro pages for more ideas and techniques. good luck.

[Troller]

To sum up the difference between whether to use leadcore or longline troll basiaclly you use leadcore where you need to get a lure down to the strike zone fast as if you were trolling a specific point on short section on area and longlining fireline /mono ect.. everything would get all tangled up or you would not be able to get your bait down to where you want it before you have to reel it all in. Leadcore work great in those condition and you can't beat it except maybe using wire but that a whole other nightware. So use leadcore when you need to get down in a hurry on short/smaller structure and fireline/mono when you can leave you lines out of a longer perios of time. Leadcore will go deeper than fireline or mono. but it is very speed sensitive regardless of what type of lure you are using. Just something to think about........Remember just like in women keep the small ones and let the hogs go