Trolling Leadcore: When, Why, & How
Few anglers seem to be particularly knowledgeable about the rather old-school approach of trolling with lead core line. The moniker “Lead Core” is quite self-explanatory in and of itself. Simply defined, it is braided line with a lead wire core, which causes the line to sink and take whatever lure you attach to the end of it with it. To make lures that don’t go very deep run considerably deeper, lead core is particularly used instead of line or clip-on weights. That makes sense, right?
It actually isn’t much different from a typical trolling rod/reel combination in terms of setup and equipment. All you need is a medium to medium heavy 8'6" to 9' rod and a line counting reel. However, since lead core is typically based on the amount of “colors” you let out-which we will discuss in a moment-having a line counter is not strictly necessary. Most lead core lines are split into 10 yard parts, each of which is colored differently. This is done to inform you of the amount of line you are releasing because, in most cases, the line counter may not be totally accurate due to the lead core’s thickness relative to the majority of the monofilaments commonly used for trolling.
Approximately 50 yards of 20lb braid or monofilament backing, then an albright knot tied to the lead core is my standard lead core setup. The majority of my lead core reels contain four to five colors of 18lb test lead core line, which is sufficient to lower baits to heights of up to 40 feet (depending on the lure). I add a tiny swivel, just small enough to fit between the rod guides and the level wind on the reel, to the end of the lead. I attach a 10 to 15 foot stretch of 10 to 15 lb. flourocarbon to the swivel to act as the leader. At the very end of my leader, I connect a crankbait snap to change out baits quicker.
Let’s discuss the lead core why and where considerations, notably why this method is particularly successful in lakes that have long stretches of the same depth. The goal of lead core, as was already said, is to get shallow-running lures to run deeper. For instance, the size 4 Salmo Hornet, one of my all-time favorite lead core lures, can only dive around 6 feet on its own. When walleye are hanging out on deep structure or out in the deeper flats, I can run these tiny bits of walleye candy right in front of their faces because I can easily make the lure dive to almost 30 feet using lead core.
A high accuracy approach for fishing around structure, especially very small pieces of structure like many of the bars or deep humps we have on the Iowa Great Lakes chain, is lead core. My lead core rods are often floated directly off the side or back of the boat. This has several effects. When there is inevitable weed interference, fewer lines, especially lines without planer boards, aid in clearing lines more rapidly. Additionally, if you run lines exactly behind the boat, the lures will pass directly over anything you have marked on your locator. If nothing else, it can help you dial while boosting your confidence in your location, depth, and presentation.
How many colors to release to bring a given lure down to a specific depth is a frequently asked question I receive. Here is my straightforward response because the solution based on calculations individuals have made over the years is quite complex. I enjoy running two of the same lures simultaneously (both on lead rods). Using two colors of line, and fishing at 1.8 to 2 mph in about 20 feet of water. Release another half color of line, then another, and so on until your lures make contact with the ground. Bring up just enough line to break contact once your lures have made contact with the bottom. Starting to mark fish up off the bottom? Accelerate the boat by a few tenths of a mile per hour to cause the baits to run higher up. Faster you go, the shallower the bait will run and slower you go, deeper it will run.
It requires some experimenting, but once you have a decent notion of how many colors to let back, it is quite simple! This is one of my all-time favorite summer and fall pin-point trolling methods for walleye. This method is also excellent on days when there is a lot of boat activity. Try lead core if you want to take your trolling to the next level!
Originally published at https://fishinworldwide.blogspot.com on August 26, 2022.
