Lead Core and Texas Rigging for Walleye

[Cal]

Was thinking about trying to expand my bag of tricks and thought here would be a good place to find out about them. I've got a baitcasting rig I was thinking about spooling up with leadcore line. The idea is I'd like to be able to troll stuff like big floating plugs and ratling rapalas 15-30' deep in a moderate current. Would leadcore do the trick? Can I cast this stuff or do I have to free spool it the whole way out? It should still allow me to troll deep divers but on a shorter line is this correct? About how much line do you think I'd have to let out to get a 6-7" rapala original down 20'?

As well there are a few sections that I simply can not fish very well due to the large amount of sunken timber. They produce good if I troll a plug overtop of the timber but I think I'd do better if I could get my bait down into the logs. Has anyone tried texas rigging a plastic worm or somthing for walleye?

[seahawkfisher]

if you mean, drop shot, for texas; it works great

as for casting leadcore; not such a good idea.


you can also try snap-sinkers, ther are a proven technique (with a slow death rig ;) )

cheers

[sheephunter]

Leadcore is very speed sensitive so the faster you go or the faster the current, the less depth it will take you down. And, no, you can't cast it.

At one mile per hour, 90 feet (three colours of 18 pound lead core) would take you down roughly 20 feet. You need to run a mono leader between the leadcore and the lure.

Increase your speed to 1.5 miles per hour and that same 90 feet of leadcore only gets you down 17 feet.

[Cal]

I've tried using one ounce bottom bouncers. With small plugs this works but its not heavy enough to get the larger plugs to run deep enough, would these snap sinkers work better and what are they? From what SH says it doesnt sound like lead core is gonna be the answere, with that much line out trolling around bends on a medium size river I think I'd have alot of trouble keeping my hook anywhere near where I want it.

[seahawkfisher]

you could try a dipsy or a deep6; they get your line down in a hurry too
cheers

[laker taker2]

go to a 3oz bouncer and stiff rod. you won't need to let out much line that way and will keep your bait tight to the countour. lead core works better for open water tolling on a lake at a consistent depth.
the drop shot method will work for your timber idea. use a 3" gulp minnow and a 7ft spin cast rod with a soft tip.

[Cal]

To me drop shot and texas rigging are two different things. What I call dropshot is tieing a dropper line on a couple feet up from my bait and clamping splitshot onto that dropper line. Texas rigging involves a bullet sinker and running your hook through the nose of a plastic worm and then sticking the point of your hook back into the body of the worm to make it weedless as it gets. Its a pretty comon setup for bass in thick cover so I think it should work for walleye as well.

[laker taker2]

dragging the sinker like a live bait rig will hang up in the timber. a weed will bend a log won't. drop shot would be much more precise for wood. that do that alot in the resevoirs of montana that are full of stumps.

[ontario gunner]

Get some 1 and 1.5 oz inline weights. Put them 3 feet above the lure. Length of line out controls depth. theres a trollers guide out that tells exactly how much line for how many feet down(generally at 2 miles an hour, 2 feet of line out will get you 1 foot down). We troll lake erie like this, once you figure out the amount of line you need out its very easy fishing. Dont be scared to run the lures 2-3 feet above where you think the fish are. Weve been hammering them 10-12 feet down in 22 feet of water. Leadcore is boring fishing it wears down the fish bad before you get a fight out of them(we use leadcore in erie when trolling steelhead and we catch alot of walleye when doing so).

could also use 3 way swivels and heavy pencil weights to troll in rivers with plugs. Or if you want to try something thats caught millions of fish.. look for specialized gear thats used in michigan and southern ontario.. Handlining for walleyes,, absolutely devestating on walleyes in rivers!

lots of info you can learn on this site from some incredible walleye fisherman!
http://www.dwfonline.com/articles.htm

read some of the articles written by john sparkman,, this guy is one of the most consistant walleye fisherman i have ever met!