leadcore trolling

[buddybuckhunter]

this season i am trying leadcore trolling for walleye/pike with crankbaits mainly on gull lake any seasoned trollers out there with some tips? Ive trolled lots with bottom bouncers but never with leadcore, whats the best time of year and what depths are most effective. i also need to stock up on cranks what are the best ones for this ?

[Dust1n]

i doubt your going to do that on gull lake its wayy to shallow. on sylvan its a better idea and you want to be in the deeper stuff when your leadcore trolling

[BBJTKLE&FISHINGADVENTURES]

There is no reason for leadcore line on places like gull , now if you were trolling Cold lake , or Lake Minnewanka where they are a couple hundred feet deep might be a plan otherwise nothing wrong with plain jane braided line . After all if you use a deep diving crank bait you would be in good shape .

[sheephunter]

Leadcore is one of the most underutilized and most effective means of trolling crankbaits there is, even when not looking to reach deep water. It greatly increases the number of available crankbait as how deep a bait dives doesn't matter. It allows you to troll with much less line out when compared to deep diving baits. This allows you far more control over your bait. By speeding up and slowing down you can actually make your bait rise and fall in the water column.

I actually prefer bait with not much of a diving lip for use on leadcore. Thundersticks and Rip Sticks are two of the best. Use 18 pound lead core as it's far less water resistant. Pick yourself up a copy of Precision Trolling. It gives some great dive charts for lead core.

[Chris K]

Lead core is not just for trolling to deeper depths. Lures track differently because of the lead, and it excells in current as changes in speed like TJ mentioned, bring the line up or down. Its versatility with smaller baits like # 4 or 5 Shad Raps is a very close imitation to the size and profile of baitfish in many of our lakes, and getting these lures deeper than they normally go, lead excells. Each color is 30 feet, and no matter the test, each weight goes about the same depth and sink rate. I use 18, as you can get more colors on a smaller reel, and off it I run a 10 foot fireline leader and a snap. Spinners also work well on leadcore, and running them at slower speeds you can dial right in on any depth you want.

Chris K

[bobalong]

I use 18 as well with about 20 feet of 12 lb. fireline or power pro tied on the end. I run mine on a line counter reel, even though the line is colored it is much easier to try different depths and then duplicate that lenth/depth when you contact fish, all you have to do is read the counter on the reel. I use line counters almost all the time when trolling cranks even when I am only using superlines.