Off Topic Leadcore Newbie seeking Assistance

BallEye2

BallEye2

Well-Known Member
Leadcore Newbie - Hello Fellow Forum Followers.

I am new to the world of fishing leadcore. 2 outings, 13 pickerel. To this point obviously good luck! I was there and the fish were hungry - although truth be told - the 1 outing was a 3 man excursion, we fished for 10 hrs and caught 6 between us. During this outing we encountered some tangles - which resulted in losing significant leader line (which was already on the line when I purchased the boat), as well as having had a break off - of the leadcore on a strike (possibly damaged during a previous tangle?) I am sitting down in the garage soon to do some rod and reel maintenance which will include putting some fresh leader line on 2 or 3 reels. I have done some googling but am leaning on the experience of you “STOMPERS” given everyone seems to be friendly and knowledgeable.

I have a host of questions - if you don’t mind answering - I would greatly appreciate your assistance - and I will dedicate a catch in your name!

Mono of fluorcarbon leader - and why?

Length of leader? - previous leaders were long - and I am thinking this is to allow for cut offs / break offs, lure changes? Does leader length - short or long - impact sink rate on lead core? I have read the leader provides stretch as there is very little to lead - so its main purpose would be to prevent break offs and give you some setting power without ripping the lure out of the fishes mouth on hook set and fight?

Snaps or swivels on end of leader line to lure or tie direct? Presently snaps on all set ups.

On my broke off leadcore - do I take it down to a full colour - or leave it as it is? I don’t know presently whether I have half colour or third colour - and it is on a line counter reel. (I can’t see peeling it back to a full colour and wasting the line - and it shouldn’t be too hard to remember its a shorty)

If you have a reel with leadcore on it - aside from opening the bail and letting it all pay out on the water to check it, respool it, etc.....is there a way to unspool it on land to check, rewind, etc?

Thats it ....for now - but will be sure to pick your brain when more questions come to mind.

Cheers and Thanks in Advance
Balleye.
 
BallEye2 said:
Mono of fluorcarbon leader - and why?
Click to expand...

Fluoro IMO. Nearly invisible and more resistant to abrasion. Those are the two key reasons anyway.

Length of leader? - previous leaders were long - and I am thinking this is to allow for cut offs / break offs, lure changes? Does leader length - short or long - impact sink rate on lead core? I have read the leader provides stretch as there is very little to lead - so its main purpose would be to prevent break offs and give you some setting power without ripping the lure out of the fishes mouth on hook set and fight?
Click to expand...

You're talking about the leader tied to the leadcore? I'd go with 10ft or so. Just enough that the fish doesn't see the leadcore while chasing the bait. Fluoro sinks and will aid in getting the bait down, though I think this is a negligible factor. As for stretch, I find that leadcore sags quite a bit, which provided some springiness to the rig. But I only use leadcore when all the riggers and dipsies are used up, which isn't often.

Snaps or swivels on end of leader line to lure or tie direct? Presently snaps on all set ups.
Click to expand...

I love direct tie but make sure your line doesn't get twisted (depends on the lure!).

On my broke off leadcore - do I take it down to a full colour - or leave it as it is? I don’t know presently whether I have half colour or third colour - and it is on a line counter reel. (I can’t see peeling it back to a full colour and wasting the line - and it shouldn’t be too hard to remember its a shorty)
Click to expand...

Good question. Never broke off leadcore... does it matter if you have a counter anyway? I'd probably cut it.

If you have a reel with leadcore on it - aside from opening the bail and letting it all pay out on the water to check it, respool it, etc.....is there a way to unspool it on land to check, rewind, etc?
Click to expand...

Super easy, just spool it onto another reel?
 
I always Run about a 6ft Mono leader because of the Strech witch decreases the chance of a break off on a bigger fish. I always use swivels so I never have to keep cutting the line and re tying when it doesn’t make a diffrence. Lastly, I never go by colours on lead core, I have line counters on all my lead core reels and go by feet, not by color. If you are going by color it might be better to but if you use a line counter it does not matter.
 
I never go by colours on lead core, I have line counters on all my lead core reels and go by feet
Click to expand...

The linecounter simply counts rotations of the spool so it is only accurate when the spool is full. As the spool empties as it does using lead core, the counter errs drastically to the high side (they are off by around 400% as the spool nears empty). Essentially, other than for repeatability of letting out the backing, the linecounter is useless for lead core.

A longer leader (say 15-25 feet) allows for better action on the lure than a very short leader since the lure can't really drag the lead core around very much. I usually start with 25 feet in the spring and cut off a couple of feet now and then so you end up at 10 or 15 feet at the end of the year. A small high quality cross lock snap swivel is good on the end and makes changing lures easy as well as reducing line twist when you drag around a silver bass for an hour.

As far as unspooling a reel, you can get an old reel at a yard sale and simply transfer the line from one to the other and check it as you go. You can also rig up an empty line spool on a threaded rod and put in in your drill to accomplish the same thing and be able to re-use the line easily.
 
Last edited:
G.Mech said:
The linecounter simply counts rotations of the spool so it is only accurate when the spool is full. As the spool empties as it does using lead core, the counter errs drastically to the high side (they are off by around 400% as the spool nears empty). Essentially, other than for repeatability of letting out the backing, the linecounter is useless for lead core.

A longer leader (say 15-25 feet) allows for better action on the lure than a very short leader since the lure can't really drag the lead core around very much. I usually start with 25 feet in the spring and cut off a couple of feet now and then so you end up at 10 or 15 feet at the end of the year. A small high quality cross lock snap swivel is good on the end and makes changing lures easy as well as reducing line twist when you drag around a silver bass for an hour.

As far as unspooling a reel, you can get an old reel at a yard sale and simply transfer the line from one to the other and check it as you go. You can also rig up an empty line spool on a threaded rod and put in in your drill to accomplish the same thing and be able to re-use the line easily.
Click to expand...
Thanks G. Mech. Find some replacement wheels to get your boat to the water? You are Waterford local? Me as well. Thanks for your advice.

Cheers,
Balleye
 
sterlingz said:
Fluoro IMO. Nearly invisible and more resistant to abrasion. Those are the two key reasons anyway.



You're talking about the leader tied to the leadcore? I'd go with 10ft or so. Just enough that the fish doesn't see the leadcore while chasing the bait. Fluoro sinks and will aid in getting the bait down, though I think this is a negligible factor. As for stretch, I find that leadcore sags quite a bit, which provided some springiness to the rig. But I only use leadcore when all the riggers and dipsies are used up, which isn't often.



I love direct tie but make sure your line doesn't get twisted (depends on the lure!).



Good question. Never broke off leadcore... does it matter if you have a counter anyway? I'd probably cut it.



Super easy, just spool it onto another reel?
Click to expand...
Thanks SterlingZ for your helpful advice. Much appreciated.

Cheers,
Balleye
 
Matt245 said:
I always Run about a 6ft Mono leader because of the Strech witch decreases the chance of a break off on a bigger fish. I always use swivels so I never have to keep cutting the line and re tying when it doesn’t make a diffrence. Lastly, I never go by colours on lead core, I have line counters on all my lead core reels and go by feet, not by color. If you are going by color it might be better to but if you use a line counter it does not matter.
Click to expand...
Thanks Matt245 for your reply and advice.

Cheers,
Balleye
 
G.Mech said:
The linecounter simply counts rotations of the spool so it is only accurate when the spool is full. As the spool empties as it does using lead core, the counter errs drastically to the high side (they are off by around 400% as the spool nears empty). Essentially, other than for repeatability of letting out the backing, the linecounter is useless for lead core.

A longer leader (say 15-25 feet) allows for better action on the lure than a very short leader since the lure can't really drag the lead core around very much. I usually start with 25 feet in the spring and cut off a couple of feet now and then so you end up at 10 or 15 feet at the end of the year. A small high quality cross lock snap swivel is good on the end and makes changing lures easy as well as reducing line twist when you drag around a silver bass for an hour.

As far as unspooling a reel, you can get an old reel at a yard sale and simply transfer the line from one to the other and check it as you go. You can also rig up an empty line spool on a threaded rod and put in in your drill to accomplish the same thing and be able to re-use the line easily.
Click to expand...


This ^^^
Also the lead core sink rate is by the color, about 4-5 feet per color, not by how much line you have out. For the reasons noted above.

1531613093108.png
 
Flouro leader why? Invisible, Far more durable, 8-12 ‘ leaders as lead core snakes through the water as compared to mono or braid a long leader will nullify this action this is one of the great advantages of lead core and the spoons action will not change whether 8 or 35’. If the leader gets too short tie a new one
Broken lead core go back to the next full core why because of consistency if I’m running three five colour reels successfully why would one want to add a fourth that isn’t consistent with the other 3 This isn’t wasteful it’s taking control of a variable. One of the biggest parts of being a successful troller is consistency, when you find a program that works you copy it when additional rods

All this said to each their own but what I have laid out for you are facts
 
I still do things much diffrently aboard my boat and I still manage to catch my limit just as quickly as everyone else. 180ft of leadcore in 55-65FOW. Non stop action especially with worm harnesses. I know it’s not the “Proper” way to do it but it works for me.
 
BallEye2 said:
Leadcore Newbie - Hello Fellow Forum Followers.

I am new to the world of fishing leadcore. 2 outings, 13 pickerel. To this point obviously good luck! I was there and the fish were hungry - although truth be told - the 1 outing was a 3 man excursion, we fished for 10 hrs and caught 6 between us. During this outing we encountered some tangles - which resulted in losing significant leader line (which was already on the line when I purchased the boat), as well as having had a break off - of the leadcore on a strike (possibly damaged during a previous tangle?) I am sitting down in the garage soon to do some rod and reel maintenance which will include putting some fresh leader line on 2 or 3 reels. I have done some googling but am leaning on the experience of you “STOMPERS” given everyone seems to be friendly and knowledgeable.

I have a host of questions - if you don’t mind answering - I would greatly appreciate your assistance - and I will dedicate a catch in your name!

Mono of fluorcarbon leader - and why?

Length of leader? - previous leaders were long - and I am thinking this is to allow for cut offs / break offs, lure changes? Does leader length - short or long - impact sink rate on lead core? I have read the leader provides stretch as there is very little to lead - so its main purpose would be to prevent break offs and give you some setting power without ripping the lure out of the fishes mouth on hook set and fight?

Snaps or swivels on end of leader line to lure or tie direct? Presently snaps on all set ups.

On my broke off leadcore - do I take it down to a full colour - or leave it as it is? I don’t know presently whether I have half colour or third colour - and it is on a line counter reel. (I can’t see peeling it back to a full colour and wasting the line - and it shouldn’t be too hard to remember its a shorty)

If you have a reel with leadcore on it - aside from opening the bail and letting it all pay out on the water to check it, respool it, etc.....is there a way to unspool it on land to check, rewind, etc?

Thats it ....for now - but will be sure to pick your brain when more questions come to mind.

Cheers and Thanks in Advance
Balleye.
Click to expand...
Most has already been answered but I’ll toss in mine as well. I run 15-20 ft of fluorocarbon (20lbs) leader with a snap swivel on the end. My lead is 18lbs suffix advanced and I get between 7-8ft per colour. I gave up on the small lines and using the WILLIS knot. I use double unis for the floro to lead, as well as lead to my backing material. Just my two cents.
 
I use 27lb leadcore either Suffix or Cortland...
20lb Mono backing 4 color or less... 30lb braid Suffix or Tuffline backing for 5 color and higher...
20lb Seaguar Fluro 50' leads... To #2 snap swivels...

I run with 1,2,3,3,4,5,5.7,7,10,10 color leadcore rods... All on 8.5' Erie twist rods... The 10 colors are on 10.5' rods...
5 color and under are on 30 series reel... 7 color and up are on 45 series... Each rod has minimum 1400' of line as I use these for salmon as well...

I can't say this enough... JUST BECAUSE IT WORKS FOR SOMEBODY ELSE DOESN'T MEAN IT WILL WORK FOR YOU...

Experiment and try new things... Find your own groove and what works for you... Use quality gear and components... Get out and have fun...
 
jammer said:
I use 27lb leadcore either Suffix or Cortland...
20lb Mono backing 4 color or less... 30lb braid Suffix or Tuffline backing for 5 color and higher...
20lb Seaguar Fluro 50' leads... To #2 snap swivels...

I run with 1,2,3,3,4,5,5.7,7,10,10 color leadcore rods... All on 8.5' Erie twist rods... The 10 colors are on 10.5' rods...
5 color and under are on 30 series reel... 7 color and up are on 45 series... Each rod has minimum 1400' of line as I use these for salmon as well...

I can't say this enough... JUST BECAUSE IT WORKS FOR SOMEBODY ELSE DOESN'T MEAN IT WILL WORK FOR YOU...

Experiment and try new things... Find your own groove and what works for you... Use quality gear and components... Get out and have fun...
Click to expand...
Is it bad business to only put out 3colours on a 5 colour ledcore
 
Fluorocarbon leader 25-35 ft long, snaps on my leader and no stretch backing. I run my lead on the outside of my spread on inline planers it is my stealthiest presentation and has taken some of my biggest fish. The big girls love leadcore.
 
Hey Byron I have no issues with 4 colours out on a 9 colour reel. I even clip the leadcore in my inline boards with no problems so far. I start with 25 or 30 feet of flouro leader so I can retie a few times before I need a new leader.
 
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