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| Fishing lead core line doesn’t put a smile on the face of all anglers, but in this case it’s clear to see reeling in a lot of lead core to land a rainbow trout like this was a winning combination. Note the reel in the picture has the notion 10 on the reel. That’s to indicate this reel has 10 colors of lead core line spooled on. |
Sometimes it’s not high technology that catches fish, but rather “old school” tactics that put them in the box. Modern lead core fishing lines hit the market right after WWII when the new at the time magic fabric Nylon was first introduced. Essentially, lead core line consists of a thin lead wire covered with a coating of braided nylon to give the line strength.
Like other
fishing lines lead core is rated using a “break strength” notification and the
most common sizes are 12, 15, 18, 27, 36 and 45 pound test lines. Interestingly
enough all of these line sizes do not have their own unique lead wire. The size
12 and 15 share one wire size, as does the 18 and 27 and the 36 and 45 pound
test lines. In other words, there are three different diameters of lead wire
used to manufacture all six common sizes of lead core line.
Obviously lead
core is a “sinking” style fishing line that helps take lures to greater depths
than they would fish on normal line types. Getting deeper with the help of lead
core is a big part of what fishing sinking lines is all about, the benefits of
lead core go much deeper.... no pun intended.
SPECTRA & MICRODYNEEMA LEAD CORE
Before we talk
about the other benefits of lead core, it’s important to note that a number of
manufacturers are producing lead core lines using Spectra Braids for the
exterior coating and also a similar fiber known as Microdyneema. Both of these
high tech fibers are thinner and much stronger than nylon, allowing modern lead
core lines to be thinner in diameter and also deeper fishing than the
traditional lead core lines made using nylon braid.
How much deeper
these modern lead core lines fish is subject to opinion and manufacture biased
propaganda. Some manufacturers are claiming that their lead core lines fish up
to 30% deeper than traditional lead core lines. Precision Trolling Data took a
in-depth look at these new lead core lines and concluded that they indeed run
deeper, but on average the increase is closer to 20%.
SEGMENTED LEAD CORE SET UPS
Most anglers who
fish lead core line favor “segmented” rigs that consist of 25-50 feet of
fluorocarbon leader, a pre-determined amount of lead core line and finished
with an adequate amount of monofilament or braid backing line. Anglers commonly
set up segmented rigs in pairs, for example a pair of “one color” set ups, a
pair of “two color” set ups, etc.
Segmented lead
core rigs are commonly fished in combination with in-line boards like the
famous Off Shore Tackle OR12 Side-Planer. The angler simply puts his lure of
choice on the terminal end, lets out all the leader and all the lead core line,
then attaches the board to the backing line and sends the whole set up out to
the side.
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| Most anglers who fish lead core prefer to set up “segmented” lengths of lead core line sandwiched between a leader and backing line. This set up allows all the leader and lead core to be deployed and a planer board such as these Off Shore Tackle Side-Planers to be used to stagger lines and cover the maximum amount of water. |
To enable
anglers to fish multiple “segmented” lead core rigs at one time shorter
segments are fished on the outside lines and longer and deeper running segments
are fished on inside lines. Rigged in this manner a fish can be hooked on the
outside board and reeled in over top of deeper running inside lines without
having to clear any lines.
The best way to
set up multiple board rigs fishing segmented lead core is to fish set ups that
cover the water column throughly. For example, a common set up would be to run
a three color on the outside, a five color on the middle board and a seven
color on the inside board. This effectively saturates the water column with
lures and separates the lure depths enough that pulling one line “over top” of
another poses no tangle issues.
LOW STRETCH HELPS
Depth is obviously
a critical advantage of fishing lead core line, but there are some other
equally important features of lead core line worth examining. Because lead core
has little or no stretch, the hook up ratio when fishing these lines is
exceptionally good. To compensate for the low stretch in lead core, most
knowledgeable anglers compensate by fishing longer rods or softer action rods
that build in a little cushion for fighting and landing fish.
LESS LINE BOW
When trolling
with traditional lines like monofilament, most of the lead length is floating
at or near the surface. Only the line closest to the lure is actually pulled
below the surface. This creates a distinctive “bow” in the line which is
counter productive to achieving quick and positive hook ups while trolling.
Essentially the fish grabs the bait and must hang on for several seconds until
the bow in the line is pulled taunt. During these critical seconds a fish can
easily decide to drop the bait and swim off unharmed.
Lead core line
helps to reduce this “time lag” associated with traditional lines because the
bow in the line is reduced when fishing lead core. Because the weight of lead
core is evenly distributed throughout the line, lead core runs in more direct
path to the lure, reducing the bow in the line and enabling a faster hook up
when fish bite.
Think of it this
way, when a fish bites a lure fished on lead core, that fish has less time to
change it’s mind and reject the lure. As a result, fishing lead core helps
anglers catch a higher percentage of the fish that bite.
THE DOWN SIDE
Not all the
features of lead core line are sunshine and rose petals. There is a down side
to using lead core line anglers must wrestle with. Because lead core is much
thicker in diameter than traditional lines, it takes larger reels to handle
significant amounts of lead core line. Often the reels needed are so large they
become not only expensive, but awkward to fish with.
Also, to achieve
any significant depth fishing with lead core line requires using very long trolling
leads. Long trolling leads are not a major issue unless fishing in traffic with
other boats. Because the other anglers don’t realize how far behind the boat a
lead core angler is fishing, tangling lines with other fishermen becomes a
constant threat.
The third and
equally important down side to fishing lead core line is the speed dependence
issues. Lead core sinks so trolling speed influences on the fishing depth
dramatically. It only takes a modest change in trolling speed to create a
significant depth change.
Obviously with
sinking devices the slower an angler trolls the deeper the set up is going to
fish. Conversely when trolling faster, set ups are not going to dive/fish as
deep. In terms of lead core fishing at faster trolling speeds negates the
ability for lead core to fish deep. At trolling speeds above 2.5 MPH, lead core
sacrifices so much depth, fishing with it becomes questionable.
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| Lead core is commonly used to get diving lures like this Mag Lip from Yakima deeper than they would normally dive. Useful for targeting deep water salmon, trout, walleye and even striper, lead core is a “niche” product that helps countless anglers catch an equal number of fish. |
THE MORAL OF THE STORY
The moral of the
story is that lead core has a defined “niche” in the trolling scene. Used at
slow to moderate trolling speeds, lead core is a huge aid in fishing the common
depths trout, salmon, walleye and striper fishermen encounter commonly.
The hook up
ratios associated with trolling lead core are a clear advantage over
traditional lines. Lead core set ups can easily be fished in combination with
in-line planer boards making them even more versatile.
A host of
anglers feel these advantages more than make up for the fact fishing lead core
requires setting out copious amount of line and also investing in a lot more
rod and reel set ups.
