Lead Core Line

[Lotech Joe]

I just bought and spooled a trolling reel with 12# test lead core line. The package it came in said that based on an average wind speed, boat speed & lure configuration, that 18# test line will sink about 5 feet per 10 yard of line in the water. I'm not sure if 12# test has more lead or less nylon or both but I'm wondering if the sink rate would be comparable to that of the 18# test line. Any opinions?
:bigsmurf: I for one, just don't know.

[The Quadfather]

Joe, a lot of guys will spool up a fly reel with lead core. You can have the benefit of getting down deeper than a sinking fly line,, but also enjoy playing the fish on the great action of a fly rod. Don't know about those depth questions you had, sorry.

[hewesfisher]

Hi Joe, we use leadcore regularly, so I can attest to it's effectiveness. In general, leadcore will sink at roughly the same rate for 18# test and up, and slightly less for lighter lines. Here's a good read on Cortland brand, lead core line.

My standard setup at Roosevelt is 18# leadcore with 50' 6# fluorocarbon leader. I routinely run it out 150' - 155' using line counter reels, which is about 3 - 3 1/2 colors, and troll at 2.2 - 2.5mph. Slower speeds, deeper running depth, the converse is true with higher speeds.

A few reasons I don't go by colors alone, (1) to be accurate, you need to know how much "color" there is before tying on a leader, (2) when you trim pieces off to retie your leader, you are shortening a "color", and (3) when telling someone else how far out you were, or they are telling you how far out they were, "color" is very subjective due to either 1 or 2 and what length leader they were using. That's why my reports always say x number feet out with linecounter reels, there's no guessing that way.

I retie leaders when I've trimmed them 5' or so, or when they need to be replaced for other reasons. I always retie with 50' of fluoro, and it works very well for me so I'm not messing with success.

Hope that helps!