mattybculp Posted April 22, 2013 Report Share Posted April 22, 2013 Well I have been getting into a little more laker fishing these past couple of years, and im talking about more smaller lakes ie. algonquin park lakes not lake Ontario. We hump into a lot of the lakes so downriggers and such arent really viable. Last year I was using steel line on a steel lining rod with decent success. But im not a big fan, if I have a 2-3lbs laker on I can barely feel the fight due to my rod which is like a pool cue. I decided to spool up my okuma line counter with 100 yds of 18lbs suffix performance leadcore (with backing and a 30ft fluorocarbon leader) with hopes i could use it with a "normal" rod. I have an 8ft med/heavy rod whuch I thought would suffice to pair it up with the reel. So does anyone use leadcore without the aid of riggers or divers ? if so im just looking for any advice you maybe able to share with me as my first experience will come first week in june fishing for lakers in quebec so im hoping the water will still be cold enough to touch em with just the leadcore. Is leadcore in your opions better than steel line ? ( im hoping so haha) Tanks as always Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillM Posted April 22, 2013 Report Share Posted April 22, 2013 Why not run a three-way rig with a 2-3oz weight? Can still run it on your normal spinning setup and it won't kill the fight.. The last thing I'd want is leadcore for small lakers.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smitty55 Posted April 22, 2013 Report Share Posted April 22, 2013 I've used leadcore and/or copper for over 30 years now for Lakers. I tend to use copper on a line counter reel more often as there is better sensitivity than leadcore. With 10 colors of line you should have no problem getting down at least 50 ft. depending on what hardware you are using. With a big hammer on you might get down to 65 ft even, so you won't have any problem the first week of June. Another option I tried last year for the first time is the Fish Seeker. It's under $10 and gets light line down to 70ft. Its also fully adjustable in 5ft increments. Works quite well. Good luck with it. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Headhunter Posted April 22, 2013 Report Share Posted April 22, 2013 Just remember that lead core depth is highly contingent upon boat speed... HH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camillj Posted April 22, 2013 Report Share Posted April 22, 2013 I have found that there is a huge difference in line drag (and sensitivity) if you drop down to 12lb from 18lb ... we often fish 10 colors in Aug for Brookies (which we figure gets us down 60 - 70ft over 100 FOW - and boat speed is everything) with some success .. in the spring we fish 3 - 5 colors (and even as little as 2 colors) with lots of success on little flutter spoons or tiny rapalas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SlowPoke Posted April 22, 2013 Report Share Posted April 22, 2013 Leadcore is responsible for more than just depth; it has its own unique action. The line will have bows and sags between your rod tip and lure reacting to currents etc. I have switched from using full 10 colour rigs to segmented rigs (5 colours...mono...3 colours....mono...2 colours) This allows me to use another method to find the desired depth without so much line out. Two ways to accomplish this; 5 colours out and mono section in the downrigger release or 5 colours out and a removable Torpedo Diver clipped to the mono section. The Torpedo method would be very useful for you with the leadcore or run it on other rods if you 're not looking for that leadcore wave action. The mono segments are also great if you plan to use leadcore off the planer boards since releases tend to damage leadcore lines. If I had to spool my core rods again, I'd just buy one 10 colour spool and do two rods (5&5). Anything over 5 colours is just dead weight and lots of reeling when you can get depth from a rigger or Torpedo Diver. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turtle Posted April 22, 2013 Report Share Posted April 22, 2013 I use the leadcore almost exclusively for lake trout trolling. Its not the lightest gear, takes a long time to reel in 9 colours (dependent on the reel, my cheap Penns are slow) and unless you get a 4+pound trout its reeling in not fighting a fish. Having said that I have good sucess with it. I use a 10 lb fluorocarbon leader, around 30 yards at least. There is a youtube video of tying the leader to the leadcore directly without a snap/swivel and the advantage is you have a long leader and can reel the connection onto the reel. The other advantage of the longer leader is when you hang up it's the leader not the leadcore. I've not found the suffix very good and prefer the courland kerplunk. I troll slowly with lots of stops and turns using spoons and minnow baits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Headhunter Posted April 23, 2013 Report Share Posted April 23, 2013 A snap weight strategically placed will also help to keep your line down. I use 50 ft of mono as my leader and if needed, I will put a snap weight on the mono just before the lead core. Alternatively, if I am using my five colours rod, I will sometimes put a snap weight after the core, to help keep the core down. Again, boat speed is always your bigest concern. I don't tie my mono to my lead core... I super glue them together. I pull back about 4 inches of the lead core sheath, cut the core and insert the mono all the way into the sheath. I tack the seam with super glue, allowing it to dry for a moment, before I saturate the entire joint with super glue. Allow it to dry for about 10 minutes and you're good to go! No knots to real up through the guides and reel... I have caught Chinnies on this rig, and have never had the glue joint fail, ever... Anyway, just thought I would pass that along! HH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattybculp Posted April 23, 2013 Author Report Share Posted April 23, 2013 Awesome information guys, its much appreciated ! I always enjoy new information ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freshtrax Posted April 23, 2013 Report Share Posted April 23, 2013 I'm going to be hitting simcoe for lakers and lake o on real calmmdays close to shore this year for the first time ( just bought my first real boat). I'm interested in the fish seekers I looked at them online seem legit. I figure I could troll a fish seeker with a big flashy spoon at around 80 ft down and drag a 3 way along the bottom with a floating crankbait for the bottom lurkers does this sound like it might get me some fish or should I just pony up and get riggers? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoppy Posted April 23, 2013 Report Share Posted April 23, 2013 I think I am going to try the sinker dropper, has anyone used these before? http://www.sinker-dropper.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillM Posted April 23, 2013 Report Share Posted April 23, 2013 I'm going to be hitting simcoe for lakers and lake o on real calmmdays close to shore this year for the first time ( just bought my first real boat). I'm interested in the fish seekers I looked at them online seem legit. I figure I could troll a fish seeker with a big flashy spoon at around 80 ft down and drag a 3 way along the bottom with a floating crankbait for the bottom lurkers does this sound like it might get me some fish or should I just pony up and get riggers? If you want lakers in the summer time on Simcoe, you need to be dragging bottom.. Doesn't have to be with riggers, but something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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