Lead Core, What's the Big Deal???

[Boltman]

Ok first of all I'm a beginner, YOU all know that, Second Mike told me to ask this question because you guys WOULDN"T think of me as an Idoit, as I feel when asking these questions.But here goes...

WHats the big deal with Lead Core lines.....I don't get it, what happened to good ole fishing line?

Is there an advantage over Mono, where can Lead Core not be used?

Where should it be used?

When should you use Lead Core and is it Braided, and why is it Braided?

So many questions.......So Much time until we can get the boats WET!!!!

SIgned...."Need to Know" Boltman

Robert

[tgafish]

use the search function. It willl give you countless pieces of info. Also helps pass the time til spring!

[Nailer]

Tom is correct, the search is a great way to find stored info.

I'm stuck at home from a post hernia operation, so I'll be glad to answer.

Lead core is a strand of lead wrapped with a braided Dacron line.

A full core of it is Ten- 10 yard sections (300'). The most common size used is the 36 pound.

You will need a big reel for a full core and it's backing (I use a AD57LC by Daiwa). No special poles are required.

The advantages of it are; Stealth presentation, ability to target fish away from the boat, and the ability to run additional lines with out a bunch of expense.

You can run a core line straight behind the boat, but I would not recommend it.

The best way to run it is; let the core out, clip a Church Walleye board to it and let it run off to the side. If you are running Divers, make sure you are outside of them.

A full core will run about 40' deep.

I have my best luck on the core first/last light, or when the water is cold (fish will be in the top water when it's cold).

I run spoons and plugs behind my cores, but many run flasher/fly combos.

The reason for not running the core straight out the back is, The rigger fish have a tendency to cross it and tangle. Also if you use a board, you can run them off each side.

Mike is correct, all of us here loves to fish and help the others that are learning.

This was a lead core fish taken off Whitehall last summer.

Good luck,

Ken.

[Priority1]

Nailer nailed it.

To me lead-core is just another tool in the box to put the lures in the fishes face. You may want to start slow and get used to the riggers and maybe a pair of Dipsys. Some times less is more. Hitch a ride with someone that runs a wide variety of presentations, and you will learn a lot in a trip or two. Nothing like hands on experience.

[GLF]

I got a pm from Robert about this and asked him to make a post about it. I could have answered his question, or said to use the search function. Instead I recommended he create this post. By members asking these questions, even if they have been asked before, this creates/keeps activity in the forums.

Not everyone has read all of the posts, and some of the members have joined long after a post was made. These new members may have different ideas and concepts, and chose not to add information to a post that has not been active in months.

As time goes by, questions that have been asked before, will continue to be asked. There is a ton of usefull information in the archives, but lets try to refrain from the "use the search feature" approach. Maybe at the end of your post, mention about using the search feature.

[fishsniffer]

this is just my opinon..but with the lakes getting clearer and clearer..lead core is becoming invaluable to me..add to it a dive bomb and it gets better..its cheap until you add in the planer boards..i catch a ton of fish on it..lots of steelhead on half core with double orange crush spoon.

[DIRTY DOG]

ken hit the nail write on the head "no pun intended" ,lead core set ups are my most productive set up year round in the spring i use 2,3 and 5color cores for cohos and browns and as summer comes closer as the water warms and the fish go deeper i start running longer lengths such as 7 ,10 ,12 and even 15 coler core

part of the key to it is to find out what depth the fish are feeding at and trie to get the write length of core out there to match

as a rule of thumb , a singel coler will sink around 3 to 5 ft depending on boat speed and current

for me ,cores shine as the sun comes up and the fish start to spook away from the boat

[1mainiac]

I see a lot of guys have already chimed in and I agree with everything said so far it is a tool in the box for you to use. here is my rod setup that I keep on the boat at all times, 6 rigger rods all mono 2 w 20lb 2 w 25lb and 2 w 30lb 2 30lb wire rods 2 30lb braid rods 1 3 color core 1 2 color core 2 5 color core 2 10 color core and 2 300 ft 45lb copper setups. I also on ocasion bring my 10ft Steelhead rods with 8lb as they are a blast to catch fish on. On the days when I have enough people on board to run 12 or more rods my boat looks like a angery porcupine and we cover a lot of water width and depth wise. Running that much gear pretty much means drive straight or prepare to detangle. However it also means any fish near me gets a chance to bite on something and often I am surprised at what gets hit. No matter what most of us say often it is a oddball lure we tossed out for the fun of it that gets hit however we all still run our share of high percentage setups and getting the core out after sunup is one of them. The Lakes are much cleaner now than they have been in decades maybe ever this means that a lot of the tactics we used to employ to get their attention now scares them off. So a fish that avoids your rigger and diver setups may go after a spoon behind core several hundred feet behind the boat. I pretty much always have a couple of 5 color setups with bright spoons like the new Nitro Hell Fire or Circus or the old standard dbl orange crush. These setups pretty much always bag a few Steelhead and Coho nearly every trip. I send them way out on inline boards and pretty much let them run till they catch something. The next desision for me will depend on water temp and depth and that is to decide between copper and full core very seldom do I fish with enough people to do both so I kinda go with full core when running my braid divers and copper when running the wire divers. For me my Rigger progran and my Diver program are my meat and potatoes and I make nearly all my changes in these setups. Including adding a 2 or 3 color SWR to my riggers to add a stealth mode to the riggers.

[Boltman]

Reading directly about the questions you ask is much more exciting when it's on the actual post, then to search for it in a search program, thanks Mike you are greatly appreciated...

[GLF]

I have 27lb test lead core on all of my lead core rods.

You will hear a variance on how much depth you can get out of lead. Each color of leadcore on out will get your bait down 4-5 feet. So...a full core will get your bait down 40-50'. A half core(5 colors of lead) will get your bait down 20-25'. This all depends on the speed of your troll and the bait you have on. Yes, you can run flashers and flies on core.

I have 7 core rods and they are all on CT45D's. These are full cores, 6,5,3,and 2 colors cores. Usually you start out with some full cores and half cores, and end up with some of the odd balls after a tangle or two. My two full cores have fireline backing, and my other core rods have 25lb big game backing. I wrapped a piece of colored electrical tape above each handle, so I know which is which. Some people put numbers on them. Myself, I find it easier just to look at the colored tape.

Like said above, core is usually attached to a board(mostly inlines). I usually have 3 cores on each side of the boat each time I go out.

More baits in the strike zone = more fish in your box. Find out where the strike zone is and load it up with baits!

[bluedevil]

I agree with all the info above, lead core is a good weapon to add to your arsenal.

BUT...There are some negatives with it.

One being a full core is 100 yards of lead plus you have a leader on that (I run about 50') plus the mono backing that is let out for the boards, so there is about 400' or more line hanging out the back of the boat. This is were you have to pay close attention to other boats out there. Some of those guys still don't know what lead core is and don't look to see if your running boards or not and will cut right in behind you and ZIP, there goes $50 worth of gear..

Second, lead core is not for the weak (young kids, elders, ect...). I am by no means a wuss but I have had 20+lb fish kick my but on leadcore..

[salmonquest]

I like reading these new posts on old topics because it helps refresh my memory. I have only a few things to add. I have personally had no success with my leadcore although admittedly only run it about 10% of the time. I still believe in it though. A good piece of advice I recieved was never put the leadcore itself in a pinchpad or it will kink the wire and break the lead which will stick through the dacron. Also segmented cores seem to give you some more versatility. Please correct me guys if I don't have this correct but if you took a full core and broke it into one section of 8 colors and a second with 2 colors and 20 feet of mono linking them you good use the 2 sections as a swr and let it all out for a full core.

[bluedevil]

. Please correct me guys if I don't have this correct but if you took a full core and broke it into one section of 8 colors and a second with 2 colors and 20 feet of mono linking them you good use the 2 sections as a swr and let it all out for a full core.

Boy I had to read that 3 times before I understood it..

I would say yes you could do that but I think you would have to add a twirly(sp?) tip to that rod as the lead core can break at the rod tip if it is not protected.

Here is one of the lead core king's that kicked my but...

[1mainiac]

Yep lead core can kick even the biggest butts trying to drag in a big fish. 2years ago I was out with a friend on his boat and we were having a decent day but it was slowing down when he say "hey put out the lead core I have had the rod for 2 years and never caught a fish on it" so I grabbed it and picked a nice lure for it a MONSHINE BLOODY NOSE well he does not have a board for it so I tossed it out the chute and as I am letting it out I ask him how many colors and he don't know. So I just send it out without counting cause I was already out several colors when I asked and we are in 80 FOW. As I stuck it in the rod holder I told him he was fishing and I was driving a few min later the core pole goes off and he his having a blast for about 20 min then he starts asking how far did I let it out and my response was all the way to the fish keep reeling. He was huffing and puffing when I netted the fish and as I got ready to put it back out the rigger went off so I grabbed it and brought in a nice 8 lb king and reset the core and the rigger and went back to driving. At least now I knew it was a full core and just my luck the core went off again his fish and all the time he is fighting it he is complaining and just tell him keep reeling it in. The next time we went out he forgot his core rod LOL. I have seen a lot of guys and girls complain about core my wife won't even grab one of my core setups she just points at the bounceing rod and says your fish dear. Me I don't care if my arms are burning from fighting a fish that is a good thing but full core and copper setups are heavy big reels big rods and heavy line and bringing in a 20 lb king on on is a good cardio workout. The only way my wife will ever fight a big fish on copper is with the harness and belt on it is just too much weight for her.

[Nailer]

FYI to the op. A color represents 10 yards (each 30' section is colored different), and a copper rig is similar to core but it is copper line. The same amount of copper will go down aprox 1.5X deeper than core.

[boomerang]

JIM that is funny!!! "my wife won't even grab one of my core setups she just points at the bouncing rod and says your fish dear!!" I, myself love to grab the rod and fight the bigger fish and when its good and tuckered out i pass the rod off to one of the kids and the them do the really hard work!!! BOLTMAN, couple of my thoughts....cost, lead core is not very costly, you dont need a very expensive rod/reel, just one (reel) big enough to get enough backing and the length of lead core you want to run, you could even get away with a smaller reel by using a shorter core and by adding a "dive bomb" or big clip on lead weight, 6oz-8oz you get the same depth as you would as running a longer core.As already stated lead core takes your lure far away from your boat, and the fish that came to take a look at your downriggers and dipsies and went away uninterested, will see that spoon running way behind everything else all alone....and BAM!! i feel core works well for this reason and as well the fact that with your rod in its holder, the wave action jigging the core, also the core rising and falling in the water column adds action to the spoon/plug or whatever you are pulling with the core....BOTTOM LINE....works good lasts long time!!!

[GLF]

Big fish get caught on lead core. A couple of years ago I went fishing with Caznik on his boat with Waterfoul. I was up, and a full core wen off. I did not want it, because is was a full core, and Rich did not want it. Waterfoul grabbed the rod and reeled in a beautiful 14.4lb brown trout shaped like a football. Guess I should have grabbed the rod.

Dont get the wrong impression about the full core. I put the rod in a corner rod holder of my boat, and my oldest(7yrs old) reels in fish on it.

[1mainiac]

Hey John my wife is about 110 lbs soaking wet her sister is about the same size the two of them tag teamed a 12 lb king on core up at Manistee this spring neither one of them would touch a lead core rod the rest of the weekend. It was the bigest fish of the weekend and the girls caught it but the rest of the weekend they payed attention as to which rod was going off. It was mid July when she grabbed one of my full copper setups with a fish on it she was ready to hand over the rod and drive the boat in a few min. I don't mind the heavy gear but have never argued when someone else wants to land one on core. I am sure pretty much all of us have been slow to grab a core rod with others in the boat a time or two. There is no dening that a good core program will catch a lot of fish and we all love it but I for one admit it is easier to love sitting here on the computer wishing I was fishing than it is reeling it in. I am always amazed at how many times no one seems to notice the inside boards going off unless they are stripping line like mad. Everyone on the boat always wants to catch the biggest fish so when the inside board is pounding hard people race to get it but when you see the board slide back and the rod change to a steady pull meaning a smaller fish on the full core or copper there is seldom a rush to grab it. And whether you love core or hate it you really gotta have it cause it will put fish in the box when nothing else will and if I am burning gas fishing I want to catch fish.

[joelsanders]

the harness is a good purchase for your boat as many times i have kids or wife on board and it makes it much easier to handle a fish thats halfway across the lake!

[Paulywood]

I love leadcore. It is a great, inexpensive, and easy way to add more rods to your spread. Right now I have a 2 color, 3 color, half core, 7 color and full core. I plan on adding another full and half core this year. Everybody has a few good core stories. 6-7 years ago my brothers, dad and I were on a charter out of Ludington. A full core went and my dad grabbed it. I had just opened a full beer when the rod fired. I drank about half of my beer when the dipsey on my side of the boat went off. I fought and landed a nice 10+ lb. king and my dad was still fighting that fish. I sat down, finished my beer, opened another one and finished that beer by the time my dad got his fish in. It ended up being a 18 lb. king. It took him over 45 minutes to get it in. Last year we were fishing in Muskegon after the lake turned over. We were hammering fish in 40 ft. of water and were 1 fish short of a limit. The half-core went off and I started fighting the fish. It just dogged down to the bottom and I couldn't move it. Mike (Redeagle) started pulling rods since this was our last fish. He pulled the other 5 rods on the boat and I had actually lost ground on the fish. So we started slowly working our way toward the fish, driving in circles to keep tension on the line. I ended up reeling the fish in from straight below to boat, nice 18 lber that just wouldn't move off the bottom. Of course, my favorite core story is from the first year I started salmon fishing off my boat. I had bought my first 2 leadcore setups, a full and half core. I went out with Marty (ratchet) on his boat out of Holland. We had our riggers and divers out and I was letting out the half core. I had about half the leader out, 30 ft. or so, and line started tearing out. I thumbed the spool to slow it down enough to engage the drag. Ended up reeling in a nice 12 lb. king that hit the lure in the prop wash. Leadcore is a great weapon to add to your arsenal.

[DIRTY DOG]

as paulywood stated, cores are also my faverite rods ,and as a side note i see a lot of people saying they don't like a full core or anything longer

in my oppinoin ,your out there mostly for the fight and when a long core go's of, now you have a battle

currently i have 12 core rods on the dog ,a pair of 2,3,5,7,10,12 and 15 colers ,and from june though mid aug. the last few year "do to warm water" i mainly run 7,10,and 12 on one side and 10 ,12 and 15 on the other side

here is a few pics of some long core fish

this is a 15 coler

and this is the results

this pic is mid july out of sagotuck mi. all where on 10 coler or longer now that was fun

[Priority1]

Terry, One things is for sure, success speaks for itself.

[1mainiac]

Terry what are you running for reels and backer on 15 color setups? I have considered going up to some longer cores but even with Power Pro backer can't get much past 12 colors on my reels I saw a dbl core setup once it looked like the winch on my boat trailer LOL I could probably get 15 colors on my CV55L reels but those have my copper on them I am hoping to add 2 more setups this year Maybe if I go with cheaper rods I can spend more on the reels. My 10 color setup on Magna 45 reels and I am going to run braid for backer this year as there is not much room for mono under a full core on them.

[DIRTY DOG]

i got them from big lake out fitters , they are convector 55's with 150 yards of dacron for backing, ive never had a problem with being low on the backing side, i also have my 12's on the same modle reels but more backing i think its 200 yards, and 10's are on 45'

[1mainiac]

Thanks Terry I want to put 2 more rod combos together not sure if I want to go more colors of core or just stick with dive bombs on my core to make it run deeper. I have been thinking of a couple of ideas one will depend on which way I go with my wire rods. I have a set of mismatched Eagle Claw roller rods that have worked for me but don't like em very much and have heard so many bad reports on them so I want to upgrade them. So many toys so little money.