copper line vs. leadcore

[RIk]

Is there a dive curve out for copper line?I have used leadcore& small boards extensively fishing inland waters for walleye,for about 10 years...am now wanting to fish lake erie (central basin) and going to set up 4 rods to target fish holding 30 -50 feet down @ 1.2mph to 2.5...I figured a 50' leader followed by 5 colors...and 150yds of 30#power pro would get it done.Depending on lure types and speed I should be able to cover these depths nicely.Now I see copper is gaining popularity and was looking for good info on its use.Does it really sink faster than lead?How is its workability compared to leadcore..Has anyone tested to see its diving ability @ different trolling speeds?I know most of u salmon guys troll a littler faster than us targeting walleye here on erie.Anyone with experience trolling copper info would be great....

[caznik]

If I were you, I would ask Treblemaker. He has about everything in his boat.

[HitMan]

Copper comes in two popular sizes. I personally like 30 pound test and would think that is what you would want to work with as well, especially for walleye. 30 pound Copper sinks approximately 5'- 6' for every 10 yards let out. Meanwhile, 45 pound Copper sinks approximately 7'-9' for every 10 yards let out. 300' of 30 pound Copper would fish around 50'-60' and 300' of 45 pound Copper would fish around 70'-90'. Of course, this all depends on your trolling speeds, currents, etc. These depths are all based off experiences using the different Copper rods we have as well as the calculations given to us by the Copper suppliers. So from what you said, maybe 100'-225' of copper lengths would be in your ballpark for walleye. But the 30 pound is WAY easier to work with than the 45 pound, so I would definitely use the 30 pound. Just an FYI, the 225' lengths of the 30 pound has been our best Salmon rods on Lake Michigan for the last two years from May until October.

[shu9265]

RIk,

I fish almost exclusively on the Central Basin for walleye.

I run all my rods with #30 power pro, #8 diameter.

And target the fish in same depths as you are asking about. Most of the time when they are that deep, I run Dipsey divers with 200'-225' of line out.

I am not saying this is the only way to catch them, I am also looking into getting a few rods with copper.

Some of the others I know are running wire, they are running it back 400-450' with shallow diving baits.

Not sure if it is going deeper at that distance, or just the fact that it's so far away from the boat, but they are catching fish that way and consistently too.

[RIk]

hitman,when you say u get 5-6 ft. for every 10yds,what speed is that based on.I know with 18lb leadcore I get 4-5' with 10yds. @ 2.0mph on my gps.pretty consistently through my own testing.I know the manufacturer says 5-6 ft. with 10yds. out of copper but it does not say what speed that comes from.I thought maybe since it is probably being used more for salmon on lake MI and lake Ontario that it is more like a base speed of 2.5 or so,if that is the case I typically troll from 1.5 up to 2.5 with average of say 1.8-2.0 that would mean maybe 6-7 ft. of depth with copper @ around 2.0,which would mean copper would be more effecient for me....thanks for the response...

[HitMan]

Yes, I agree. The copper will definitely be more efficient for you. We troll a lot faster than you ever would. Probably 2.5-3.3 is what those numbers are based on. You can get away with a lot less 30 pound copper than with your lead core. The numbers for the slower speed may even be 7'-8' per 10 yards of Copper. So your gain with copper will be faster than with lead core. Hope this helps!!!