Fishing Forum

I'm planning on taking the family fishing this weekend and since our cabin is between Strawberry and Starvation I'm planning on hitting Strawberry. I'll be fishing out of our 24ft pontoon boat without downriggers. I prefer to troll whever possible but without a dedicated trolling motor the slowest I can go is between 2.5-2.75mph. I have a trolling combo that I had spooled with 80lb sufix braid(not sure what I was thinking). I'm thinking about throwing leadcore on it instead. I'd like to hear opinions about using lead at the speed I can troll. If I do go with lead, can I safely run two more rods with standard line safely off the sides? Keep in mind I've never used lead so any tips or suggestions are appreciated. Thanks.
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You can always drag one or two 5 gallon buckets with about a 3 to 5 inch hole cut in the bottom of each bucket. That will slow you down considerably. The depth that leadcore line will drop to is extremely sensitive to speed. If you are trying to catch kokanee, at 2.5-2.75 mph, I doubt that you can let out enough leadcore to reach them.
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If you happen to live anywhere near the Bountiful area, I have a 5 gallon bucket that I used on a previous boat, that you are welcome to have for free.
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Forgot to mention that I'm not concerned about species as much as enjoying a day on the water fishing. I personally don't eat fish...
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You can catch cutthroats and rainbows going that speed at Strawberry this time of year, as long as you use a lure that will work properly going that fast. A Kastmaster, Jake's Spin-A-Lure, or a spinner would work. You should be able to troll two other rods (in addition to the one with leadcore line) with minimal problems.
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Any rough estimate on how much lead to let out when I get started ? I know there are a ton of factors to consider and I'll need to use my graph but since it will be my first time using lead, I'm looking for a starting point. Thanks
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I would start with 3 or 4 colors.
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Been fishing there the past few weeks. I use leaded line to keep the kids entertained while I try to figure out the kokes on the down rigger. Catch non-stop cutts and an occasional bow at 5 - 6 colors going a little slower than you are projected to go. I would think another color or two would get you down where you need to be. It's a blast!
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Woukd you suggest 12lb or 18lb line? I've been really impressed with Sufix 832 braid so I'm planning on spooling with thier lead core. It sounds somewhat similar to the Tuf-line micro lead. Thoughts?
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I'd go with the lighter of the two. "Breaking off" has never been an issue for me. I troll pop gear and a worm. Just enough worm to cover the hook. Those buggers are great at latching on to the "excess" and pulling it off.
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What size and type of pop gear would you suggest?
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IMO you will defeat the purpose of the lead core line if you use pop gear at a higher trolling speed (it will raise the line up in the water column).
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I believe the size is "standard" (I think that's what the box says) It's not small but it's not huge either. I have one that is all silver (or chrome) and one brass. People will say that you should use one or the other depending on the conditions of the day but they catch equal amounts side by side. I buy the cheap #6 pre-tied hooks and connect them right to the pop gear. It looks waaayy to short but it doesn't affect them at all. I also have the pop gear connected right to the leaded line with a snap swivel for easy change outs. This may not be the best way to do it but I catch fish non-stop until we get tired of it. Hope this helps.
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This chart does not show trolling speed but might help.
I tried to copy and paste the chart but it didn't work. Here is the link.

[url "http://www.straitlineanglers.com/Articles/Leadcore_How-to.htm"]http://www.straitlineanglers.com/Articles/Leadcore_How-to.htm[/url]

All very helpful info. Thanks for all the tips. If anybody thinks of something you wish you had known before you first tried using leaded line, feel free to share...
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Another way to go is inline weights. A three oz trolling weight back about 100 to 120ft will get you down to 30 or 40ft, a 2oz weight about 15 to 20 ft. at your trolling speeds using 10lb braid/mono. I have caught Cutts, bows and kokes using these weights pulling pop gear, dodgers etc. Bass Pro has some weights that look like fish but the plain old banana shaped lead works just as well.
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Really not much purpose in using lead at that speed, but always good to have a lead core rod or two. Another idea for the speed, is to troll into the wind, always at Strawberry. Also they have drift socks that can work as well.
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The bucket thing works, but a drift sock is better, will give you better control, both while trolling and drifting with the wind. The difference between Suffix 822 Leadcore and other brands is that the 822 has the Dynema braid as the outer line, so you have the advantage of the high tech braid. Remember, the size of the lead in the lead core is the same, the difference is the diameter of the dacron or Dynema covering it. The smaller diameter line has less water resistance and will get down a bit more at any given speed. At 1 - 1.5 mph, each color will get you down about 5-7 ft., so 4 colors will get you down about 20-28 ft. I like to attach long leaders to my lead core, up to 100 ft.. To do so, I splice a loop of 20-30lb mono to the lead core by stripping out 6-8 inches of lead, then threading the mono into the outer covering of line. An overhand knot at the base of the mono and one at the end of the dacron/Dynema holds the mono in place. A loop in the end of the Mono allows the attachment of the leader and the whole thing will slide through your guides w/o any problems. I have heard that with the 822 you can strip out 6-8 inches of lead, then just tie on a small swivel that becomes the attachment for the leader. I have not used the 822, a tad expensive when you don't use lead core that much, but if you are using it all the time, might be worth the cost.