Suffix 832 Lead Core

[taxid]

Some years D.R.'s outfish lead, some years the other way around, got to be ready for everything.

At the risk of repeating myself I was trolling with a downrigger on Nahmakanta Lake in Northern Maine and couldn't get a salmon hit to save my life. Put out the lead core and starting catching fish with the same lure. Go figure.

[Jethro]

Geoff - we sometimes will run 2 colors off the ball on the riggers.
Gives the undulation of the lead but not the headaches with running tons of colors.
Make sure you have the ball 10' or so off the bottom however.

I have 4 rods with lead.
2 with 4 color and 2 with 6 color.
Won't run longer than 6...…..EVER.
Not worth the headaches.

My son has 2 smaller rods with 2 color he will send down the riggers or in the spring in shallow with a spoon on em for browns behind an inline board.

I've heard of this and will likely try it this year. I got all sorts of down rigger gear and they just don't perform as well as the lead for me. I do fish lead and sinking fly line on the planer boards a lot.

I feel like lead can “lure” the fish into striking sometimes especially when the bite is tough. In my mind the lead is going to have a certain “wave” to it as it goes through the water. It’s going to drop and rise on turns, and you can usually see in the rob bend how it “waves/throbs” on the water. I imagine the finicky salmos are going to follow it and eventually get hypnotized by the rhythm of it, and whack it. That’s also why I like shorter leaders on my lead.

I always run both when we are out, and then switch accordingly.

As far as depth, if your going slow, and have a fly or small lure on it should get down pretty good. I’ve snagged 10 colors a bunch of times before around 50’. It’s when you have a big heavy spoon or dodger on there that it won’t get down to depth as well. Less resistance means the line sinks deeper.

I agree, the lead definitely imparts some kind of action that the fish seem to like. And dodgers off the downrigger sometimes are just are too much.

I am almost always trolling flatfish, sometime big spoons too, I'm sure that's why I can't get deep with the lead. For some reason I get frustrated easily with trolling flys of any kind.

Sorry to the OP, we've hyjacked this thread pretty good but there is some good info on trolling lead here.

[gamefisher]

At the risk of repeating myself I was trolling with a downrigger on Nahmakanta Lake in Norther Maine and couldn't get a salmon hit to save my life. Put out the lead core and starting catching fish with the same lure. Go figure.

My favorite and most beautiful spot in Maine. 😎

[taxid]

My favorite and most beautiful spot in Maine. 😎

Salmon were on the small side. Any big ones in there? Did my best for brook trout to just over 16 inches on the Rainbow deadwaters drifiting in a canoe with panfish jigs. If I ever go back I'd love to check out Rainbow Lake a little upstream. Wind blew us gently down to one end of Rainbow Deadwaters with our jigs just off bottom, and we just waited a short time and it blew us back. And then back the other way again. Never seen anything like it. And true to it's name saw a beautiful rainbow over Rainbow Deadwaters. Of course my camera was acting up!

Took this picture from on top of Nesuntabunt Mountain looking down on Nahmakanta Lake.

[JDK]

For some reason I couldn't catch a fish on a slim profiled spoon and leadcore to save my life.  Larger profile, such as the Sutton, are killer.  If I had to fish a DB on leadcore, I'd go home.  No idea why,

Secondly, I believe most people use far too heavy a rod.  A soft tip that pulsates and flexed with the movement of the boat seems to do well, for me.  Similar to the bunker spoon trolling rods in saltwater.  I really like the older 8'6" Starfire rod.

As always, YMMV.

[gamefisher]

I really like the older 8'6" Starfire rod.

Hands down the best leadcore trolling rod, just watch the tip and it will let you know what is going on with your lure, great sensitivity and backbone at same time,
just got to find the "old ones"  I think marked 8-15#.  The old starfire 407's are awesome down rigger rods but really hard to find now, marked either 4-8# or 6-10#. 

[lowaccord66]

I love leadcore.  Its telling when you fish all day on O with riggers...then switch to a rod with 3 colors that you set behind the ball.  Boom giant kings.  I surmise that some of you just slam as many colors on a spool and let it rip.  Setting up a couple rods with varying amounts works well.  Then in some instances you are fighting the fish on Mono the majority of the time and then maybe have 3-5 colors at the end...

[Jack1972]

I've heard of this and will likely try it this year. I got all sorts of down rigger gear and they just don't perform as well as the lead for me. I do fish lead and sinking fly line on the planer boards a lot.

I agree, the lead definitely imparts some kind of action that the fish seem to like. And dodgers off the downrigger sometimes are just are too much.

I am almost always trolling flatfish, sometime big spoons too, I'm sure that's why I can't get deep with the lead. For some reason I get frustrated easily with trolling flys of any kind.

Sorry to the OP, we've hyjacked this thread pretty good but there is some good info on trolling lead here.

No apology needed.  I'm quite sure 95% of you are better fisherman than me so I try to absorb as much info as I can that pertains to my situations.