I’ve never trolled lead core before, but everyone I talk to that does raves at how well it works for walleyes. Can anyone suggest the ultimate 4 rod trolling setup for wire?
I need to buy this stuff before the ice melts.
Thanks.
Man, I need to hurry up and finish my “leadcore 101” article.
4 rods….get 2 “shorties” and two 8-8/5 foot rods. I’ve been running Jason Mitchell trolling rods for my long, outer rods for the past two seasons. Very sensitive tip that allows you to detect fouled baits simply by watching the tip action, plenty of backbone for dealing with snags and big fish. For the shorties, you could stay within the Mitchell brand, or pick up a pair of Scheels shorties. Either would serve you well.
Reels….I run Diawa sealines, 47 and 27 series. The 47 will hold just about 10 colors (maybe 9) of 17 lb lead, more like 8 colors of 27 lb lead. The 27s hold about half as much.
Any more questions….just let us know!
Jason,
I am just starting to use lead core also this year. Never believed in it until a tournament last year were I was three waying and the boat next to me pulled two nine pounders to win the tournament. I am now a believer, anyways a quick question. i was told to run a barrel swivel off the leadcore to the powerpro leader. what type of knot do you use or what type of leader set up do you use and type of knot. i also used a surgeon knot from my mono backing to leadcore.
thanks
shane
jason if you ever get down to lacrosse let me know always an open seat
Below is a link to discussions involving knots & lead core from earlier this week.
http://www.idofishing.com/forum/showflat.php/Number/749939/fpart/1/lead-line-to-mono
I agree with what Jason is saying, however, I’ve been using longer outside rods with good luck. I run the shortys angled in the rod holder toward the back corner of the boat and 10’6″ Scheels medium trolling rods straight out the side. Jason Mitchell makes a 14′ rod and the rumor is Scheels is coming with one. Adding this straight out the side in front of the 10’6″ rods would allow 6 lead rods to be run out of the boat easily.
As far as reels I would go with a line counter that will hold 10 colors. If you’re trolling depths over 20 ft at speeds greater than 2.5 mph with shad raps or similar you’ll want the extra colors to make sure you get down.
I like 14 lb Fireline Crystal as a leader. I put very small Spro swivel in between to help with tangles. Can’t guarantee it makes a difference, but seems like it alleviates some of the tangles.
Last year my new set ups for lead core included 2 of the Bass Pro Walleye Angler Signature Series 12 foot trolling rods. I combined these with a couple of the 5 ft short rods from Dean at Everts and the set up is awesome. It spreads yours baits nicely. The 12 footers take a little getting used to as far as landing fish goes and they are definately a rod that you can NOT use while fishing by yourself. You just can’t net a fish by yourself even if you have your Beckman extended all the way. 
If I’m by myself I go to an 8’6″ rod.
We carry most of the rods mentioned above.The shorty’s are a alot of fun to fish with. The 14 ft are great rods,but if you fish by yourself,they are a handfull trying to use. They do help the spread though! I have ended up going with 2 shorties,2 10’6″. The 14 ft are at the ready,if I need 6 rods. 
what type of knot do you use when you tie the leadcore to the swivel, and what type of knot do you use when using a fireline/powerpro leader. Does anyone use snaps to switch the baits quickly.
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Can anyone suggest the ultimate 4 rod trolling setup for wire?
I’ll assume when you say wire you really mean lead core. There is wire line out there for uber-deep trolling and power trolling. Don’t see it much anymore. But there was a local guide here named Harry Stiles that used wire a lot on the Croix.
If you are learing to troll LC, start out hand holding the rod. You will pick up the suttle differences faster. 
Toss 4 rods out on your first trip, you may never try it again! Good Luck.
-J.
I use an improved cinch knot for both. I use snaps to attach the cranks.
i troll a fair amount of lead in the summer by no means an expert or anything….but i run 2 8’6″ soon to be 10’6″ HEAR THAT DEANO lol than I have 2 of th5 ft shorties from Dean.Those things make a 20″ fish a BLAST in the sumemr time! 
Caught a 27″ last summer on it and the rod handled awsome with big fish as well having plenty of give but plenty of backbone as well! I slide the dacron back and cut the lead a foot or so back and tie the dacron (sp?) to a spro swivel as mentioned before with Fireline leader or 4′-7′ to a cross lock snap and my flicker shad, shad rap, ect. Pretty much run the same set up as Dean or Jason I guess about sums it up! 
also remember this is in the Mississippi River when talking about the leader! If you are fishing clear water lengthen your leader size accordingly depending on the water clarity ,and switch to a floro. or fireline crystal leader as well to prevent spooking presured clear water fish!
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Man, I need to hurry up and finish my “leadcore 101” article.
4 rods….get 2 “shorties” and two 8-8/5 foot rods. I’ve been running Jason Mitchell trolling rods for my long, outer rods for the past two seasons. Very sensitive tip that allows you to detect fouled baits simply by watching the tip action, plenty of backbone for dealing with snags and big fish. For the shorties, you could stay within the Mitchell brand, or pick up a pair of Scheels shorties. Either would serve you well.
Reels….I run Diawa sealines, 47 and 27 series. The 47 will hold just about 10 colors (maybe 9) of 17 lb lead, more like 8 colors of 27 lb lead. The 27s hold about half as much.
Any more questions….just let us know!
Why the two different line counter reel sizes (47s VS. 27s). Would a person be better off with the same amout of lead core on all 4 reels? Just trying to figure the Reels with lead core thing out. I understand the different rod sizes out!
thanks.
The 27’s allow for 4-5 colors of lead max.If you put 5 colors on a 27 you will have minimal backing.The 27 reels are generally only good for fishing lead in less than 20′ of water.If you get hung up fishing over 20’& you have 5 colors on the 27 with minimal backing,you best be able to get all other rods cleared fast or lose your crank & possibly the 5 colors.I personally dont use the 27’s for that reason & the 47’s seem to hold up better to the abuse of running lead.Diawa used to have a accudepth 57LCI,which was a 2 bearing reel, that would easily hold a full 10 colors with plenty of room for backing.For some reason they did away with the 57 LCI series.If you can get lucky enough to find the 57 ,consider giving them a try so your not cutting yourself short on backing or lead.The thing to consider is 27 will be a smaller lighter reel which isnt as cumbersome on a 5′ shortie rod.But if you plan on useing it in over 20 fow the 47’s might be a better choice. Best of luck fishing. 
WHITETIP
I pair the 27s on my shortie rods. Makes for a more balanced outfit.
Thanks, that clears some things up. I will see how the 47’s feel on the 5′ rods and will pick up either 4-47’s or 2 ea. of the 47’s and 27’s. The other rods are 12′.
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I pair the 27s on my shortie rods. Makes for a more balanced outfit.
Jason,
Being that the shorties are your inside line and closest to the boat wouldn’t you want the 47s on there so you can get your baits down the deepest? Then run the shallower baits on the outside? I’m currently shopping for a shortie setup so I appreciate the advice.
When I pull lead, 90% of the time I’m trying to saturate a particular depth zone (say, bottom to 5 feet up) with as many baits as possible. In other words, I want all of my baits in that zone, rather than 2-3 high and 2-3 low.
Here’s what I do to avoid the tangles that would occur if I ran 4-6 lines to the same depth using the same amount of lead: I run my deepest diving baits, like SR7s, JSR7s, or SR9s, off the inner rods and baits that dive less aggressively (SR5s or the like) on the outside. I am still able to get all of my baits into the zone I want to saturate, but I do so with less lead out on the inner rods and more lead out on the outer rods.
If I want to look for high-riding fish, rather than stick with lead, I will run a pair of long lines in front of my lead spread. Thus, my farthest forward rods will be long-line setups, pulling something like an SR5 or a JSR5, 175-200 feet back. That will put those baits well behind my lead lines and high above them in the water column. The next rods will be my “outer” LC rods rigged with an SR5 or the like, and then my “inner” LC rods with aggressively diving baits.
Works for me!
I run the Diawa 47’s on my Perigrine shorties and they work just fine. No problems what-so-ever.
I prefer to have the same amount of lead core on all my rods. This year, thats going to be seven colors of lead and 20# Stealth as a backing below that. This allows me to run anyone of my four lead core setups in all situations.
Some great info here on Leadcore set ups!
If I encounter a good leadcore bite, I will even put out some segmented leadcore set ups out on a planer board. For the water I fish (usually on Mille Lacs in 35 feet of water) I will run anywhere from 2-3 colors depending on the crankbait. I also use long leaders (40-50 feet) so I get that crankbait away from the leadcore line.
To summarize, a segmented leadcore from the crankbait would be a 40-50 foot leader, 2-3 colors of leadcore and then mono or braided line back to the spool. Attach the board right behind the leadcore and on the mono/braided line.
I also like to have my drags a little bit tighter with using leadcore lines (versus long lining with braid). The reason for this is because the leadcore will have a “S” curve to it with some slack in it.
I have a questions then….. Does the lure sit above the leadcore or Below the lead core? or does it depend on what type of bait I am running?
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I also like to have my drags a little bit tighter with using leadcore lines (versus long lining with braid). The reason for this is because the leadcore will have a “S” curve to it with some slack in it.
Brad, that is where I’m different than you. I loosen my drags & put on the clicker. So when I here that clicker it’s time to have some fun.
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I also like to have my drags a little bit tighter with using leadcore lines (versus long lining with braid). The reason for this is because the leadcore will have a “S” curve to it with some slack in it.
Brad, that is where I’m different than you. I loosen my drags & put on the clicker. So when I here that clicker it’s time to have some fun.
When it comes to the drag, I gotta agree with Mark on this one. I’ve just seen way to many big fish come unbottoned on lead core setups when clients would get impatient and tighten the drag.
The other day I finished re-doing my lead core setups. For those that are interested, here is how it worked out.
A full 150yd spool of 30# Spiderwire Stealth fits perfectly under seven colors of lead core on a Daiwa 47LC reel.
I had origianlly planned on using 20# stealth but found out I had several extra full spools of 30# Stealth. So thats what I used.
I don’t use any mono below the stealth. Just put one end of a 3″ piece of scotch tape on the reel spool, stick the superline under the tape and turn the reel handle slowly, taping the line to the reel spool. It won’t slip at all if you do this way.
Nope, I don’t tie a knot. Why not? Because if we ever do reach the bottom of the spool, I don’t want someone to unexpectedly have the rod & reel yanked out of there hands and into the drink. If we ever ge that much line peeled off, we’re already in big trouble and we don’t need to make it even worse.
Joel, What lb.leadcore 18, 27?
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I also like to have my drags a little bit tighter with using leadcore lines (versus long lining with braid). The reason for this is because the leadcore will have a “S” curve to it with some slack in it.
Brad, that is where I’m different than you. I loosen my drags & put on the clicker. So when I here that clicker it’s time to have some fun.
I’m with Mark on the drag, I keep my drags very loose on my core setups. If the fish is strong enough to pull all the core thats in the water and pull drag, I don’t want to lose that fish 
I’ll have my drags almost all the open so I can pull the line pretty easily off of the spool. Seems to work for me.
I’ll take all the time necessary to get her into the boat.
Jami
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Joel, What lb.leadcore 18, 27?
18lb lead core.
I run 18lb too, but I know Jason Halfen started to run 27lb last season. I don’t remember why he switched but I’m sure he’ll tell us when he get’s off the river today.
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I also like to have my drags a little bit tighter with using leadcore lines (versus long lining with braid). The reason for this is because the leadcore will have a “S” curve to it with some slack in it.
I was loosing way to many fish, when I started using lead core. I was setting my drag like I do long lineing loose with the clicker on. Jason advised me to keep my drag tighter with lead core…that solved my problem.
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I run 18lb too, but I know Jason Halfen started to run 27lb last season. I don’t remember why he switched but I’m sure he’ll tell us when he get’s off the river today.
I switched to 27 because I was donating way too many cranks to Wissota’s cribs. Switching to 27 gave me a chance to pull a few more free than before.
The thicker diameter does make a difference. The depth profile isn’t the same as the thinner, lower pound test stuff. But, it works for me.
Just like dragging jigs, pulling cranks on lead is not all science…there is definitely some “art” involved, as well. Look for “the art and science of leadcore trolling for walleyes” coming to your favorite angling website, soon!
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