Most sensitive leadcore rod?

“They stretch the same, some may even prove it stretches more. However it is more dense so it does transfer vibrations better than mono. Google “2nd annual line stretch test”

I’ve heard this as well didn’t know if it was true or not. Talk about false advertising wow! They’ve also done abrasion tests with mono vs fluorocarbon and the mono won every time even with thinner line. Fluorocarbon isn’t all it’s cracked up to be imo it’s only good for one thing and that’s invisibility and I’m not even sure that’s what they claim and makes any difference compared to mono. I know plenty of guys that use mono leaders for line shy fish like trout and walleye in clear water and have no trouble getting bit I can tell you that.

I’m surprised no one has any intel on those Limit Creek rods they seem like the real deal.

I don’t own any limit Creek casting rods but I do have one of every spinning rod.
I only have experience with their shorty casting rod.

Sounds like your a fan. They have a shorty trolling rod as well. I called and talked to them and the guy I spoke with said they’re rods are designed to read the action of the lure with a lot of line out. He also said the shorty was a little more sensitive than the 8’6” version which surprises me because the shorty has an E glass blank and the 8’6” has a high modulus graphite blank.

For leadcore, no doubt, my favorite rods are:

1. Limit Creek shorty rods
2. Cabelas shorty rod

I like the Limit Creek rods better, they have a little more sensitivity. Both are good rods.

I believe the shorty rods give the leadcore better action. Also, they detect bites extremely well.

I have caught walleye and sauger from .5 pounds to 8 pounds. I have caught lake trout up to 12 pounds. Great trolling rods and more fun than their big bothers to fight fish on.

flanders51 wrote:

For leadcore, no doubt, my favorite rods are:

1. Limit Creek shorty rods
2. Cabelas shorty rod

I like the Limit Creek rods better, they have a little more sensitivity. Both are good rods.

I believe the shorty rods give the leadcore better action. Also, they detect bites extremely well.

I have caught <strong class=”ido-tag-strong”>walleye and sauger from .5 pounds to 8 pounds. I have caught lake trout up to 12 pounds. Great trolling rods and more fun than their big bothers to fight fish on.

Thanks for the info that’s exactly what I’m looking for! Right now Limit Creek’s shorty rod is sold out he said they would be getting more in in a couple weeks. It’s not that expensive either which is nice. The lure rating on that rod is perfect for what I’m using as well and if it’s more fun fighting the fish that’s exactly what I want. I knew it was probably a good rod when I saw it was sold out and the others weren’t.

Flanders do you have any experience with the other rods I mentioned earlier? Also how thick is that shorty Limit Creek rod would it be good for stickbaits/crankbaits under 3/4 of an ounce?

Well I finally got my Limit Creek shorty trolling rod. First one they sent out the rod tube was nearly cut in half with the rod exposed and bent. I refused it at the post office talked to Limit Creek and they said it happens every so often. They sent me out another one right away and I received it Friday. Well don’t you know the second rod tube is also damaged it has a small hole at the bottom half of the tube. I didn’t think it was a big deal but when I got the rod out I noticed the fore grip was damaged and that happened to be right where the hole was. I don’t know what kind of rod tubes they are using but they are way to weak for shipping.

My disappointment only increased as I found the rod to be just as stiff and thick as my Talora rod. Not sure about it’s sensitivity but I’m not very optimistic at this point. I wish I had known this beforehand. I should’ve gotten one of the Mr. Walleye Rods they have way thinner tips or I could’ve just gone with a casting rod. If anyone wants it I’ll sell it for cheap plus shipping cost.

I have yet to have any issue detecting bites, bottom contact, or even the slightest weed running cranks on the Cabelas Depthmaster rods (shorties and 9′ telescoping rods). They are all spooled with 18# suffix leadcore and 10′ fluorocarbon leaders. To me, spending any more on a walleye/sauger trolling combo is pointless. Save the $$$ and invest it in boards, more cranks, or rods for different applications. I’m not sure what some people are doing that they cannot see and feel the baits action? I troll anywhere from 1.8 – 3.5mph in 8-25′ of water without issue.

Buckybadger I’ll check out those Cabela’s rods they sound good. I think the problem I’m having is the lures I use are on the light side and they don’t put enough bend in these thick trolling rods. If I was fishing deep diving lures then maybe I could tell what’s going on. Think Shad Rap they are super light and won’t even come close to bending these thicker trolling rods. I use casting rods for trolling without leadcore and I can tell what’s going on with those rods. Do you need special guides for leadcore or can you use regular ones?

If you’re a shadrap fan, I’d try flicker shads and jointed shad raps. They have a bit more translated action through the rod. I haven’t found a scenario where the original shad rap outproduces flickers. If you’re still having trouble and cannot read the baits, a fireline leader will help significantly also.

Sorry bucky but reading smaller HJs like 6 or 8s or smaller flickers on those shorty depthmasters just don’t happen imo. I’ve done your exact stuff and you must have better eyes than me. Things are broomsticks to the tips. Heavier lures as Scott mentioned can be read off anything but he’s looking for a lil bit better rods that are more tip sensitive than your “off the shelf” cheapos.

It very well maybe that those shorty rods just will have that attribute bc of the length. Im certainly not the expert troller but I do have those DMs and haven’t had such sensitivity mentioned.

I’d talk to a custom rod maker if you are this particular. And that’s just fine and what they are in business for.

I think exactly how you position the rod makes a considerable difference as well. In my opinion, the shorty rods read best if they’re parallel to the transom and level in rod holders. The longer rods seem to read best this way or slightly higher than parallel.

The rods seem to translate best at speeds from about 2.5-3.0mph which on P4 seems to be about right as the fish like the speed out there for some reason. If you’re trying to pull small HJ’s at under 2.0mph you will have issues with most if not all leadcore rigs regardless of cost. For me, that’s when I look to 3-way rigging

There are many ways to skin the cat. Best of luck getting your setups dialed in.

“Broomsticks to the tips” exactly! Spinning and casting rods get thinner the further towards the tip you go but not most of these trolling rods. I may just try the Limit Creek rod in the mean time until I get something better. I looked at the Mr. Walleye rods and they look like they have much thinner tips like a traditional casting rod so I might go with one of those. I could also just get a decent casting rod that would do the job as well. The only thing I’m concerned about are the guides do they need to be special for leadcore?

There is no one rod fits all.

The amount of weight being pulled can be drastically different.

From one extreme to another.

If you find yourself going slow with little lips you’ll want a lighter action rod.

If you use that rod for going fast with big lips…. You’ll be trolling into the backbone of the rod with nothing to give but the drag when a fish hits.

I’d rather have too much rod when going slow vs not enough when going fast.
I also pull out other tactics when going slow which is why my preference is towards heavier rods.

Again, not a single rod is right for all applications of leadcore. There are many right rods for certain applications of lead.

Nhamm, how many years you been pulling lead

FishBlood&RiverMud wrote:

Nhamm, how many years you been pulling lead

Exactly why I stated I’m no expert fishblood. But it don’t take more than one time out pulling baits as mentioned to know generally what’s happening here. Lots more experts here such as yourself but that don’t matter much if there’s no posts from such members.

Just trying to contribute to the conversation

Scott Salber wrote:

y! Spinning and casting rods get thinner the further towards the tip you go but not most of these trolling rods. I may just try the Limit Creek rod in the mean time until I get something better. I looked at the Mr. Walleye rods and they look like they have much thinner tips like a traditional casting rod so I might go with one of those. I could also just get a decent casting rod that would do the job as well. T

You seem to be using leadcore in the lightest of ways. Typical walleye trolling rod might be best for what you use it for.

Scott Salber wrote:

l. The only thing I’m concerned about are the guides do they need to be special for leadcore?

If you plan on reeling a swivel through your guides, avoid ceramics. I don’t use a swivel, so anything goes.

Thanks FishBlood&RiverMud that’s very helpful information. I am definitely on the lighter side of things when it comes to lures. I don’t use a swivel but was thinking of using one for a braid leader for my Limit Creek rod. Looks like I’ll be looking more into another casting rod for my situation. I would also love to use a smaller reel and like to have a line counter but line counter reels all seem to be bigger.

Scott Salber wrote:

I would also love to use a smaller reel and like to have a line counter but line counter reels all seem to be bigger.

When it comes to leadcore you kinda need a large capacity reel if you want to spool up any substantial amount of lead. I have a smaller round baitcasting reel that I pressed into leadcore service last year in a pinch. I could only fit 5 colors of lead on the reel. Not a problem for me as I primarily fish locations where you can run only 1 line and I’m usually solo.

If you’re running several lines I could see how that could put you in a tight spot if that lure hangs up on bottom and starts peeling line. You’ll be down to your backing and maybe totally spooled before you can clear your other lines and circle back to the snag.

I’ll also note that line-counters with leadcore is redundant to me. The lead is colored in segments so you always know how much line you have out.

Just my experience.

And before FBRM follows up, I’ve been trolling lead for only 1 year so in his opinion I’m sure you should just ignore me

I use the Tuffline micro leadcore it’s a lot thinner than the normal stuff. I still like a line counter reel though cause I lose track of how many colors I have out sometimes.