WTB: Line Counter reels or combos for lead core

Looking to buy a couple line counter reels or rod/reel combos for trolling lead core.

Located in the Mpls/St.Paul area. Please let me know what you have and a price. Thanks in advance.

I would think about non line counters levelwind trolling reels for leadcore, lead comes in 10 yd colored increments and you should fish all of it or none of it in my opinion. I have a 2 color, 4 color, 5 color all ready for walleye and salmon and some longer for the salmon as well. I never run lead at my rod tip bad experience after bad experience doing that and I run planers so I don’t want lead between the boat and the planer board. Besides line counters add weight and bulk which takes a little more out of the fun with walleyes.
My 2 cents worth…
luv2rapala

Here’s my two cents. I troll lead core alot and I’ve always used line counter reels. Of course you don’t actually need line counter reels to fish lead core but its so much simpler to duplicate the exact number of feet every time you let out line by just looking at your number. That and you don’t have to stand and count as one color after another goes out and in my experience, the colors are not always easy to see and tend to fade on some lines.
I’ve never once thought that bulky reels take away from the fun of catching walleyes. Being precise and being able to duplicate your presentation time after time means catching more fish and to me, catching fish is what it’s all about.

Karry Kyllo wrote:

Here’s my two cents. I troll lead core alot and I’ve always used line counter reels. Of course you don’t actually need line counter reels to fish lead core but its so much simpler to duplicate the exact number of feet every time you let out line by just looking at your number. That and you don’t have to stand and count as one color after another goes out and in my experience, the colors are not always easy to see and tend to fade on some lines.
I’ve never once thought that bulky reels take away from the fun of catching walleyes. Being precise and being able to duplicate your presentation time after time means catching more fish and to me, catching fish is what it’s all about.

I think you misunderstood what luv2rapala was saying. They’re saying you should run separate reels, one for 2 colors, one for 3 colors, one for 4, etc. If you load up a reel with 8-10 colors of lead and only put out 5, you have lead in your rod tip and more lead on your reel that will make your reel heavy. Running lead on line counters makes sense when you’re running planner boards where you’ll run your lead out, then attach your boards, then let more line out, but you can eyeball that as the real (pun intended) concern would be getting the board and bait away from your boat. On a board it will still be x colors of lead behind the board so the running depth will be the same as if you just let the lead out and set the rod in a rod holder on your boat. A suggestion is, if you’re looking for a one or two reel setup, run braid or mono and use snap weights to get down to the depth you want. You can still run boards, but don’t have to deal with different lengths of lead.

luttes wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Karry Kyllo wrote:</div>
Here’s my two cents. I troll lead core alot and I’ve always used line counter reels. Of course you don’t actually need line counter reels to fish lead core but its so much simpler to duplicate the exact number of feet every time you let out line by just looking at your number. That and you don’t have to stand and count as one color after another goes out and in my experience, the colors are not always easy to see and tend to fade on some lines.
I’ve never once thought that bulky reels take away from the fun of catching walleyes. Being precise and being able to duplicate your presentation time after time means catching more fish and to me, catching fish is what it’s all about.

I think you misunderstood what luv2rapala was saying. They’re saying you should run separate reels, one for 2 colors, one for 3 colors, one for 4, etc. If you load up a reel with 8-10 colors of lead and only put out 5, you have lead in your rod tip and more lead on your reel that will make your reel heavy. Running lead on line counters makes sense when you’re running planner boards where you’ll run your lead out, then attach your boards, then let more line out, but you can eyeball that as the real (pun intended) concern would be getting the board and bait away from your boat. On a board it will still be x colors of lead behind the board so the running depth will be the same as if you just let the lead out and set the rod in a rod holder on your boat. A suggestion is, if you’re looking for a one or two reel setup, run braid or mono and use snap weights to get down to the depth you want. You can still run boards, but don’t have to deal with different lengths of lead.

I didn’t misunderstand his answer.

Karry Kyllo wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>luttes wrote:</div>

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Karry Kyllo wrote:</div>
Here’s my two cents. I troll lead core alot and I’ve always used line counter reels. Of course you don’t actually need line counter reels to fish lead core but its so much simpler to duplicate the exact number of feet every time you let out line by just looking at your number. That and you don’t have to stand and count as one color after another goes out and in my experience, the colors are not always easy to see and tend to fade on some lines.
I’ve never once thought that bulky reels take away from the fun of catching walleyes. Being precise and being able to duplicate your presentation time after time means catching more fish and to me, catching fish is what it’s all about.

I think you misunderstood what luv2rapala was saying. They’re saying you should run separate reels, one for 2 colors, one for 3 colors, one for 4, etc. If you load up a reel with 8-10 colors of lead and only put out 5, you have lead in your rod tip and more lead on your reel that will make your reel heavy. Running lead on line counters makes sense when you’re running planner boards where you’ll run your lead out, then attach your boards, then let more line out, but you can eyeball that as the real (pun intended) concern would be getting the board and bait away from your boat. On a board it will still be x colors of lead behind the board so the running depth will be the same as if you just let the lead out and set the rod in a rod holder on your boat. A suggestion is, if you’re looking for a one or two reel setup, run braid or mono and use snap weights to get down to the depth you want. You can still run boards, but don’t have to deal with different lengths of lead.

I didn’t misunderstand his answer.

Noted

no right or wrong way to do it for sure – I personally am just not going to pay for and handle more than I need to. I understand the desire for line counters but for me its straight levelwind and a number on the side of my reel with my wife’s nail polish telling me how many colors on that reel. I do the same with copper lines for salmon.

All my trolling is done on regular level wind reels with metered line, whether leadcore or braid. Fading has not been an issue for me at all, nor has counting colors. If I wanted to run mono I’d probably go for a line counter but until then I keep it as simple as possible.

I also don’t do the thing where I have a bunch of reels with different amounts of lead on them. Sometimes I run 2 colors and sometimes I run 6. The weight of the reel means nothing to me since it’s sitting in a holder anyway, and I haven’t had any issues with leadcore and my rodtips in 3 years and my rods are cheapos. I don’t run planers so not worried about that aspect.

As always YMMV.

For contour trolling and bottom hugging walleyes (not on boards) you’ll definitely WANT LINECOUNTERS with at least 7 colors of lead. Being off just 10′ of line (1/3 of a color) can mean the difference between a full box of fish or having a couple.

I highly recommend Suffix 832 in 12 pound for walleyes on a small line counter reel (Like a Magda 20, Accudepth 27, Sealine 27). I even have a tiny Accudepth 17 spooled up with 832, I think it has 6 or 7 colors on it (no backing).

Pair them up with a 7′ medium or medium light rod.

This set up makes walleye fishing a lot more fun. You actually get to feel the fight and your baits will be easier to read (which is important if you’re fishing near the bottom on inland lakes with weeds/debris and floating weeds/debris in the water). Think of it like finesse leadcoring.

It’s the total opposite of salmon/trout fishing on the Great Lakes. There you’re fishing columns of water (top 5, 5-10, 20-30, 30-50, 50-80, etc, not trying to flirt within two feet of a varying bottom for walleyes.

Comparing my 400′ 45lb copper on a Clarion 553 to a Accudepth 27 with 12lb super leadcore is comical

The 400′ copper is nicknamed “The Punisher” You could drag a 4 pound walleye around all day and never know it’s there (I don’t walleye fish with it)

On the Great Lakes I use segmented leadcore and copper with backing on boards (1 colors, 2 colors, 3 colors, 5 colors, 100′ copper, 150′ coppers, 200′ coppers, 300′ coppers, and the Punisher), but they are designed for their purpose. When running segments, line counters are completely unnecessary. It’s either all in the water or all out of the water. You’re not trying to dial an exact depth in. All of your weighted line is in the water and your board is clipped onto your backer.

For walleyes, I’ve never had a problem with lead breaking inside the sheath while running “at the tip.” Running softer rods that are partially loaded probably helps with that.

Never clip a board onto leadcore. Two reasons: for one, it can break the lead inside the sheath. Two, your boards will run like crap with lead in between the board and the rod (too much drag from line sagging in the water and added drag from the wind on the line out of the water).

totally agree with B-man 17, 27, 100, 200 sizes are perfect for walleye and little backing is needed unless you want to run them on boards