I only have one leadcore rod and am thinking about rigging another one. It's been a while since I rigged the other one and I can't recall what I did for backing.

Using a Penn 320GT & 18lb leadcore

1. How much 20lb mono backing should I be able to fit on?
2. What length leader do you guys use from the leadcore to the jig?

Thanks,
Brent

I need to get another one also. I have a question to. Does anybody use a swivel between lead and mono? Thought it might help with line twist but then you have to reel it through the rod with 20 ft leader.

Yes David I use a small very small swivel and it links the two lines together, and it is small enough to not only go thru the guides but the level wind bars as well.

Maybe a simpler way to ask my question...

Does anybody have any idea what the 100 yd spool of 18lb leadcore relates to,lengthwise, in mono (15lb or 20lb test)?

Use a spro 60lb or 80lb swivel ,it will go through the guides.I would not use 18lb i would use 27lb leadcore.18lb will break too easily.Just my 2 cents

bigfish, I don't know the capacity of your reel nor do I know the bulk size of 18# leadcore. I use a okuma #45 with about 50 yrds of 25 mono then the 10 colors of 27 lb leadcore. I can only hope this helps. You do not need a large amount of backing because you will normally not even get to the backing, but if you do this should be sufficiant.

Use enough leader so that when you hang your jig you can get all of the lead core back on your reel before you start pulling or cutting the line. I use 50ft of leader, tree line is usually around 30ft.

Thanks for the input.

I use a Penn 320GT on my current leadcore rig and it is rated for 320 yds of 20lb test. Didn't think I had the capacity for the 27lb leadcore, so went with the 18 when rigging that one out. With about 50yds of 20 lb backing, the 10-colors (100 yds)of 18lb leadcore & a 30 foot 15lb leader, the 320GT is about maxed out.

I have snagged plenty of times using the 18lb leadcore and have never had an issue with it breaking (always break the 15lb leader first). If I am not mistaken, the sink rate is teh same as the 27lb leadcore due to the smaller diameter (but I may be totally off base there).

I have been tying the leadcore to the leader with 2 uni-knots, but have not been happy with that. I will try the Spro swivels. On all of the other swivels I have looked at, the strength was too low on the sizes I could find that would fit through the guide of my levelwind.

Thanks again for the input. I alwaysbvalue the feedback that I get from you guys......

Bfish

I have always read that the sink rate is pretty much the same for all the # on leadcore as the lead weight is the same or very similar. I have never used anything but the heavier class because that is what BPS had for sale, so i could be wrong. Since leadcore is a reaction bite, i would spool up with the heavier line next go round. I tie right to the line and have not had any issues. Your mileage may vary.

I would use the Blood Knot, Albright knot works best. to tie the lines together. 50 yards of leader or so. 25- 30lbs seems to work. Reaction bite. line size of the leader does not matter- Learn this from my fishing buddy.

see ya

I did my first lead core trolling yesterday.

My first rig was a king fish skirt over a blueback (snelling knotted) with a relatively large jig trailing it by 12-18 inches. While I was letting the line out it started spooling on it's own. Brain fart time. I thought "that isn't enough line to hit the trees at this depth" and .... yanked it lose. No more resistance. Reeled it in and the blue back was gone. How stupid.

Now for the one I'm still hot about:
A while later a fish hit that went side ways and when I fought back took 100ft of line before I could blink, even with a good amount of drag. By the time I worked back towards him, he had gone straight down. When I got right on top of it, I could tell by the colors and leader length he was 90ft down in the freaking trees. My PB is only 18lbs a year into this, and this thing had way more fight than that one. I never had to deal with trees in the ocean.

I can relate-- there weren't too many trees in the Chesapeake either!

Sounds like you've got the leadcore technique working, though--- nice.

Some of these guys may have techniques when it comes to trees and getting the fish out of them.... giving them slack can sometimes work if you're incredibly lucky; I've read somewhere that smacking the rod with your hand can help, but my guess this is for smaller fish in less dense forest. I wonder if staying away from getting straight on top would be a good idea---trying to coax them back out closer to the angle they went in...?

I can relate-- there weren't too many trees in the Chesapeake either!

Sounds like you've got the leadcore technique working, though--- nice.

Some of these guys may have techniques when it comes to trees and getting the fish out of them.... giving them slack can sometimes work if you're incredibly lucky; I've read somewhere that smacking the rod with your hand can help, but my guess this is for smaller fish in less dense forest. I wonder if staying away from getting straight on top would be a good idea---trying to coax them back out closer to the angle they went in...?

Another vote for the Spro swivel. Also glue the knot when you tie the leadcore to the swivel if you have the time. Make sure it is good and tight.

sorry-- not sure why it posted twice.

One thing i forgot to mention-- when these guys hit leadcore, i think it's best to just keep the boat moving in the direction it was going and at the same speed. In my experience, this tends to keep the fish up near the surface, even when stripping line and pulling to the side. If they start coming towards the boat they can angle down and into the trees, so it's best to keep some speed

Hammonds has 50-75 pound swivels smaller that a blood knot. I get line twist without a swivel so what's the point?

I bought the Spro swivels today. Those suckers are TINY and perfect for the leadcore to leader tie (pass easily through the line guide).

One thing to remember is NOT to outstage your leader. If you are using 27lb leadcore and now you use 30# leader you stand a good chance of breaking off your main line instead of the leader. Just a thought before you find out the hard way!

have you guys ever tried this knot: strip out 3-4 inches of lead, put the mono in braid, tie a square knot about 1 inch from the lead, tie another square about an inch away. My cousin says they use that for Walleye in the midwest. He says it works great and if you want to shore it up more, put a dot of superglue on each square knot.

Laxcoach,
I use that knot. Seems like it is a Willis knot or something like that. I strip out about a foot of lead or more and tie a big very loose overhand knot. If you strip out enough lead you can tie two very loose knots back to back for even more security. Then thread the leader (or backing mono) into the leadcore sheath and push it all the way in until it hits the lead. Pull tight and that's it. No swivel required. I'm always afraid that a swivel will knick the eye and eventually wear the ine.

I call it the Catheter.

I've been using it. It has been sturdy and line has broken where it should break, the leader. The 2 square knots are low profile too.

The only downside is that it is a pain in the butt to thread the mono into the sheath.

does anyone know if the larger Okuma Catalinas will hold 10 colors of leadcore with 50 yards of 25lb backing?

Yes the catalina 45 will

Thanks!

I have one of the older Catalina 45 for sale if anyone is interested ? Its in perfect shape

How much?

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