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Lake Michigan Leadcore
Rigging Article #18
By Capt. Jim Hirt
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Now is the time to think about changes to make your
trips more productive next season. There are many ways
to go on this subject. Over the next several articles I
will try to cover topics like rigging, tackle and
presentation. My goal is to provide information, which
should lead to more fish and less slow fishing.
In the last article we covered rigging diving planers
and flat lines. Let us continue with rigging
presentations. The tools out there are endless. Being
flexible on the slow days is the answer to more fish. It
is a fisherman with a full arsenal of presentations that
finds action when fishing gets tough. The hot rig for
the last several years has been leadcore. With the
influx of
Zebra Muscles the waters of the Great Lakes
have become very clear.
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In my opinion the toughest
conditions are calm clear sunny days. On these types of
days leadcore is the way to go. I do not recommend this
presentation for first light - it is far too time
consuming to run during a hot bite. After the early
morning bite or about two hours after sunrise, I break
out the leadcore. The basics are reel, rod, line and
planer board. The cost of a rig will start at about
$150.
The reel you use is based on the amount of leadcore line
you want to run. The rule of thumb is 4-5 feet of depth
to every color of leadcore. When your target fish is 15
feet down you should run 3 or 4 colors of leadcore. Some
of you may be thinking why there is a variation of 4 to
5 feet per color. The factors that affect this are type
of lure and boat speed. This line is graduated in
10-yard sections each having a different color. When
selecting a reel purchase one large enough to handle the
amount of colors you would like to run. Leadcore is a
bulky line and most likely will not fit on the reels you
are currently using. Find a tackle store that deals with
this product to ensure a correct purchase. Popular
set-ups are 3 colors, 5 colors and 8 colors.
Rods for leadcore need to have plenty of backbone. I use
a heavy action 8-foot rod. This should give you the
power needed to reel in 500 feet of line, planer board
and 20-pound Kings.
The line comes in many test weights. 27 or 36 pound is
what I run - it all has the same sink rate. You will
also need a backing line of mono, braided Dacron or one
of the super lines like
Powerpro. From the leadcore to
the lure use a 20-pound fluorocarbon line.
To avoid tangles when running multiple leadcores you
will need a planer board for each rig. The purpose of a
planer board is to move the line off to the side of the
boat away from other lines. Several manufactures have
boards for leadcore.
Church has a walleye board - also
you may use Yellowbird’s big bird and
Offshore boards.
When loading this reel, start with 100 yards of a
backing line then strip the lead out of the end of the
leadcore and tie a Blood Knot to the leadcore. Finish
with a Willis Knot and 60 feet of a 20-pound
fluorocarbon to a ball bearing cross lock snap.
 To
run this rig, snap on your favorite lure and let out all
of the line to the backing. Then install your board on
the backing so it does not release. I usually run them
150 feet off each side of the boat. Very wide turns and
low boat traffic are a must to avoid tangles and getting
run over. I set my drags light. When the reel starts to
scream, adjust the drag as necessary. Reel in the line
until you can reach the board and hand-release it. Now
the line is clear to bring in the fish.
Some of my biggest fish
were caught on this presentation this year. The good
news is it produces fish all day long.
Good Luck and let’s go fishing Captain Jim. . Jim
charters out of Milwaukee, WI. With Blue Max Charters He
can be reached at 414-828-1094 or visit his web site at
http://www.bluemaxcharters.com
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