Looking for input , advice on using snap weights to reach various depths vs having many rods set with leadcore .. even adding them to leadcore .. whats heaviest usable weight that wont be lost off line ,depths etc success or fail experiences ? thanks
Great Lakes Fishing
Snap weights vs leadcore
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I run 1-12oz snap weights. I buy the off brand or-19 clips off ebay and cannonball weights off ebay. The clip and weight are cheap enough compared to all the other gear I'm running I don't worry if 1 were to fall off(has not ever happened to me). I run power pro with a 30' floro leader. I usually clip the weight just after the leader, but will let out another 30'-50' past the leader before clipping the weight if I feel the need to keep the fish further behind the boat for when I unclip the weight.
I like the set up, it allows me to have rods that can fish anywhere from surface down to ruffly 50-60'. Copper or a copper with weight does better getting below 50.
No no to snap weights. Like every decision related to rods, it’s boat space and pocket book.
ive run a lot of junk over the years: my data tells me lead core and copper out produce pretty much anything you can put on a board rod (outside of April, may, and June). If you’re after kings, leave the snap weights at home.
ive read a lot of posts over the years that sound like this: “I can’t have a hundred rods on the boat...” either due to space or finances. i also gear a lot of guys say: “get a 5 color and add a torpedo to it”
heres my opinion: if you don’t have many lead core rods, don’t waste your time on anything less than 5 color (<- there are other ways to get rods <25feet down)
get a 10 color.
get a 300 copper.
i will also say this....which might not be a popular thought: I caught more kings on 300 and 450 coppers last June, July, August, and September than all of my lead cores together.
all the coho stuff (April May June) no leadcore needed
When coho disappear, find the 42-52 sub surface temps in search of kings or lakers. Last few years this has been deep.
on my boat, I have a bit of everything....I find lead and copper just do better at any depth. Just some goons opinion. Peace.
On my linecounter reel setups I run a 30' section of fluro leader to a single section of core & then add snap weights up to 6ozs depending on where fish are in the water column.
When adding a snap weight though I always clamp on the main line & never the core.
In addition, I use the 50/50 rigging method. Whatever the linecounter on my reels read when I attach the snap weight I let out the exact same amount of additional line.
When running inline boards, its common for me to have setups with 100', 150' & 200' of line out behind the boards, which puts the snap weights at 50', 75' & 100' on the main line. This allows the single section of core to rise/fall when the boat speed increases/decreases in course changes.
The only downside as previously mentioned is the need to unclip the inline board & snap weight in the middle of fighting the fish, but then again it's still more enjoyable that reeling in a fish on a full core/10 color set up any day of the week IMO.
I only use snap weights for coho and steelhead and I am running them in the top 15' of water. Never for kings. I have in the past used a torpedo when I got tired of always resetting manual rigger with a probe. They work great, but they are a substantial dead weight when fighting fish, worse than a triggered dipsy. The amount of mono let out after the lead is not much of a factor. You will get some extra depth, but it is very limited since the lead core adds a lot of drag, even micro lead. I usually have 5 to 10 ft of mono out after the board. The easiest way to have flexibility with depth and lead is break up your cores with mono. Say a 50" length in the middle somewhere. For example, 5 colors can be 2 colors or 5 colors. 10 colors can be 6 or 10. 3 colors and 1 or 3. This way you don't need tons of reels.
I used the snap weights the first two years and did OK. Largest I used was 6 oz. You do not get the same action on your lures when running them vs. lead core. As the boat slows down or speeds up the action is more of a rise and fall vs the long snake lead core that flows. Seem to generate more strikes with that action. Never had one fall off as they are quite a ways from the fish so not a lot of violent shaking at the point of connection. I have since changed over to lead core. So much easier to put out and one less item to remove from the line when reeling in a fish. If you want a set I would be willing to sell you one as I no longer use them.
When I troll kings out of my kayak, I like to use 2 torpedo rods (usually an 8 oz and 12 oz torpedo) on my sides and a leadcore down the chute. I attach my torpedo weights with the red OR16 clips. I've rarely seen a preference but this past season during Salmon-a-rama (when I got two 27 lbers in one morning), 18 of my 30 fish (6 trips) came on the one leadcore rod, even when I tried adjusting my torpedo depths to match the leadcore, even with the same baits. Now, fish were riding a little higher this year with the fog and cold water, which might explain why I did so well with the leadcore. I'd do 2-3 colors before sunrise and 6 colors after sunrise.
If I was fishing out of a boat and had limited resources, I'd roll with a couple 2-3 color setups and then use snap weights to get the leadcore down deeper if you need it.
Also, if the cold water is really deep, I'll start running 1 lb balls on those red OR16 clips. Not the most fun to reel in, especially in a kayak, but I'd rather get bit than get skunked.
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