Trolling with lead weight allow a person to position their lure to a specific depth within the water. Additionally, trolling with lead weights require an understanding of various factor that can affect the depth of the lure that is being used. While people may think that adding lead weight to the fishing lure will allow it to reach a specific depth, there are many factor that influence how deep the lure will travel.
One of the factor that can influence the depth of the lure is the weight of the lead. Additionally, another of the factors that can influence the depth of the lure while trolling is the speed at which the boat travel. Other factor that can influence the depth of the lure include the type of fishing line that is used and the shape of the lead weights.
What Affects How Deep a Lure Goes When Trolling
The chart that demonstrate various lead weights and the depths that they can reach while trolling at a standard speed will show that various lead weights can reach depths ranging from the surface of the water to depths of seventy feet. The heavier the lead weight, the more deeper the weights will travel. However, after a certain weight of lead, adding more lead will not necesarily increase the depth to which the weights will travel.
Therefore, the chart can be used to note the way in which the lead weights will travel to the various depth. The speed at which the boat is traveling can change the depth of the lure. When the boat increases its speed, the lure will rise towards the surface of the water.
For instance, if a specific lead weight will reach a certain depth at speeds of two and a half miles per hour, increasing the speed of the boat will prevent the lure from reaching that same depth. Conversely, decreasing the speed at which the boat is traveling will cause the depth of the lure to move deeper into the water. Thus, the speed at which the boat is traveling will change the depth of the lure.
The type of fishing line that is used will change the depth of the line. For instance, braided lines have less resistance in the water than lines made of monofilament. Thus, using braided line will allow the lead weight to travel to a deeper depth in the water than lines made of monofilament.
Many angler use braided line because it allows the lead weights to travel to deep area of the water where the fish live. Fluorocarbon fishing lines have more resistance than braided lines but less resistance than lines made of monofilament. Thus, fluorocarbon lines will travel at a rate between braided and monofilament lines.
The shape of the lead weights will impact the way in which the line move through the water. For instance, torpedo and keel weight will travel in a straight line with less spinning of the line compared to other weight. Banana and crescent weights are used to reduce the wobble of the heavy trolling setup.
Bottom bouncers will keep the lure just above the bottom of the water, but snap weights will allow the angler to release the weight during a strike to fish. Additionally, different fish species live at different depth in the water. For instance, bass and pike live in the top twenty feet of the water.
In contrast, species like walleye and trout live at deeper depths. Species like lake trout and chinook salmon live at very deep depth in the water. Therefore, different lead weights will have to be use to reach these various depths.
Although the lead weight chart can show the depths that different lead weights will reach, the angler will have to adjust the lead weights according to the species of fish that is being targeted. The environmental factor in the water will affect the depth of the lure. For instance, the size and the shape of the lure will have an impact on the depth of the lure.
Using a lure with a wide surface area will create more resistance in the water than a slim lure. Thus, more lead weight will have to be used to ensure that the same depth as a slim lure will be reached. Additionally, the length of the fishing line will also impact the depth of the lure.
Using long line will allow the lead weight to pull the lure to deeper depths. Short line will keep the lure higher in the water. Additionally, if several fishing rod are used at once, a person can adjust the depth at which the lures travel.
For instance, using the lead weights indicated on the lead weight chart and using the sonar to target the depths at which the fish is located, the angler can adjust the fishing rods to each depth according to the species of fish that are being targeted. Additionally, note can be kept regarding which lead weights were successful at what depth. These note will provide more information about the depth of the water than the lead weight chart alone.