copper and depth

anyone have any website or info on depth of copper line at given feet . buddy bought some copper and him nor i no much about depths and such. any help much appreciated.

slapper

If I remember right, 150 feet of 45 pound copper will get you down about the same as 10 colors (300 feet,) of leadcore. Depending on speed, 30 to 60 feet down.

There are many opinions on the depth that copper goes at various speeds. The charts in the latest Big Water Precision Trolling are way off in my opinion.

I think a good general rule of thumb is that 45# copper goes about 22 feet down per 100 feet out at 2.5 - 3.0 mph. It seems like 200 and 300 foot lengths are what most guys are running.

Capt. Jim McDonald

This may give you a guideline. Seems to line up with capt Jim's data.

http://www.atommiktrollingflies.com/okuma.htm

I purchased some 30lb. copper and remember reading the line out/depth ratio to be 300' of line will give you around 55-60' down depending on speed, leader diameter, and lure. but I wanna say for every 30' feet of line out it would sink 5-6' test speeds ranged between 2.5 to 3mph...

hope this helps Ive been very successful running this setup with 20lb mono backing and a 50' 20lb mono leader with a moonshine magnum spoon.

jerkbait

I've never run 30# copper but from what I've heard it is very similar to 27# leadcore. I know from a few years of experience that 45# gets down about 1/3 deeper!

Capt. Jim McDonald

thanks guys. going to try running it for the first time this weekend.

I've run both and headed in shallow to see. 300' of 30lb touch at 51feet at 2.4mph gps. 150' of 45lb hit at 48 feet down same speed. I think the advantage of copper over leadcore is the faster sink rate. I imagine it goes quite deep on an inside turn. Also the vibration of wire in the water is a plus in many guys books. I like leadcore better for less maintance.

OK I'm convinced to try copper BUT..........does anyone know if I can fit 300' of 45# plus 50-75 yards of mono backing on a Penn 320 reel??(I'll spend $25 bucks for the line but I ain't buying another reel)
Thanks for any advice.

I have no idea if that would fit on a Penn 320. I use Tekota 800's and they are SWEET but they are definitely pricey. Lots of guys are using Okuma Convector 55's for 300 feet and 45's for 200 feet for a third of the cost of a Tekota. The Convector reels perform very well for their cost!

Due to the fact that a big king can easily rip out 300-400 feet of line in the blink of an eye, I would advise you to back with 30/8 power pro or similar braid so you can get the maximum possible on your reel. With only 150 - 200 feet of backing the question isn't if you'll get spooled but rather when. I always back with 300 yds of power pro minimum.

Capt. Jim McDonald

FIN - Good advice (especially poignant is "not if,but when"). Guess I'd better hitch 'em up and get the proper tackle to play in what Ted Williams called,the MFL .

The link that DooFighter provided on page one to Atomik is a pretty darn good deal for a 55 convector all spooled up with backing, copper, and leader. However, I've been running Howie's new super copper that is nickel coated and I like it better than any other. I also don't really like the Allbright knot that they use.

For a knot I use a small #10 swivel that is rated for 30# and use a haywire twist and then cover the whole deal with 3/16 shrink tubing. To accomplish this I first tie my leader or backing to the swivel using a palomar knot. I slide a 2" piece of shrink tubing onto the Cu and then add the swivel about 1.5" into the Cu wire. Fold the wire over and start twisting it. It will bind onto itself and form a small loop in the end where your swivel is attached. Slide your shrink tubing up over the wraps and half the swivel and heat with a lighter then your good to go!

Here is a picture of what a completed knot looks like and also the haywire twist without swivel or shrink tubing. You can also splice together two sections of copper using back-to-back haywire twists and covering the whole deal with shrink tubing.

Good Luck-

Capt. Jim McDonald

http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/g...dict/knot1.jpg
http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/g...dict/knot2.jpg

That will not fit on a Penn 320....