steel line...... help....

[finnlander]

Now that planner boards have been explained to me i need help with steel or wire line. I have never used any type of line except mono and braid. Lots of posts on wire line being used on dipsy,s  flatlining and so on. Also speak of steel, copper, single strand 7 strand and so on. Iknow what lead core is [i think] but don,t understand about steel line. Is steel line the same as copper? and  doe,s copper come in different strands? and what is each of these lines used for? May be you guys can clear this up for me. thanks in advance.

[Legacy]

30# stainless wire is use for diver fishing in place of mono or braid. Copper is something entirely different and is fished like leadcore.

[Sk8man]

There are a number of types of wire line used for fishing . Much of its use in fresh water has transferred from salt water fishing. Here are the basics for fresh water use:

 

Monel wire is a soft single strand wire that has been often used like single strand copper wire for bottom fishing (primarily for lake trout) with either heavier spoons such as the Pfleuger #4 and#5, barracuda spoon and many "knock offs (the Ace etc.), or used with a monofilament leader with flutter spoons such as Suttons etc.with the wire gradually let out until you feel the bottom and then it is dragged along  with the lure "ticking" the bottom. Monel can be used on automatic reels such as the A and S reel or victrola rigs which automatically take up the slack wire as you are fishing it. It is heavy in the water ( sinks rapidly) like copper and also soft which means it is prone to kinking so it isn't used much (if at all) for the type of fishing now done on Lake Ontario (especially with chinooks in there .

 

Copper wire - historically  the single strand type has been used like Monel  for bottom fishing for lake trout and other "incidental species" in the Finger Lakes just as described above ( lure dragged on bottom attracting the fish to hit by stirring things up and perhaps appearing wounded by its action). In the old days the copper wire was rolled up on a number of things including a piece of wood  even and let out gradually along bottom and then rewound on the object (Victrola rig, automatic reel, various home made devices to store the wire or even wound in a ring in the bottom of a row boat way back in time. "Pulling" or "jerking" copper is still done today on most of the Finger Lakes and it takes a very specialized technique to do it well. Traditionally18 lb test wire has been commonly used.

 

 

Stranded copper - More recently stranded copper wire (interwoven small single strands) has been used with a variety of high capacity reels largely in a different manner but with the same objective of the wire sinking to depths not reached by most other conventional line types ( e. g. lead core). Copper rigs can be used with dipsey divers, just a straight leader to lure presentation with or without additional weight, dodger fly/lures/ flashers, cowbells, Spin Doctors and their like and many other options. It is quite versatile and meant to achieve depth. A downside to it is that it can like the other soft wires kink but the stranded copper is somewhat more resistant to it than single strand. Commonly 30 or 45 lb. test stranded wire is used and it requires a high capacity reel to hold enough wire and also accomodate mono or braid backing. The backing is necessary so that the wire can be usd with a variety of planer boards or outriggers without damaging the wire in the releases. Commonly 600ft or more of copper is preferred to be used depending on the reel capacity.

 

 

Stranded Stainless Steel wire -  7 Strand stainless has been around quite a while and depending on use (everything from making up tackle from it, to wire leaders for pike and muskies, to downrigger cable, and also for Seth Green main lines among others) various wire diameters are used. 7 strand stainless is strong, it is basically rust proof, and very durable and resilient and not prone to abrasion. It is however in larger diameters quite stiff and at smaller diameters quite prone to kinking which like any kink can lead to a break off. There is also 19 strand wire that is relatively new in use and thus far I haven't used it so maybe someone else can fill in the gap here as far as the strengths and weaknesses but it basically does the same job. Stranded wire is currently being used with high capacity reels and rods with Twilli tips or roller tips (and some with roller guides as well) to help prevent kinking of the wire and also reduce friction and wear on the tips and eyelets of the rods.  These set ups may run dipsey divers, cowbells, flashers of various types, Spin Doctors, and a full range of other options ..again very versatile and depth oriented in most presentations rather than more surface oriented set ups. Most commonly used is 30 lb. stranded ss wire for this but stranded wire can go into the thousands of pound test and into the "cable" range. Like most other wire the larger the diameter the more resistance in the water.

 

Single Strand Stainless Steel Wire - More commonly used in salt water for a variety of things such as leader material, main lines for big game fish, although some folks use it for general trolling as in stranded wire use but it is not as resilient and in larger diameters can be stiff and hard to control on the reel.

 

That's wire 101 off the top of my head and I may have left stuff out as a result so maybe folks can chime in if I've left things out.

Edited April 21, 2013 by Sk8man

[Xxx]

WOW, that was a mouthful, Thanks for the info, I learned a lot. PAP.

[gbill512]

That was awesome SK8man, or as Jamaican's say SK8mon!

[Sk8man]

[finnlander]

well i guess that pretty well clears that up. sure is alot to take in on this salmon fishing. all i wanted to do was try to catch a few fish and have some fun. maybe i.ll just go back to walleye and bass fishing.......mmmmmmm maybe not.   thanks  maybe trying to take to much in at once.

[alex1young]

What type of swivel do you use to attached your copper main line to your leader/backing?

[Sk8man]

Just regular black barrel swivels small enough to go through the tip and eyes but I also encase the wound copper wire at the end (leader end) in clear hot glue so that it will not untwist or bend back and forth and with the clear glue I can see it inside to detect any possible breakage of strands. Yes it is possible that it will collect a flea or two or grass but it is well before the lure etc. and so far no problem.

Edited April 26, 2013 by Sk8man

[Legacy]

What type of swivel do you use to attached your copper main line to your leader/backing?

 

A spro #3 heavy swivel or an albright knot will work

[Consigliere]

Line selection is all about depth control, that is probably the most important thing to consider.  What depth should you be fishing, and what ilne is best for that purpose?

 

Mono will run the highest because it is large diameter, lower density.

Fluoro will run next highest large diameter but higher density than mono and can actually sink (some brands)

Braid/superline next, lower diameter

 

Metallic lines will run deeper or shallower based on diameter as well.

 

 

As an FYI, for trolling species like pike, bass, walleye, musky etc...I use single strand stainless wire all the time in order to get lures down deeper and fish the bottom of structures.  Use anywhere from 17lb to 40lb depending on application.  Single strand wire 17lb vs 17lb mono will get your roughly double the depth for the same line length.  It is trickier to use than mono/braid and you have to cut and retie regularly as the line fatigues but it is the best line for controlling depth up to 50-60ft.   Something to think about if you target non trout/salmon species.

[TyeeTanic]

Don't need to say much more ontop of what  Sk8man said.

Good summary.

 

The only thing I would add is get the 7 strand wire (smokey color) before you try anything else.

19 strand is good too, but more expensive, and the single strands might break easier.

[deercrazy56]

I'm just learning to troll something other than a downrigger and this thread was a huge help!  I dont know how to tag anyone but thanks SK8man and markbellino