For the Love of Copper!

Legacy · March 10, 2018

Thought I would share the write up on copper I just did with the LOU community. Let me know what you think!

For the Love of Copper!

http://legacysportfishing.tumblr.com/post/171483484813/for-the-love-of-copper

For the Love of Copper!

Please tell me that copper has found its way into your boat’s armory! Either you have been glued to land for the past 10 years or you have gotten out on the water and witnessed firsthand the popularity of pulling copper. Why is it so popular? The simple answer is, it catches fish. Just ask the weekend guys or the charter captains or the tournament anglers who have fished copper. Their boats are now overloaded with copper setups. I know because mine is quite substantial these days too.

As we all have increased our on the water knowledge, we have slowly increased the number of lines we are trolling, and increased our spread size. More lines in the water equals more opportunities at fish, right? Our early days of trolling the Great Lakes may have started simply with flat lines in the shallows, then maybe we gained confidence in downriggers, then possibly we added divers to the mix. Copper gives us a chance to expand on that spread and a lot of the time… enhance it. Those who have fished with leadcore have already enjoyed the benefits of a sinking line presentation. Whether it is on the surface or depths of 150 feet (or more), copper allows you to continue to target the entire water column you are fishing including extremely deep water which is unachievable by leadcore. The sheer mass of the copper line itself allows it to sink in the water column. Whether it is 25’ length or 1000’ length, the simple science behind copper is length equals depth, so the longer the length copper, the deeper it is fishing. Another advantage of copper is that it allows you to add a level of stealth that is otherwise absent from our existing spread by getting the lure away from the boat and cutting down on influence from boat noise. On those days that fish demand stealth, copper is a homerun.

For years, leadcore has been a staple in the spread. Problem is, once the bite goes deep, that bite is no longer reachable with cores. Prior to copper trolling, we would spend our days trolling with a very limited number of rods that were actually taking advantage of that deep bite. Copper can get us there! The story behind my introduction to copper is probably very similar to everyone else’s. A lifetime ago I purchased a prerigged 450’ copper setup off the shelf from the local tackle shop. I marked off every 50’ of copper with spray paint and spent the season fishing it down the chute at various lengths. That chute copper caught a ton of fish and opened my eyes to something game changing and the rest is history. The more and more fish I caught on copper only showed me that I needed more and more copper. From that first one birthed 3 more setups, then 6 more, and now I have copper loaded on setups ranging from 50’-700’. Yes, I said 700 feet but sometimes that’s what it takes!

Don’t believe the naysayers! Negativity goes hand in hand with the struggle of learning new things. Copper can be very easy to run but as with everything else there is a learning curve. Test in point… What line on the boat would you feel the most comfortable letting the FNG (new guy) put out? Certainly not a downrigger! Riggers are probably the most complicated thing we run. How about a wire diver? Ha, not a chance. How about the chute copper? Ding, ding, ding… we have a winner. If we can trust the new guy to put out copper than how hard is it really?

Not to down play it but let’s be honest, running copper is glorified flat lining. A lot of the negative associated with running copper is stemmed from running “big” coppers. Well just in case you haven’t been told, you don’t need to run a 600 or 700 foot copper to be successful. If you or your crew don’t want to run a big copper then simply don’t. In an average year my short coppers catch more fish than anything else in the boat. While a 500’ or 600’ copper may have limit time on the water, 50’-150’ coppers have found a place in my set from March through September. Diving in head first is never a good idea, so my word of advice is to start small, let copper earn your trust, and earn its spot in your spread.

Rods and Reels

Starting with a properly rigged copper setup with the appropriate rod and reel are a must. The right gear at the moment of impact will save you from future frustrations and this rule is the same throughout all of our gear. At this point the major players in the industry have acknowledge the presence of copper and have designed both rods and reels to handle the ultimatum. Okuma is one of these companies and they offer some of the best gear to handle fishing copper.

The Convector and the Cold Water Series are perfect reels for copper and I currently have both in the lineup. Price, design features, and quality differentiate the differences between the two. Okuma reel series 30, 45, and 55 all have their place in copper trolling and reel size must be properly matched with copper lengths. 4to1 vs 6to1 gear ratios are also something to contemplate. High speed reels lessen the labor of copper fishing and their value should certainly be considered.

As for rods, look no further than the Okuma Classic Pro GLT and the White Diamond. Each of these Okuma series offer rods that designed with the sole purpose of copper trolling. Once again… price, design features, and quality differentiate the differences between the two but both are worthy of fish punishment.

Here is a couple of Okuma combinations to consider…

Good (economical) choice… Okuma Convector reel paired with an Okuma Classic Pro GLT copper rod

Best (high end) choice… Okuma Cold Water high speed reel paired with an Okuma White Diamond Copper rod

Gear Notes

-Medium action rods with large stainless eyes are a perfect match with copper

-Roller rods are not necessary for copper

-Extend your reel handles for better leverage

-Reels with line counters are not needed but may offer a tactical advantage at times

-It may be preferred to widen the reel line guide to allow for better clearance of copper knots and swivels

-Make sure reels are filled to capacity to ensure better retrieval

-Braid, copper, and fluorocarbon combination offer very little stretch so a good quality drag and proper drag settings are a must

Backer, Copper, and Leaders

High quality line is a must. Blood Run Tackle offers every line we will ever need for trolling on the Great Lakes and has the time to perfect every single line they sell. There is no question that they are my number one choice for spooling every single rod on my boat including my copper setups. All of my setups are spooled with Blood Run Tackle’s 65# Bloodline braid backer, Blood Run Tackle’s 45# super copper, and Blood Run Tackle’s fluorocarbon leader.

My personal preference has always been braid as backer. While backing with monofilament may be able to do the job more economically, braid out performs mono on every level. It allows for more backing on the reel, it’s durable, it has a better shelf life… the list can go on and on. There are some different size choices in copper and I believe they have their applications but I have always stuck with the heavier 45# copper for trolling Lake Ontario. 45# has become the standard across all manufactures. 45# copper holds depth more consistently as it is less affected by speed changes and current. Blood Run Tackle’s line of super copper offers its users a product that is softer, making it extremely easier to deploy versus the competition. It is also tin coated to offer some resistance to corrosion and add to its long lasting durability. Fluorocarbon is always the top choice for leader material and it finds itself on every setup. Blood Run Tackle’s fluorocarbon is a must for me in all leader applications. It offers durability, strength, very little stretch, and is virtual invisible making it the perfect choice for leader material. Fluorocarbon’s performance vs monofilament for leader material is not even worth the discussion in my opinion and easily wins hands down every time vs mono.

Proper Spooling and Rigging

Taking the time to learn proper knot tying and rigging is just as important, if not more important than the gear you are running it on. I have compiled step by step copper spooling instructions to take the guess work and shorten the learning curve.

BACKER-COPPER-LEADER

-put a wrap of electrical tape around entire reel spool

(helps prevent backing from slipping on spool)

-attach backer to spool with an arbor knot

-spool on desired amount of backing

-tie on #3 heavy swivel for backer to copper connection

-Palomar knot for backing to swivel connection

-if using braid as backer… burn and melt tag end to create a ball.

(helps protect against knot slippage)

-haywire twist for copper to swivel connection

-3/4-1" of shrink tube (1/8") to cover haywire twist

-spool on desired length of copper

-tie on #3 heavy swivel for copper to leader connection

-haywire twist for copper to swivel connection

-3/4-1” of shrink tube to cover haywire twist

-Palomar knot for leader to swivel connection

-spool on desired length of leader

-tie on coast lock swivel to business end with Palomar knot

SOME COPPER RIGGING NOTES:

-2 choices for copper backing are 65# Blood Run braid or 30# Blood Run mono backing. Both products are designed specifically for use as backing material

-an Albright knot may be used for all line to line connections in place of swivel

-a rod attached line counter can be used to accurately load desired amount of line onto reel

-a range finder is a great and accurate tool for measuring out long lengths of copper

-line to line connections= #3 heavy swivel or #6 barrel swivel

-line to lure connections= ball bearing swivel with coast lock snap

-Haywire twist for all copper to swivel connections

-copper can be spliced by using a back to back haywire twist

-shrink tubing offer great protection to copper haywire twist knots as they ride through rod guides

-Palomar knot for all backing or leader line to swivel connections

-high quality swivels are a must. (Blood Run Tackle, Dreamweaver Lures, Spro)

-copper leader loop knot may also be used for attaching the leader to copper

(Make a loop in the copper around a small nail and tightly twist the copper, just as you would with a haywire twist. Attach 3/4-1” piece of shrink tubing over haywire twist. Attach leader directly to copper loop.)

-tag your copper setups with their respected lengths with a small piece of white electrical tape and a magic marker or with a label maker

Okuma and Blood Run Tackle Spooling chart

65# BRAID BACKER-45# COPPER- 20-30# FLUOROCARBON LEADER

50'

Okuma 30 series (Magda, Convector, Cold Water, Catalina)

50' Blood Run 45#- copper

800' of Blood Run 65#- braid backer

55' of 20# Blood Run Fluorocarbon- leader

100'

Okuma 30 series (Magda, Convector, Cold Water, Catalina)

100' Blood Run 45#- copper

600' of Blood Run 65#- braid backer

55' of 20# Blood Run Fluorocarbon- leader

150'

Okuma 30 series (Magda, Convector, Cold Water, Catalina)

150' Blood Run 45#- copper

400' of Blood Run 65# braid- backer

55' of 20# Blood Run Fluorocarbon- leader

200'

Okuma 45 series (Magda, Convector, Cold Water, Catalina, Clarion)

200' Blood Run 45#- copper

600' of Blood Run 65# braid- backer

55' of 20# Blood Run Fluorocarbon- leader

250'

Okuma 55 series (Convector, Clarion, Cold Water)

250' Blood Run 45#- copper

1000' of Blood Run 65# braid- backer