Pulling copper

[Matt ching]

Is there anyone out there that would be willing to teach me how to pull copper? I’d be more than willing to pay for your time! Thank you!

 

 

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[Great Lakes Lure Maker]

Pulling copper is easy. Find a long flat area in 75-120 ft and let out enough copper that you can feel the lure hitting the bottom. I would have 600' available because you will likely use most of it and if you break off, you want enough left that it doesn't prevent you from getting back down there. Troll very slow. The slower the better, about 1.5 mph. Hold the copper in your hand and yank pretty good. Follow the lure back don't just drop it. That's usually when you get your strikes. I'm a fan of pulling quickly, some people pull slowly.

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[Roys Boys]

Matt text me some time  we’ll go out

[apb]

It's allot of fun and very productive but Just keep in mind you will only be catching lake trout.  

[Skidplate]

11 hours ago, apb said:

It's allot of fun and very productive but Just keep in mind you will only be catching lake trout.  

Not necessary I've gotten Brown's and bass  and even perch but 99% will be Laker's

[Lucky13]

It is a good idea to get a pair of leather gloves and wear them.  You loose a little sensitivity, but it cuts way down on the wear to your hands that will occur from a few hours of pulling.

[TyeeTanic]

Pulling copper is not too difficult until you have a tangle (with another line) lol.  I like using boards to push the copper out to the side, something like Church Tackle Boards TX44.

 

If you have say 300 ft of copper, you would have a backing which is braid line.  Let out all the 300 copper, and then some (100 ft) of braid, and clip on the board to let it out.

 

I like using simply baits on copper, like straight lures or meat. 

 

The biggest issue with copper is when you have other lines out, especially if another fish hits, and goes over the copper line. That's where care needs to be taken.

[thork9]

2 hours ago, TyeeTanic said:

Pulling copper is not too difficult until you have a tangle (with another line) lol.  I like using boards to push the copper out to the side, something like Church Tackle Boards TX44.

 

If you have say 300 ft of copper, you would have a backing which is braid line.  Let out all the 300 copper, and then some (100 ft) of braid, and clip on the board to let it out.

 

I like using simply baits on copper, like straight lures or meat. 

 

The biggest issue with copper is when you have other lines out, especially if another fish hits, and goes over the copper line. That's where care needs to be taken.

That’s not what he means? Jerking ,pulling hand lining it’s different!

[Skidplate]

6 hours ago, TyeeTanic said:

Pulling copper is not too difficult until you have a tangle (with another line) lol.  I like using boards to push the copper out to the side, something like Church Tackle Boards TX44.

 

If you have say 300 ft of copper, you would have a backing which is braid line.  Let out all the 300 copper, and then some (100 ft) of braid, and clip on the board to let it out.

 

I like using simply baits on copper, like straight lures or meat. 

 

The biggest issue with copper is when you have other lines out, especially if another fish hits, and goes over the copper line. That's where care needs to be taken.lol

You obviously have no idea what you're talking about pulling copper has nothing to do with trolling copper stick with your Canadian Waters bud

[Skidplate]

On 5/29/2019 at 7:00 PM, Great Lakes Lure Maker said:

Pulling copper is easy. Find a long flat area in 75-120 ft and let out enough copper that you can feel the lure hitting the bottom. I would have 600' available because you will likely use most of it and if you break off, you want enough left that it doesn't prevent you from getting back down there. Troll very slow. The slower the better, about 1.5 mph. Hold the copper in your hand and yank pretty good. Follow the lure back don't just drop it. That's usually when you get your strikes. I'm a fan of pulling quickly, some people pull slowly.

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.

 

 

Edited May 31, 2019 by darkwater1
..

[Lucky13]

So this minor disagreement on the technique calls for a response from Matt Ching.  Are you talking about pulling copper, or wire sometimes, as it was practiced at least since the invention of the outboard motor, in the Adirondacks and Finger Lakes, as described by GL Lure maker, and then added to by others including myself, or are you talking about what are affectionately referred to by LO trollers as "junk lines,"  different lengths of metal line sent back on thinner dacron or other backing and then just trolled along with all the other lines, as Tyee answered to. 

[Matt ching]

Pulling copper! Like with a victrola. I really just want to learn the techniques of it.


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[Lucky13]

Then GL Lure maker covered 90 %.  I'm with him on a quick pull and keep in contact, but I would say not a tight line, you want the lure to "flutter" back, but not just on a dropped and loose line because, as he said, most strikes come after the pull, on the "slack" portion of the action.  You will quickly get a feel for this.

[Sk8man]

Matt take Steve's advice and have him actually show you. Although it is tempting to say that it is easy to pull copper (or jerk it) by someone very experienced with it that does not mean that "easy" is the same as being expert or even successful at it. Jerking copper successfully is really an "art form" when done effectively and there are a number of ways it can be done with good results by experienced people. Although at casual glance it may appear to be just a matter of letting your copper wire into that water and moving your arm or wrist, it actually is a complex set of things that need to be monitored and fine-tuned to make it  work effectively and consistently. Someone that has had a great deal of experience in fine tuning can go out there time and again and catch lakers....big lakers. Little nuances of movement combined with maintaining the right boat speed, combined with learning to "feel" the bottom structure is essential. Knowing the trout habits and bottom structure preferences is also important. Being able to discriminate the actual type of bottom is important as is maintaining the proper contact with the lure you are using on that bottom. Selection of the lure itself can be crucial to success. For example using a flatfish or twin minnow is quite different from using a heavy spoon such as a Pfleuger or one of its immitators, and that is different than a Sutton flutter spoon on a leader with a sinker suspended. below it. You have to be constantly assessing how much to let out to maintain the "tick tick" feel of the particular bottom you are going over and exactly what the particular lure you are using is doing down there and whether your boat speed is right. The exact motions with your arm or wrist makes all the difference in success and two people on the same boat with everything the same can and do have very different results because of it. All it takes is one instance of hanging up on bottom for giving you an appreciation for wearing a leather glove or cut out glove fingers on the hand used for pulling because under the wrong circumstances you could lose a finger. Of all the techniques in fishing this is the one that it is most critical to learn from demonstration by someone who know what they are doing.

Matt here is an example of the lures I'm talking about:

 

Edited July 8, 2020 by Sk8man

[Matt ching]

Pulling copper! Like with a victrola. I really just want to learn the techniques of it.


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[Frogger]

Matt, if you had a chance in the next couple of weeks get yourself on the north end 30-50 ft of water and try it. Better yet hit Steve up from Roy’s to watch him in action. Best time of the year for it is now. For what it’s worth you don’t need a victrola to do it. Get a spool of copper, wrap it around an extension cord holder. Get a single hook copper spoon, Phlueger style, size 4 or 5. Once you let it out, just pull in your fish with the copper laying it on the floor. Just don’t let it get kinked. You be surprised how good and fast you can get by getting it back out when you catch one. You could also use a twin minnow (flat fish style) with a bead chain tied to the copper and a 36inch piece of 30lb mono tied direct. Just hold on and drag the bottom with it. Easy to learn copper with that style. Good luck. Let us know how you do.


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[Chicong]

On ‎5‎/‎29‎/‎2019 at 6:34 PM, Matt ching said:

 

Is there anyone out there that would be willing to teach me how to pull copper? I’d be more than willing to pay for your time! Thank you!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Lake Ontario United

 

It is not that complicated.  If you want to see the equipment we use and are in the Rochester area, I can give you some spoons to get you started because they don't make Pfleuger 4's anymore.  The key is trolling slow and be on the bottom.  If you are not on the bottom you are wasting your time.  My family has always kind of trolled and jigged the spoon as we were trolling to get more action.  We have fished for 30+ years this way on the East side of Canandaigua Lake south of the Christian Camp to the next point south in 30-40' of water.  We never even had a depth finder.  Just went between one point to the next point.  Right now is a killer time to go.  As the water warms they get out deeper.     

Edited May 31, 2019 by Chicong

[TyeeTanic]

15 hours ago, darkwater1 said:

You obviously have no idea what you're talking about pulling copper has nothing to do with trolling copper stick with your Canadian Waters bud

Wow, someone's grumpy? I guess the question was a bit vague, and I thought he was talking about trolling, which is also sometimes called pulling copper.  Sorry to have wrecked your entire day with my response. LOL.

 

Jeez, have a joint and calm down to a panic, BUD.  I'm sure you have better things to jump at like Mexican tariffs impacting tequila prices. LOL.

 

Please forgive me God of Fishing.

[GAMBLER]

22 minutes ago, TyeeTanic said:

Wow, someone's grumpy? I guess the question was a bit vague, and I thought he was talking about trolling, which is also sometimes called pulling copper.  Sorry to have wrecked your entire day with my response. LOL.

 

Jeez, have a joint and calm down to a panic, BUD.  I'm sure you have better things to jump at like Mexican tariffs impacting tequila prices. LOL.

 

Please forgive me God of Fishing.

Totally different method than we use on Lake O Tyeetanic. 

[TyeeTanic]

19 minutes ago, GAMBLER said:

Totally different method than we use on Lake O Tyeetanic. 

Thanks Gambler, yeah I know that now.

 

I appreciate your reply a lot more than darkwater1 ...

[Silver Fox]

Sounds like fun!!. ....uggg

It is not that complicated.  If you want to see the equipment we use and are in the Rochester area, I can give you some spoons to get you started because they don't make Pfleuger 4's anymore.  The key is trolling slow and be on the bottom.  If you are not on the bottom you are wasting your time.  My family has always kind of trolled and jigged the spoon as we were trolling to get more action.  We have fished for 30+ years this way on the East side of Canandaigua Lake south of the Christian Camp to the next point south in 30-40' of water.  We never even had a depth finder.  Just went between one point to the next point.  Right now is a killer time to go.  As the water warms they get out deeper.     

Silverfoxcharters.net

[Zebedee]

5 hours ago, Sk8man said:

Matt take Larry's advice and have him actually show you. Although it is tempting to say that it is easy to pull copper (or jerk it) by someone very experienced with it that does not mean that "easy" is the same as being expert or even successful at it. Jerking copper successfully is really an "art form" when done effectively and there are a number of ways it can be done with good results by experienced people. Although at casual glance it may appear to be just a matter of letting your copper wire into that water and moving your arm or wrist, it actually is a complex set of things that need to be monitored and fine-tuned to make it  work effectively and consistently. Someone that has had a great deal of experience in fine tuning can go out there time and again and catch lakers....big lakers. Little nuances of movement combined with maintaining the right boat speed, combined with learning to "feel" the bottom structure is essential. Knowing the trout habits and bottom structure preferences is also important. Being able to discriminate the actual type of bottom is important as is maintaining the proper contact with the lure you are using on that bottom. Selection of the lure itself can be crucial to success. For example using a flatfish or twin minnow is quite different from using a heavy spoon such as a Pfleuger or one of its immitators, and that is different than a Sutton flutter spoon on a leader with a sinker suspended. below it. You have to be constantly assessing how much to let out to maintain the "tick tick" feel of the particular bottom you are going over and exactly what the particular lure you are using is doing down there and whether your boat speed is right. The exact motions with your arm or wrist makes all the difference in success and two people on the same boat with everything the same can and do have very different results because of it. All it takes is one instance of hanging up on bottom for giving you an appreciation for wearing a leather glove or cut out glove fingers on the hand used for pulling because under the wrong circumstances you could lose a finger. Of all the techniques in fishing this is the one that it is most critical to learn from demonstration by someone who know what they are doing.

Matt here is an example of the lures I'm talking about:

 

Always so impressed with your responses!  It's awesome to have your experience on this board!

[wishinfishin]

Uncle sk8man is the best!

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[Sk8man]

thanks for the cudos just trying to help out.

[thork9]

We used to make the lures and test in a swimming pool, old Volkswagen bug hub caps, real chrome