Quinte Fishing

I'm in my fourth season now of trolling for walleye with planer boards, its not super difficult but at the same time to be able to do it without getting some tangles takes some time, and I am in no way an expert. Anyways I recently purchased an offshore tackle snap weight kit, I have the precision trolling app for dive depth, what I cant seem to find the answer on is what depth the crankbait will be running at behind the snap weight. Example: with 10lb mono and precision trolling app If I let out a deep husky jerk 30ft it should be running at 8ft deep, I then snap on a 2oz snap weight and let out another 62ft to get to 25ft deep (I understand snap weights are very speed sensitive) will the lure be running right at 25ft the same as the snap weight? will it be a little higher then the snap weight? will it be a little lower then the snap weight? Might be a silly question, just hoping someone can clarify, we all know if our lure isn't at the right depth we aint gettin bit.

A 1 ounce snap weight attached to the mainline 20 feet ahead of the lure will get you down approx. 33% deeper. This is in the Precision Trolling Guide. I believe it's called the 20+ method. This only works on deep diving crankbaits.

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ok that makes sense, I appreciate the reply. Mainly I want to use snap weights off of my inside boards and I want to get to my target depth with a fairly short lead to make it easier to check outside boards or change lures and decrease the chance of lines getting tangled. Back to my original question, is the crank bait running at the same depth as the snap weight if I use a 2oz or 3oz snap weight to get deeper faster?? or is it above it? my gut is telling me if I toss on a 2 or 3oz snap weight in front of a crankbait that is only designed to dive to 20ft max and I take the snap weight down to 25ft that the crankbait will be running higher then the snap weight maybe as much as 2-3 ft because it isn't designed to run that deep, But I don't know.

As far as I know, studies have only been done with a 1 ounce weight. My book is old though. If you use a heavier weight 2 or 3 ounces, you won't know what depth your lure is at. Even with the 1 ounce weight I'm not sure if the lure is above or below or at the same height as the weight, but at least you'll know roughly were the lure is at. The heavier weights are meant more for a worm harness or a shallow running crank. I'm no trolling expert by any means but I think the theory mentioned above is a pretty standard procedure. Stick with that and you should be fine.
There is tons of info on YouTube about trolling setups.

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There's something wrong with that rod.
It has a bend in it!!!

Way to many variables....I don't use them at all. You could be wasting a ton of fishing time trying to "dial in" a zone. Either lead core or a copper set up,

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Thanks for info everyone

Never used a snap weight hell I've never trolled for walleye but if your lure is running at 8 feet on 30 feet of line wouldn't you add that depth to the depth of the weight which is now the pull point the same as when using a downrigger or when using a short core behind a rigger ball?

horsehunter, this is exactly what I don't know. You think it will be deeper then the snap weight. My gut was telling me that if I'm pulling a lure down deeper then it is designed to dive to with a snap weight that it would be higher then the snap weight. Jim maybe your right there are too many variables, and too time consuming to dial in.

It's actually pretty simple if you just stick to the one method. Especially if you have the app or book. Just clip on the weight after 20 feet of line out and add 1/3 to the depth of what the chart says. You can even figure it out at home the night before if you're worried about wasting time on the water. I like it because you don't need to let out 200 feet of line to max out the depth of the lure. Probably a lot easier on the fish too if you plan on releasing it. If you're only going to be using the weights on deep diving cranks, I'd return the kit and just pick up a few 1 ounce weights and a few clips. Give it a try....Good Luck!!!

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There's something wrong with that rod.
It has a bend in it!!!

Ok Walleye 9, im surprised their isn't a formula to use heavier weights. The 1 oz method will definitely help on the inside boards when bringing in outside boards.

My gut tells me that if the lure dives on its own and he start point is lower the result will be close to the sum of both

There are methods for the heavier weights, but I believe they are only for trolling a worm harness and shallow cranks. If you have a favorite shallow running crank that you would like to add to your spread, then keep the heavier weights. The only problem is (like you mentioned earlier) I think trolling speed would become a factor now. If you have any other questions, shoot me PM and I will dig out my Trolling Guide and see if I can find an answer.

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There's something wrong with that rod.
It has a bend in it!!!

I just found this video that might help you. It's not from the "Precision Trolling Guide" so I'm not sure where they got info from. Note: He says clip the weight on 5 feet ahead of the lure.

https://youtu.be/5TaGTSlKI90

_________________
There's something wrong with that rod.
It has a bend in it!!!

That was a good video actually, I had never heard that theory before. Something to try anyways