THE EXPERT’S VIEW
TO GET the best from a marker rod, it’s important we use a buoyant float that will quickly gather line when we are depth-finding.
However, the marker float can have as much as 1oz of buoyancy, meaning that if you are using a 3oz lead you are only effectively dragging 2oz of lead across the lakebed.
Therefore, I always use a heavier lead of at least 4oz, and if I am fishing at range I am happy to use 4.5oz to get the distance I need.
I have not been able to discover an effective all-round marker lead, so I use two readily available leads for two different marker situations.
The first is a 4oz gripper lead. I use this for feature-finding in silt, gravel and clay.
The flat pear profile, which has a large, stable footprint, ensures the best possible feeling. The bumps and holes in the lead trap bottom debris and help me understand the nature of the lakebed. The second lead is a zip lead, which I use in weedier situations. The shape of this lead means I have a fair chance of clearing the lead if it gets smothered in a ball of weed.
Both leads have all their plastic coating cut off – this ensures I get the best possible feeling through the braided mainline.