BY PRECISION TROLLING DATA STAFF
Over the years the folks at Precision Trolling Data have partnered with Off Shore Tackle to create several trolling systems aimed at helping anglers catch more fish. In the early years the 50/50 Snap Weight System was designed to help anglers better understand Snap Weights and how to get the most from these in-line weights. At the time Snap Weights were a new Off Shore Tackle product and the 50/50 system provided critically important depth data for all six sizes of Snap Weights along with three common trolling speeds. (A Snap Weight is simply an Off Shore Tackle OR20 series Guppy Weight attached via split ring to an OR16 Pro Clip that you “Snap” onto your fishing line at a location you choose).
documenting the diving depth of lures and popular trolling hardware. The new
50+3T Data is going to become one of the most practical means of targeting
fish found in deep water.
Some years later Precision Trolling pioneered the 20 Plus Method which provided anglers an idea how much deeper their favorite crankbaits would run if a one ounce Snap Weight was placed on the line 20 feet ahead of the crankbait. It turns out that adding a one ounce Snap Weight to the line 20 feet ahead of a crankbait fished 120 feet back, increases the diving depth about 30%. A quick reference chart in the Precision Trolling book did the math for you.
In more recent years, PTD introduced the 50+2 Data trolling system to help anglers get even deeper with their favorite crankbaits. The benefits of adding a two ounce Snap Weight 50 feet ahead of your crankbaits are many. The two ounce Snap Weight adds significant diving depth to popular crankbaits. Even better, adding a two ounce Snap Weight makes it possible to reach significant depths with shorter overall lead lengths. No longer do anglers have to fish those excessively long trolling leads to get the maximum depths from their favorite crankbaits.
The next step in this evolution of trolling excellence is something Precision Trolling Data is calling the 50+3T Data. In recent years we have received countless requests to combine a three ounce Snap Weight with popular crankbaits. After doing some exhausting preliminary testing, it became obvious that the three ounce Snap Weight only increases diving depths of crankbaits modestly compared to the two ounce Snap Weight. The added resistance and drag of the larger three ounce Snap Weight simply isn’t an efficient means of getting crankbaits significantly deeper. This became especially noticeable at faster trolling speeds above 2.0 MPH.
The answer to this problem and desire to get deeper is another Off Shore Tackle product known as the OR36 series No. 3 Tadpole Resettable Diving Weight. Precision Trolling Data rigged a No. 3 Tadpole using an OR16 Pro Clip on the tow arm using a simple split ring and snap swivel. No other releases are required. Instead of rigging the Tadpole just in front of the lure as this product was originally designed for, this new rigging method enables the Tadpole to be rigged 50 feet ahead of the crankbait, much like a Snap Weight.
Because the Tadpole features a lip similar to those found on crankbaits, the Tadpole achieves greater depths than Snap Weights and other in-line weight systems. By combining Off Shore’s OR36 3 Tadpole with a diving crankbait, it’s possible to reach depths never before achieved without using excessively long lengths of lead core line or stranded trolling wire.
Here’s how the 50+3T Data works. Consult the “Line Type” click to change option on the Precision Trolling Data app to see if this data is available for the lure in question. Currently only about 20 of the most popular crankbaits feature this data. Over time, more lures will be tested with the 50+3T Data and updates to the app will be offered.
Select the 50+3T Data option and let the desired crankbait out behind the boat 50 feet. Put the No. 3 Tadpole on the line and consult the “Feet Down” picker wheel to determine the desired target depth. Once the target depth has been selected from the “Feet Down” picker wheel, the “Feet Back” picker wheel will spit out the total overall lead length required to achieve the desired target depth.
The app provides the total overall lead length, including the initial 50 foot lead into the “Feet Back” requirement. Because Tadpole Divers sink and are very speed dependent, the app also offers a number of popular trolling speed options to choose from.
The benefits of the 50+3T Data offerings are similar to the 50+2 Data. The 50+3T Data system can reach significantly deeper depths than the 50+2 Data and can also achieve those depths using modest lead lengths. For the first time anglers can get popular crankbaits to 30, 40, 50 or even 60 foot depths without having to invest in dedicated lead core lines or wire line trolling.
Similar to the 50+2 Data, when a fish is hooked, the angler will reel in the hooked fish, remove the Tadpole Diver from the line and continue to fight the fish to net. The 50+3T Data system can be fished in combination with both dual planer board mast systems and in-line boards such as the Off Shore Tackle OR12 Side Planer and OR37 SST Pro Mag Board. Anglers can also fish this system in place of traditional diving planers by running this rig as a flat line off the corners of the boat. Because this rig dives so quickly, other planer board lines can easily be used without fear of tangling with this flat line.
While clearly the 50+3T Data is aimed at anglers who are trying to target deeper fish, by shortening up the lead lengths, this system can also be used to target fish at normal depths. The staff at Precision Trolling Data expects this new trolling data to become immediately popular with walleye anglers in the Central and Eastern Basins of Lake Erie where walleye are often targeted 50 feet down or more. Anglers who fish the western reservoirs and deep water lakes such as Lake of the Woods and Rainy Lake will also immediately see the benefits of getting crankbaits deep without having to use lead core line.
Precision Trolling also expects this data will quickly become adopted by trout and salmon anglers who routinely target fish found in the top 60 feet of the water column. Don’t forget striper anglers and the list goes on and on. There is simply no end to the opportunities this new 50+3T Data brings to the trolling scene. A new era in trolling is beginning and the 50+3T Data is going to make it easier than ever before to target fish in deep water.
