Over the years Precision Trolling Data has partnered with Off Shore Tackle to create a number of trolling systems aimed at helping anglers catch more fish.
By simply rigging an Off Shore Tackle No. 3 Tadpole Data with an OR16 Snap Weight Clip, anglers will be able to get their crankbaits to depths previously never achieved without the use of excessively long lengths of lead core line, weighted stainless steel wire or stranded copper wire. Known as the 50+3T Data, this information is currently available for 20 popular crankbaits and is found in the “Line Type” options on the Precision Trolling Data phone app.
In the early years the 50/50 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.
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 fi shed 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 50+2 Data appears under the “Line Type” click to change option on both the Android and iPhone versions of the PTD app. Not all the crankbaits featured in the PTD app offer the 50+2 Data, but the majority of the most popular lures feature this ground breaking data.
The author has spent most of his adult life targeting walleye and a host of other species using trolling tactics. His company Precision Trolling Data documents the diving depths of crankbaits and a host of other common trolling hardware.
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 because 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 the No. 3 Tadpole Resettable Diver. Precision Trolling Data rigged a No. 3 Tadpole using an OR16 Snap Weight 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 a No. 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.
For nearly 30 years Precision Trolling Data has documented the diving depth of crankbaits and other trolling gear using scuba techniques to confirm depths at various lead lengths, with different line diameters and also at different trolling speeds.
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 offer 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 big ski 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 most of the crankbaits that currently offer the new 50+3T Data are walleye lures, the Yakima Bait Mag Lip, a popular salmon and steelhead bait is also included in the initial data release.
The 50+3T Data is based on using Berkley 10# test .0135 diameter monofilament line. Anglers who are targeting larger species like salmon or striper can substitute other .0135 to .014 diameter lines including co-polymer lines such as SunLine Supernatural in either 16 or 20 pound test options. Anglers who prefer braided lines can use most any brand of 40# test super braid and match up the line diameter used in the PTD testing.
This strategy provides anglers with a host of main lines suitable for using the 50+3T Data on a host of different species. While clearly the 50+3T Data is aimed at anglers who are trying to target deeper fish, by simply 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 fi sh 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.
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