mattakfish
2013-03-07 03:45:29
Has anyone ever used cast iron cannonballs? I have an opportunity to buy three 50 pounders for $75 each....a lot cheaper than lead but not sure whether its worth it. They appear to be in good shape and the 50# iron ball is about the size of a 60# lead.
I'd love to hear some thoughts on this.
Once and Future
2013-03-07 12:41:46
Absolutely get them. I knew some very good fishermen that had gone to them exclusively in 1980 or so. Meaning they concluded they fished better than lead. So get them and please report back.
You know, I surmise they could work better for one boat and not another. It would be a way to tweak your voltage a bit. Maybe that is what those guys were doing before black boxes were understood thoroughly.
Abundance
2013-03-07 18:02:07
I had a 30 lb iron ball in storage that I picked up from someplace. When I lost my wing lead at some point a few seasons back, I decided to put this big clunky thing on. It is still there, while I have probably replaced all of my other leads at some time or another. Those things will roll over rocky pinnacles that lead will just stick to. I don't really like their bulk, but no complaints otherwise.
I would buy them - they can be very fishy. They are normally larger in circumference than a comparable-weight lead ball so they drag back a bit more than lead but once you get used to them you will find they are more "forgiving" than lead. As a teen-ager I used iron mill balls from the A-J Mine for fishing shallow for spring Kings because you could screw up and nail the bottom and they would bounce because they were harder than lead. I acquired some iron balls on the troller I bought last fall and will use them if I decide to gouge the beach somewhere for smileys this season.
Salty
2013-03-10 18:50:06
I concur with the previous three posts.
mattakfish
2013-03-10 19:22:27
Just bought the three 50# balls for $200. Obviously they are rusty but I can't imagine how you would avoid that. Maybe paint? I currently run 60 # heavies with 40# on my floats so I figure if I switch to these 50# on the heavies at some point, then I would maybe use 30 # for the floats.
Anyway, thanks again for all the great advice!
m
RoverCranker
2013-03-14 17:19:10
I used cast iron 25's on my handtroller for a few years. I loved them. They did create a bit more drag. I ignored the rust on mine because they were thick enough I figured I'd lose them long before they rusted through. Which was true but they lasted many more pinnacles and shallows then any lead's I've had so far.