i,ve found on some days i do much better with the lure close to the ball. one day last year i was running about a 25 to 30 ft lead and had run for about 3 hrs and hadnt had a bite. so i shortened my lead to about 9 ft and started catching fish. i dont know if the ball was acting like an attractor or if the short lead just added extra action on the lure. i was using spoons so the depth would have been the same. i plan on starting with about a 8 or 9 ft lead this year. good luck good fishing and be safe.
sherman