The countdown technique means letting a lure fall while you count, then starting the retrieve at the depth you want. Enter the target depth and a fall rate you timed yourself, and this page gives the count you need plus a table of how long each depth step takes.
The arithmetic is one line: distance divided by rate. The target depth divided by the fall rate gives the count, and the same formula repeats at every step you chose to build the table. Seconds are shown to one decimal, and the minutes-and-seconds column truncates to whole seconds from that same figure. Current as of October 2026.
Lure action, target species and color choice are not covered. Those are manufacturer claims, and no official fall-rate table is published per product. The fall rate is not hard-coded either; you supply a rate you timed. Current, line drag and casting distance change the real fall, so the figure assumes a steady rate and is an approximation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Count the seconds until the lure touches bottom where you know the depth, then divide that depth by the count. No official fall-rate table is published per product, so a rate you timed yourself is more accurate.
No. Action and species claims come from manufacturers and are not covered, and picking a lure by color or depth is not what this page does. It calculates sink time only.
No. Current, line drag and casting distance all make the real fall faster or slower. The figure assumes the rate you entered holds steady and is an approximation.