Cat Tip of the Day: Make a Homemade No-Snag Sinker

I’m getting all the fishing equipment inventoried and ready for the upcoming cat fishing season. My sinker box already weighs about 50 lbs but I wanted to add a few No-Snag Sinkers for drifting and trolling. I’ve only got a couple of the Lindy No-Snagg Sinkers left and I visited an on-line store and the price tag on the Lindy No-Snagg Sinkers was $6 for 2 sinkers. WOW!! Sticker shock just about knocked me off my feet. Like a true river rat there is no way I’m paying $3 for a sinker that a big cat will probably wrap around the biggest log in the river within 5 minutes of getting that sinker wet. I know that with a little bit of ingenuity I can make a No-Snag Sinker just as good as the $3 one and for a fraction of the cost. How does 13 cents sound!!

I headed up to the local Lowe’s looking for a few good sized nails in the ¼ oz, 1 oz and 3 oz size. Lowe’s sells a big, ugly nail for 13 cents that weighs just about a perfect 1 ounce and an even bigger uglier nail that weighs close to 3 ounces. I bought a couple of each to practice on. I’m not talking rocket science here – I just took the high priced $3 sinker and reverse engineered the critter.

Here is how to make a No-Snag Sinker:

Step 1: Take a hacksaw (a reciprocating saw is easier) and cut off the nail head.

Step 2: Take a BFH – that’s a big hammer and beat the heck out of the cut off end of the nail to flatten it out or better yet flatten it out using a bench grinder.

Step 3: Drill a 1/8 hole or slightly larger hole in the flat part of the nail. Step 4: Put the nail in the vice and bend it into the No Snag shape – hit it with the BFH if you have to.

Step 5 Optional: Put about a size 1 or 1/0 snap swivel on your new sinker and take it fishing.

Total Cost: For the biggest 3 oz nail 45 cents; for the 1 oz nail 13 cents; for the ¼ oz nail nothing I had a box of 16 penny 3 ½ inch nails in the garage so I used them.

So go ahead and save some money and get out your aggressions at the same time by beating the heck out of some nails pounding them into No-Snag sinkers. These things will work great for drifting / trolling a nice hunk of cut bait.

Another great post. I owe you a couple for beers for the money you’ve saved me Steve!

Great idea but isn’t this more like a bottom bouncer? The Lindy version has a balsa wood top to help the weight “walk” along the bottom and keep it from snagging.

Your version does look like a great way to make bottom bouncers though, thanks for the post

Follow Steve’s directions above, then add last nights wine cork to the top of the nail.

There isn’t anything a cat guy can’t do! Another nice one Steve!

The wine I can afford doesn’t come with a cork, BK.
That is a good sinker idea tho.
WKW

Another great idea!! Thanks

Jami

Just use a hunk of old cork off a broken rod that you may have lieing around.

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Follow Steve’s directions above, then add last nights wine cork to the top of the nail.

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Interesting idea BK! Please post some pics of the finished product when you’re done. Make sure you wait a while after finishing the wine before you start up the grinder though

Hokey Dokey!

After reading this, i think my sinker box will gain 10 lbs. and save me enough to buy some good tasty beer..
Very good alternative