Ok.. its time to get everyones weight preference, and why do you prefer that type of weight?
I think I have used every type of weight known to man, and a few more that were dropped off by foriegn galaxies.
The most popular weight of catfishermen here seems to be the no-roll type weight. I have used more than my fair share, and they are… a chunk of lead that will sink your bait to the bottom. The aerodynamics of the weight would seem like a smaller weight should be able to hold a bait in place in a cross current situation… low profile with minimal current drag. Personally, in heavy cross current situations, I think the nose of the sinker tends to pull up from current drag on the line.. so the weight slides vs rolls until it hits something to stop it. Once the weight does stop, it seems more time than not the sinker will wedge into any little crevace(sp?) on the bottom of the river(a snag). When casting directly behind the boat in current, the large surface area of the weight tends to act like an airplane wing and gets *lift*. And the worst of all with superlines, you cast out, and the weight tends to get what I call the *no roll death roll* and it twist up the line tight as a drum while it is sinking to the bottom, a person must hold some tension on the line when they cast to keep this from happening. Are they more trouble than what they are worth?
Bell sinkers.. they dont spin while sinking, but they roll all over the place in current if they are not pegged in one place. The bell design also tends to get wedged into places.
Pyramid sinkers.. these sink fast, dont roll around, and will dig into whatever bottom structure they are sitting on… including sand. In minimal snag areas, they seem to work great… around snags.. you will re-tie often.
No-snag sinkers.. as the name states, they do pretty good about keeping out of the snags. They dont twist while sinking, and they dont slide much on the bottom one they are there. The downfall is when you reel in, these weights spin like a musky size colorado spinner blades and there is a ton of resistence.. not to mention it can twist up your line severely when reeling because the weight is wedged against the swivel not allowing it to do its job. I have never had a bad experience with superlines, but mono doesnt like the no-snags.
Bank sinkers.. by far the best casting type of sinker.. very aerodynamic which allows for long cast, and the same allows these to sink very fast with minimal current draw… which also makes these the best choice for drifting situations if you want your line vertical as possible. They dont spin when they sink. When casting cross current, the eye always points downstream so they wont roll, the narrow design helps keep these out of snags, and a higher chance to get them out once snagged. They will slide a little bit in heavy current.. I dont have anything bad to say about them, and the cheaper price tag makes me like them more.
Flat Bank sinkers.. not as aerodynamic as the bank sinker, but they dont slide in current, or spin while sinking either. The wider profile makes them a little more prone to snag than the standard bank, but much better than no rolls. Very good weights.
Coin Sinkers.. About the same performance of the no-roll sinkers without the spin while sinking.. not the greatest around snags, but they do good everywhere else.
Bullet sinkers.. they work great for early season channel cat fishing. They will move some in heavy current, but weight snagging is non existent.. someone needs to put some heavy ones on the market, I dont think they could be beat for casting behind the boat in current.
Egg Sinkers.. like a tire rolling downhill in current. If you have some laying around, hand them to your buddy that is out of weights and let him deal with it!
What is everyone else using, or prefer to use? I prefer the standard bank sinkers overall.
Saturday morning!
