What kind of lead weights (weight and style) do most you use for either cats or sturgeon ?
Thinking of picking up a mold when we’re at Cabela’s today.
I’ll continue to use the search feature but we’re headed out for a day of shopping and I’m hoping someone can help me before the wife’s ready.
Kinda slow going in search.
TIA
3oz no-roll is by far my favorite.
Thanks much.
Al
If you are molding your own, bank sinkers will be much easier to make as there is no “pinning” involved.
A compromise is a flat bank sinker, but I don’t think you will find that mold at Cabelas.
I like everything but “no rolls.”
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I like everything but “no rolls.”
I agree!!!!
I make my own and I make pyramids and bass casting for nearly all my fishing now. Except when I drift with a splitshot.
Also I suggest buying them online because then you can buy what you want not what they offer at stores around here.
Edit……Also do you already have a melter and lead ect to start out can be expensive. If you have never done it I suggest trying it out with a friend.
So what’s the drawback with no-rolls?
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So what’s the drawback with no-rolls?
Most people complain that they tangle up with the leader too often.
I find that only on really long casts do I tangle my no rolls.
Been smelting bullets for about 20+ years now, so have the pot, ladles and most importantly the exhaust system to smelt, also a 5 gallon pail full of cleaned lead ingots.
Good advise though, smelting can be both dangerous and hazardous to your health.
Maybe a good thing, but Cabela’s didn’t have the mold for no roll weights.
fwiw I have this mold..
Bottom Bouncer Sinker BTM-3-L
Sizes (oz.) 2 2 1/2 3
If someone has one of the no roll molds in either 1-3 or the 3,4,5 size or your favorite cat/sturgeon weight, I’d be happy to do a bit of horse trading.
I live over by the airport, east of lake Nokomis if your interested.
I can do all the smelting.
Al
Quote:
Quote:
I like everything but “no rolls.”
I agree!!!!
I make my own and I make pyramids and bass casting for nearly all my fishing now. Except when I drift with a splitshot.
Also I suggest buying them online because then you can buy what you want not what they offer at stores around here.
Edit……Also do you already have a melter and lead ect to start out can be expensive. If you have never done it I suggest trying it out with a friend.
I’m a no roll fan. It’s all I carry.
I find that feathering the reel in deep water keeps them from tangling. (Sturgeon fishing)
They may not be the best for rocky areas, but then I don’t fish rock areas for cats, so I don’t know that for a fact.
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Quote:
So what’s the drawback with no-rolls?
Most people complain that they tangle up with the leader too often.
I don’t use any leader, so don’t have the problem, but I don’t see how a no-roll would do it any more than any other weight.
I think No Rolls work good, but for me they don’t perform any better to justify the cost difference of the other styles (bank, pyramid, flat bank, spoon, etc).
Matt, when I use them in 20-30 feet of water with cut bait, they spin on the way down when letting them free fall.
My work around is to keep slight tension on the spool and feather the line until I feel bottom. As a catfisher, in the water depths fished I haven’t experienced that problem.
Normally what I do too, no matter what type of sinker I use, is keep tension as it falls and then pull the bait a foot or two with a swift lift of the rod. That way you straight the leader and prevent the bait from landing on the line above the sinker. At least, that’s my theory.
I like no rolls still. I like the idea of it being ‘in-line’. But I keep others in situations where I find my leader tangling. I haven’t figured out the main cause, but sometimes I just find it tangling in some areas. I don’t know that no rolls snag more in rocks either. I weights have a taper that will wedge in rocks and another theory of mine is that with no rolls have the best chance of unsnagging the line. My thinking is that with the swivel hitting the rear of the sinker I have more leverage than if my leader is hitting the front of the sinker like with a bank sinker.
Lastly, I think shore fishermen are more likely to experience tangles, because if you cast straight out, which you should never do, then is a chance that you sinker can get dragged downstream in-front of your leader.
Now a little more to the topic of the OP. You can’t go wrong getting 3oz of anything. They are the best all around. After that you might want to consider 6oz for fast currents. 4oz was my favorite, but I found the 1 oz is a better all around weight.
Doit has a 3-4-5 oz no roll mold, sounds like the ticket, thanks all.
One of the reasons I dislike no rolls is the IN Line part. I don’t like the wear of it on my line. I use a slider so the cost is a little more but I save by buying in bulk and making my own sinkers.
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One of the reasons I dislike no rolls is the IN Line part. I don’t like the wear of it on my line. I use a slider so the cost is a little more but I save by buying in bulk and making my own sinkers.
Not a problem, considering I usually peel off about 6 foot or so each time I change baits, lots of stress on that first couple of feet of line after the rod tip.
Al
No rolls and egg sinkers. I wouldn’t use anything that wasn’t pass thru. Anything with an eye will twist on the line and lock itself in place. Plus in snags, having the sinker in line with the line gives you more leverage and better alignment to pop it out.
Anything hanging off to the side of the line is going to be more prone to twist and tangle than something in line with the line. And I’ve had the line leave the channel in the a slide and hang up.
As for weights, I carry 3, 4 and 6 oz sinkers, but I use 3s mostly. I only use 6s sometimes. I found that they have a tendency to put too much resistance to the fish taking the bait and resulted in a lot of missed hook sets and lost bait. 
Bank sinkers are my fave, but I have an assortment of different styles(bank, flat bank, pyramid, no-rolls) in the cat box.
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