Sinkers/Weights

There’s a number of different sinkers/weights out on the market for fishing rigs & spinners. Bottom bouncers, no-snag, walking sinkers, splitshots, etc.

I use walking sinkers almost exclusively. My dad and others use only splitshots. But I’m wondering if I’d catch more fish (or snag less often) using no-snag or bouncers?

I try and get away with the least amount of weight as possible and have that direct contact/feel with the hooks. But I’m wondering what others use for trolling rigs & spinners, why, and what the advantages are? Both for sand/mud and also for rock and boulders.

Oofda, not sure where a guy even starts with this one.

I prefer the term “dragging” for the live bait rigs, your average hook line and sinker combo. Spinner rigs are an entirely different presentation and should be discussed seperately.

Live bait is to be presented as such, live. You let the bait do the talking, it’s hard to do that when you are pulling that thing around 1.5mph, live bait should be under .5, if not .25-.4.

How you want that bait presented on a certain type of substrate will determine your sinker style. Got a little crab grass you want to snake thru or make less of a footprint in the mud, go with a bullet sinker, you got some gravel and rocks to maneuver around a walking sinker will work, trying to really stir $hit up and make a clanking noise with a lift drop then a bell sinker may be your ticket. One has to visualize how your sinker is actually interacting on the bottom.

Weight will depend usually on how big your bait is you want to hold down, how far away you want it from the boat, and how snaggy the bottom is. Most say 45 degree angle, well if it’s real snaggy you may only want straight up and down, if it’s snaggy but you got clear skies overhead with sun beating down your boat shadow over your bait you’ll have to change things up again. Do what you need your bait to do how you want it.

Details are the keys to success. Even down to stupid stuff like paying attention to how new and shiny sinkers may outfish old tarnished sinkers on a hot bite and tarnished may outfish when fish being particular.