Loosing sinkers in the rocks

[Spool-Song]

If I can share a few thoughts on the subject.

Those fancy bottle sinkers with the four red weed eater strands out the side, actually seem to work. I'm just trying to work out if they are worth the price. They are currently about 3x the price of the normal bottle sinkers. I seem to be loosing them at a rate of about 1:3 of the normal sinkers, so it might break even financially, but perhaps it does if you consider the valuable fishing time you loose to keep replacing sinkers.

The spoon shaped sinkers seem to lift on retrieve, which keeps them out the structure, but they get snagged at the same frequency as bottle sinkers.

What are your thoughts on preventing donations to Poseidon's sinker collection?

 

[DJP]

I'd say every sinker has it's place but there are certain things that you can do to prevent loosing as many sinkers.
Before I type a whole book, in short:
1. Tie a small piece of string to all your rock sinkers even the nylon grabs, this helps a lot with sinker loss. I prefer a straight piece of string, not a loop, since the loop sometimes catches the bait or goes around rock points.
2. In rough water cast into the teeth of the rocks, this way you will wash around less which means loosing fewer sinkers.
3. Look at how the current is pulling try to cast in an area and a distance where you can control your main line, if your main line is washing over rocks this normally spells disaster unless you are lucky and get a fish that runs you out of trouble.
4. Don't strike as much, some people strike at every nibble and end up pulling your sinker into the bricks. rather wait for the fish to pull you flat.
5. If you do get stuck give bit of slack and wait for a fish or wave to loosen the sinker.
6. Bouncing the rod before you reel up also helps to determine if you are stuck or not. If you bounce the rod and it feels like you may be stuck just leave the bait there a bit longer, i.e. until the next set of waves has passed before you try to reel in.
7. If it's foul and you need to clear a shallow reef time your retrieve with a set so that there is more water covering the rocky areas.
8. Watch out for barnacles, rebait and kelp. The will snag your main line and there will be little you can do about. If you fish in an area with lots of these use heavier sinkers and try keep your casts short.

Ok that's it for now.

 

[Dr halibut hoffman]

That about covers it..LOL..Would have taken me a page to type!

 

[Arrie87]

Thank you, question for a noob, is the string the only thing holding your sinker to the main line? A bit confused?

 

[Lofty]

Arrie87 wrote:

Thank you, question for a noob, is the string the only thing holding your sinker to the main line? A bit confused?

No you attached the string to the sinker and the normal nylon that you normally put on the sinker you attached to the nylon so when you retrieve the sinker the string takes the punishment over the rock and it dont weakens the nylon itself.

 

[Riacco]

excellent reply

 

[hrogers]

You can even use old spark plugs, if you got stuck and loose a spark plug it's not much value you loose.
then there is an alternative way in case you need distance and need a lead sinker then you can make a lead lifter !!

Here is a DIY lead lifter. I test it and it's working -
I used a plastic card (Old bank cards etc) I use a hollow plastic pipe 2 small tie straps to tie down the center and here is the end results

 

[hrogers]

Pic. 2

 

[hrogers]

pic 3

 

[Noddy]

hrogers wrote:

pic 3

Hi,

Does this contraption not impact the casting distance? or the action of the flying lead/bait (in other words, tangling up)?

To the OP:
instead of string, i use a hair pom-pom. But it must not have the steel joint or a visibly stitched joint.
Or - bungee cord.

I find the elasticity in this assists in the retrieval/release of sinker.

 

[Marthin]

Braid helps
Lifts the sinker immediately
I buy cheap swivels, and attach with a small cable tie on normal bottle sinkers.

I also like the nylon grab sinkers if i'm fishing musselcracker on the southern cape coast. Often you are landing on blocks of red bait pods under water... any sinker except the nylon grabs go between,and then it's all she wrote.

 

[Willie Lombaard]

I have use, as suggested, a short piece of cord attached to the sinker with a knot tied to the end. My sinker trace has a loop tied to the end which i use to attache to the sinker cord - this enables quick change/removal of sinker.I also flatten my bottle sinkers with a 4lb hammer to about 2x the original width - this prevents the sinker to rolling around as much and when retrieving the flattened surface helps the sinker to  lift faster out of the rocks.Work really well for me.

 

[DJP]

Willie Lombaard wrote:

I also flatten my bottle sinkers with a 4lb hammer to about 2x the original width - this prevents the sinker to rolling around as much and when retrieving the flattened surface helps the sinker to  lift faster out of the rocks.Work really well for me.

I like this idea, haven't seen anybody do it here but it makes sense!

 

[hrogers]

Not much influence on casting no tangles experienced so far.

 

[RotsRot]

I never use bottles between bricks anymore, rather spoon shape for reasons mentioned - doesn't roll, and lifts better on the retrieve, and same price as bottles anyway. Those old jet-shaped sinkers work even better but one rarely sees them these days.
Nylon grabs do get stuck the least, but drag / stay terribly low in the water on the retrieve and snag on anything that gets in the way - lost a few good fish because of this so now I rather stick to spoon-shape.
Wire grabs work as well for not getting stuck, but if you maybe want to move the bait a few meters to find the fish you pop the wires then it rolls / gets stuck and there goes a pricey sinker.
A very good idea I saw a year or so ago was someone adapted a bottle sinker mould to make it with a small wire loop sticking out one side near the bottom, looks almost like a fencing staple was hammered into it. You then loosely attach a small cable-tie through the normal eye of the sinker, thread your mono through the cable-tie and then tie to this wire loop - when you jerk to retrieve it turns the sinker rather than just pulling straight, so if stuck in a crack / whatever there is a much better chance of popping / twisting it loose rather than just jamming it in tighter...

 

[Bamboes-vis]

You do not have a photo by any chance?

 

[SPARRABOS]

:Clow... Ek hengel maar met n swak sinker stroppie in die rotse... Lol...as ek vassit gee ek n ligte plukkie en sinker is af... Maak sommer n Paar knopies ook in sinker Lyn... Soms as jou vis vassit en sinker breek af kry jy jou vis uit.. Sekere plekke kan ou as dit spring laag water is jou sinkers weer gaan optel wat jy afgebreek het.... Of op Plat see sommer snorkel.... Ons haal Baie ons sinkers uit wat ons afgetrek het.... Waar ons vis is dit so skurf n man sit maar vas...dit is maar deel van rots hegel.... .. Maar as die vis die dag lekker byt verloor jy nie sommer sinkers nie...interesante posts... Leer baie

 

[Spool-Song]

Lofty wrote:

Arrie87 wrote:

Thank you, question for a noob, is the string the only thing holding your sinker to the main line? A bit confused?

No you attached the string to the sinker and the normal nylon that you normally put on the sinker you attached to the nylon so when you retrieve the sinker the string takes the punishment over the rock and it dont weakens the nylon itself.

If you bump the nylon where it wraps around the sinker on a rock, when you retrieve, it can cut it. The string is thick enough at that join to take the beating.