Anything that stops the sinker from clanging on your knot is all that matters.
I use the earring stops on my carp hooks with a screw eye to attach boilies to, sometimes I use a rig ring and tie my hair to the ring and use the rbber earring backs.
I get them vastly cheaper at Michaels than I do at the fishing outlet stores on the web...and they are...the...same...thing.
I get beads from a craft store...I can get a hundred beads for a couple bucks and can get just about any color you can imagine.
We have to admit...we do get a little lazy and don't look for alternatives for ourselves. It's much easier to buy a thing sold as a fishing aid than to actually research and find an alternative that costs a lot-lot less.
Alternatives need to be tested and tried out.
This is a thing we can all do. If it works...great! If it doesn't work so good...we need to report on our findings.
I picked up the first earring backs, as the flower were way too small for anything. They work good for hook point protectors, fit into my sinker slides perfectly, but are too soft I think to be bumpers, and the hole is too small to allow it to slide on 30 lb. braid. Might be a good way to stop sinker slides from sliding though.
I use some very small clear tubing. Just cut small 1/4 to 1/2 inch sections. Works very well. I forget the diameter but can slide 50lb mono thru it still
Not sure I'm thinking of the same thing you are, but I always use bobber stoppers with a bead to limit the travel of sinkers/bobbers and protect knots. The bead is for sinkers or slides with holes big enough to go over the bobber stoppers. I've found them to be very useful for everything from pegging T-rig sinkers while bass fishing, to making an easily adjustable bobber height when bream fishing, to keeping the float from sliding all the way up to my hook on a Santee rig for catfish.
Nothing is wrong with using beads. I buy the large packs from different stores for different crafts along with fishing. Sometimes from ebay. Jason and Joe are just showing that shopping at different stores can get you the same product at a cheaper price.
I saw some bottle cap frig magnets at a flea market, $5 to $10 depending on the caps. 10 disk magnets are $2.99, so I make my own. And enjoy the beer.
Nothing wrong with beads but they tend to shatter in the cold weather.... we fish in winter and the rubber just bounces...now there is something wrong with a bead if the hole diameter doesnt fit over the knot..might as well just let the sinker ram it every cast....... to me the grommet's are a small price to pay to protect the knot ....
I also use spark plug wires, they are free, cut them about quarter inch pieces, use a wire to get the graphite out of the center, the problem with beads is they slam the knot making it weak the more you cast.
If you are using sinker slides, get the yellow or green ones on ebay and you do not have to use any beads or bumpers. The hole is really big and it slides right over the knot. I will not use the junk slides from TeamCatfish.
I have tried a bunch of different things before going to the yellow and green sliders. The worst was the tattoo ones. They are just too soft.
Will have to try have some spare spline in the garage if I can find it.
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