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Weight question

3K views 10 replies 9 participants last post by  BBK 
#1 ·
Iv always heard that you want to have just enough weight on your rig to keep on bottom. I’m gonna be trying some Kentucky rigs for the first time this weekend and was curious as to weather the difference between a 2 and 3 ounce weight would be significant.
I’m bank fishing on a big lake. I have quite a few 2 ounce bank sinkers but not many 3 ounce sinkers. What does the bait do under water if the current is just strong enough to pull your rig? Would the bait moving make it harder for fish to find it?
 
#3 ·
Iv always heard that you want to have just enough weight on your rig to keep on bottom.................I’m bank fishing on a big lake..............What does the bait do under water if the current is just strong enough to pull your rig?
Zach,
There shouldn't be much of any current in a lake..... or when you say "lake", do you mean a river impoundment that has a flow to it?
Either way, 2 or 3 ounces should do it.

...W
 
#4 ·
Zach,
There shouldn't be much of any current in a lake..... or when you say "lake", do you mean a river impoundment that has a flow to it?
Either way, 2 or 3 ounces should do it.

...W
Yea, it’s a river impoundment with some flow. Iv been there before when it’s pretty heavy, and also been there before when it’s almost no flow. A buddy and I fished there last Saturday night, and it was Dead. We would throw our lines out and they wouldn’t move unless you purposely did it. I’m just wondering, if I were to fish there on a day when it’s flowing and I cast straight ahead, the current moves my lines say, to my right, what happens to the bait under water? Do they constantly move and roll around because of the current? Is that when you would typically up your sinker weight?
 
#6 ·
The more you have on your rig the more easily it will move. It's all about drag. A larger bait requires more weight. More pieces of bait will do the same. Heavier line vs. lighter line is a factor, as well as braid vs. mono. If you want to throw larger baits on larger rigs, you will need larger weights. Depending on where we fish we throw anything from 1/2 ounce to 14 ounce on a fairly regular basis.

Peace,
Chad
 
#9 ·
It doesn't hurt if the bait moves along the bottom. Usually what happens is that it will move until the weight lodges into something or the line will finally swing towards the shore until it gets out of enough current. In a boat it will end up straight down stream eventually. The biggest issue with it moving is when the weight lodges into something it can end up snagged or if you are fishing multiple rods or fishing near other people you will end up with entanglements as everything ends up in the same place..

I prefer to use a 3 way swivel on my setups and then I have a clip that I can add multiple weights if needed to keep my bait weighted down. For catfish I basically buy 2 oz and 8 oz coin weights. If fishing without much current I will use the 2 oz, and if there is much current I will go to 8 oz and then possibly add more to it if needed. This does not count if I am dragging baits as I do have some 6oz flexible weights that I use for that..
 
#11 ·
Catfish usually don't care about weight. Buddy of mine uses 6oz for bottom fishing basically all of the time, even in no current, and usually has just as many fish.

You definitely don't want it to move in the current, not unless you are on sand bottom.. thats a snag waiting to happen.

Use a snap on the bottom of your rig and have some 2, 4, 6oz weights handy. Basically all you need. Id probably just put a 4 on and forget about it personally, until you find a spot where that won't hold.
 
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