weight

B
bigsteel
i was curious as to what size weights are good for drift fishing,,, i have 1 oz slinkies and 3 oz pyramid sinkers should i go heavier,,,im thinkin its 7 to 8 feet of water.i have been goin 10 lb mainline with a slide float then with a free floating swivel attached to my 1 oz slinkie then to the swivel,,below that 18 inch leader to a number 1 hook with 2 beads and a spin n glow with my bait..does this sound ok for a setup....every time i use the 3 oz it always gets snagged up do i want to just cast upstream a bit and let it sink directly to the bottom...also how much weight do you guys prefer when using spinners?i am always curious if my bait is making the right presentation...thank you for any advise i am still learnin the game..:D:D
 
B
beaverfan
Here read through this thread. There was an even better one around here somewhere but I can't find it. Should answer most of your questions.
 
M
Mike123
I only use .250 shot...

I either put it in surgical tubing or parachute chord. I like the surgical tubing batter but they take way longer to make. I need to get on making a TON of weights for this steelie season.

I make anywhere from 2-.250 shot slinkies to like 15-.250 shot slinks.
You'll get to where your good at guessing how much lead to use just by looking at the water. You want enough to just tick bottom here and there.
Also another trick for drifting FAST deep shutes is using lighter lead so your slinky is longer, this drags the weight and not your leader allowing for a slower presentation.
 
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O
OneMore
Well im no drift fishing pro but it is my perfered method. Ive learned a lot on my own and experience has proven to me use as light of a weight as you can. I use slinkies or hollow core lead. Its best to make your own slinkies as you can make them in all different sizes for any condition but a peice of hollow core is also great. You want your rig to drift downstream about the speed of the current. If you are hitting bottom more then a handfull of times durring your drift its too much weight. With what your describing 1 oz is way too much weight. There is some occasions when using extra weight to slow your rig down is perfered but not very often. Just my two cents and hope it helped.
 
B
bigsteel
thanks for the replies,,,im gonna have to break down and make my own slinkies,,,,when you cast upstream do u close your bail immediately?sounds like i need smaller weight
 
M
Mike123
You need a wide variety of weight for different water levels, holes, and size of bait your using. For example, if your throwing a decent size glob of eggs not much, or if any, weight is needed.
You want your presentation to drift naturally with the current, not plunk and hang up.
 
D
DirectDrive
bigsteel said:
i was curious as to what size weights are good for drift fishing,,, i have 1 oz slinkies and 3 oz pyramid sinkers should i go heavier
Forget the 3 oz pyramid sinkers, they are not used for typical driftfishing.
Instead of "1 oz" slinkies, make your own and learn to define them by "number of shot". I use .250 and .270 dia and build 3 - 12 shot slinkies. I organize them with those heavy-duty plastic key tags marked with a Sharpie (both sides) as to their shot count. When you can look at a drift and think...hmmmm..."looks like an "8 shot today", you are on your way.

As you develop your skills you will become either a slinkie guy or a pencil lead guy. There are pros and cons for both.

18 inch leader to a number 1 hook with 2 beads and a spin n glow with my bait..does this sound ok for a setup
Do not use a Spin-n-Glo in this fashion under a float. The Spin-n-Glo is not designed for that sort of presentation.

every time i use the 3 oz it always gets snagged up
Don't do this anymore :D
also how much weight do you guys prefer when using spinners?
For typical river fishing with spinners do not (as in never) use weight with your spinners. Instead use properly designed "weighted spinners" of the correct size for the volume of water that you are fishing.
You "mainline" directly to your weighted spinner. I use a size 10, US made, snap swivel by Rosco on my spinners. Don't use junk swivels if you want to tangle with Mr. Big :cool:

There are two basic types of blades to use with weighted spinners for casting to salmon and steelhead....the French blade and the in-line blade.
A commercial example of a French blade would be the Metric or Bud's. A commercial example of the in-line blade would be the Panther Martin.

The in-line blade is probably a little easier to learn for most.

When you get brass fever real bad like me, you roll your own, the commercial offerings won't do.

If you are just starting out, try to stick with one method at first.....if you bounce around from one method to another the learning curve will be steeper than it should be.
If you want to someday be a "stick" and can dedicate the time, start with drift-fishing. IMHO, that is the nucleus....the core of river fishing.
Master that and all the other methods will fall into place.

If you can only get out a few times a season, pick whatever method suits you.
 
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