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I like the idea. A number of years ago when lead prices started going though the roof here we started looking for cheaper options for our offshore fishing. For deep drops, we would take a tin can, we used both tuna fish cans and small cans from vegetables, filled them with concrete using a loop of wire coat hanger or a paperclip to tie to. For drift fishing we would take lengths of rebar and drill a hole in the end to tie to. Then we found we were getting a ton of bites that we couldn't hook. We soon realized that the fish were biting the rebar not the lure or bait. We then brazed a hook to the rebar and were catching fish on the weight not the bait. We soon stopped using bait and just putting hooks on the rebar, if we lost a few, it was cheap. (we used cut off pieces from a buddies scrap yard, never new. If it got lost, it would rust away in the saltwater. We snagged a few and lost them but later experimented with painting the rebar pieces but the plain rusty brown metal worked the best. The only downside was we would catch any number of species, it wasn't at all specific. We came to the conclusion that fish would attach anything that moved that didn't look 'unnatural' down there. I suppose they mistook it for a small eel or giant worm? While fishing off of NJ once we even had a small shark swallow a can of cement, no hooks, just the can tied to the bottom end of the rig. After that we started tying the cans on with rubber bands to both avoid snags and to avoid dragging it around enticing a bite.
I’ve actually made some of those for sea fishing, but I have used ballbearings hose pipe and silicon to seal the end and they do work fantastic especially if you are fishing where there is a lot of rocky snags just an idea thank you👍🏻
When I made mine the last weight I put in was texas rig sliding sinker with some 20lb line run through the center with a knot at the bottom of the sinker and then tied the swivel Snap to that then heat shrunk it in. I probably didn't need all that but it gave me more peace of mind that the snap wouldn't pull out if the tubing were to tear on some rocks or other stuff.
Hey man, that’s the best part of diy. You can do it however you like and build it exactly to suit your needs. Appreciate you sharing your method. Hope you catch some monsters
In the days before shrink tubing,British river anglers would make smaller versions of these with clear tubing mainly used in aquariums. They were ideal for rivers such as the Trent and the Wye because they wouldn't get trapped in amongst the rocks and stones on the river bed etc...
Nice dragging weights Dan! If you squeeze the heat shrink with some needle nosed pliers while it's hot, you can seal off the weights and make them water tight.
The glue does a great job. The problem is the swivel has a hole going through the middle. That’s easy to seal off either with another product or by sinking the swivel deeper into the heat shrink but with lead inside, I’ve got nothing to worry about. Appreciate the comment!
I have toyed with the same idea. I use steel leader .045 or smaller and run it all the way thru with loops at both ends. My theory is to slide the weights over the jetty rock where snags are guaranteed. However, I have used 10 lb line for the weights that will break off if snagged, but can you imagine how much lead is in the rocks after years of lost lead?
A very interesting tutorial, thank you. A small point you might like to bear in mind, lead is hugely poisonous - as are the fumes - so you should perhaps wear some light surgical gloves and a suitable mask when melting and pouring.....? Best regards, and good luck
Appreciate the comment. I have not. As a matter of fact, when I was doing some experiments, I was amazed at how well the heat shrink adhesive held on to the swivels. It took some serious work with a razor blade to get some swivels back. They’re not going anywhere. Just need to make sure you buy a quality heat shrink with adhesive like the one I have linked in the video description
They should be about the best option for any sort of area that presents an opportunity to snag. They’re designed to be drug across the bottom. I do have another version I’m working on that might with even better
That would work except for the fact that there are no lead balls at the top of the weight. They’re only at the bottom. The entire purpose of these are to be bottom heavy to try to keep the top afloat and minimize the chance of snagging. But hey, if you have other/better ideas make a video on it. That’s the beauty of diy, you can make it to fit your needs
Thanks for the comment. You’re really adding a lot of value with your wisdom. The great thing with a diy is you’re welcome to do it however you like. This method works great. Keep it positive my friend
So you’re using lead bulbs for sinkers, but then you’re adding form for flotation, does not make much sense to me, especially using justice for attaching
Just to float the top end and keep the weight upright in the water. It’s not a traditional technique. Not for everybody but they work great for my needs. Thanks for watching
