Running sinker rigs

[Guest lloydy]

Gday,I pretty much always use Running Rigs when iam bait fishing,My setup has always been Hook/leader/swivel/ball sinker,Lately whilst watching alot of Fishing shows, ive notived they always just have the ball sinker sitting on top of the hook.. no swivel to keep it 50cm above,Is that the norm these days?also the latest Wildcoast mag mentions its best to have the sinker directly resting on the hook.Anythoughts as to why?Thanks

[Chief 706]

Im Mostly freshwater fishing the murray and do rig a running sinker resting on top of the hookMainly in real snaggy situations as when you get snagged you can bounce the sinker on the hook and essentually hammer the hook out of the snag . I still like your way when on sandbars as I do like the hook away from the sinker allowing the bait to move more freely, but both seem to work the same. Good luck

[Lipstix 0]

Personally I don't think it makes that much of a difference. I have tried both rigs with success. I tend to stick to the same rig as you described as it is just what I have always done. Also I've noticed that in places with a lot of snags that you just can't unhook you will lose all your tackle when snapping the line. Opposed to hopefully just losing the hook and keeping the swivel and sinker intact. I think it's just personal preference but I feel like it gives me a little peace of mind seeing my bait already a foot away from the sinker when I cast.

[Guest SnappaHunta]

Yeah, I gues in a lot of situations it doesn't matter, but for me I like a decent swivel to avoid the main line twisting up. Also I can use light mainline and have something just a bit tougher as a trace, like 6lb braid with a fluro trace to around 8lb.For bait like a full pillie for snapper, it's best to use a trace to keep the sinker away.Also those yellow fin whiting love the natural movement in shallow that a trace allows.Having said that though, Alan Croft who writes for wildcoast now and then and has many years experience over me, nearly always uses a sinker by itself. His argument would be that when it comes to fishing, you should keep it as simple as possible and not over think it... Interesting topic :)

[chuckemback 0]

Often wonderd about that too......ive always used a swivel 4 bait fishing too. seems like they dont on the eastcoast much. good topic!

[Guest lloydy]

Thanks for the feedback boys,Last weekend i saw it again on Ifish i think it was, fishing for Whiting and no swivels, just a fairly small ball sinker,Iam going to try the 2 different setups this weekend on 2 rods at the same time, and see what catches more lol,Cheers

[WilliamPerry 0]

When fishing from the beach with a large bait for mulloway etc,and a long cast required,I tend to let the sinker run all the way down to the hook.Reason being, I have found that with a swivel eg 50cm(or more) above the hook,and the sinker above that,sometimes find that your bait and sinker tend to "helicopter" around one another.This can sometimes result in a huge tangle around the mainline,and a "very ordinary" bait presentation.Interested to hear if some of you other fellas have had this problem?Same for me with a paternoster in the surf;having the hook trace-line and the sinker trace-line the same length.Hope this helps.

[thefunkychicken 0]

I tend to think along the same line as BillyPerry.I've found the "helicoptering" rig a pain in the butt on more than a couple of occasions.Though on the other hand I have found that sometimes the knot or snell on the hook can get jammed in the sinker's hole after a cast. I'm not sure how natural a bait would look with a lump of lead 20mm from it. I've really only found this a problem on light tackle though.Good luck with it.Cheers.

[voogoofish 1]

I've never liked the hook on the sinker look, but loved the way it cast... the opposite is true... what to do???

[voogoofish 1]

SnappaHunta wrote:

Alan Croft who writes for wildcoast now and then and has many years experience over me, nearly always uses a sinker by itself. His argument would be that when it comes to fishing, you should keep it as simple as possible and not over think it...

agreed, but if we didn't overthink fishing there would be no forum... then we might need to do1)gutter cleaning2)housework3)wood chopping4)name your procrastination lol...

[Guest lloydy]

I used the sinker on the hook rig Saturday, the rods with this setup didn't get a single hit, whilst swivel setup kept catching carp,Cheers

[urhookedfish 12]

Thats because carp are an extremely smart fish...hahahahahahahaha.For snapper fishing in deep water where the current is strong I prefer to have no swivel on my running rigs. Just allows you to hold bottom better. Snapper are also keen to pick up a non moving bait off the bottom.Brett

[Guest SnappaHunta]

voogoofish wrote:

SnappaHunta wrote:

Alan Croft who writes for wildcoast now and then and has many years experience over me, nearly always uses a sinker by itself. His argument would be that when it comes to fishing, you should keep it as simple as possible and not over think it...

agreed, but if we didn't overthink fishing there would be no forum... then we might need to do1)gutter cleaning2)housework3)wood chopping 4)name your procrastination lol...

Haha you gotta love the theorizing, weather watching and general brain power spent before the car is even loaded up, or boat hooked up. :)What was that?? Your volunteering to clean out my gutters??? Hahaha