Use of lead has been restricted in parts of Canada and limited areas in the United States, with further limitations unlikely. But brass weights have convinced anglers that they’re easily worth the price (several times more than lead). To take further advantage of brass’ acoustic powers, Jawtec Tackle offers Amplifiers, and Top Brass has Carolina Clickers and Pro Tickers to place between the swivel and glass bead, to sandwich the bead between brass. And Bullet Weights has a 3-piece system to produce loud clicks for Carolina or Texas rigging.
Even before the rush for brass weights began, Gambler’s Florida rigs revolutionized plastic worm fishing. In thick cover, pegging the sinker and worm together helps the bait snake through and present a more realistic fall. The Florida Rig added a thin tube and wire corkscrew to the concave side of the bullet weight to screw on a plastic bait.
Gambler has adapted this rigging system to their rattling brass sinker. Thunder Bullets devised the Bait Lock, a pegging system using a brass weight with a spearlike collar on the concave end to penetrate the head of the plastic bait. Lunker City Fishing Specialties also offers a similar pegging system on their line of Lunker Grip sinkers. Bullet Weights offers Ultra Steel weights, with a hook that catches the eye of a worm hook, pegging the rig. For further enticement, these weights include a Permascent odor.
To make the link between hook and sinker even closer, manufacturers offer weighted hooks. The Blue Fox Hidden Head, devised by Minnesota bass pro Tom Zrust, simply places a narrow 1/32- to 1/4-ounce conical lead around the shank of a worm hook (#1 through 4/0). As the worm is threaded onto the hook, the lead slides into the head. The rig’s width, however, won’t accommodate thin worms. M & N Lures offers a similar rig with a notched weight up the shank of a Gamakatsu hook, to make a weighted swimming worm or to provide a more gliding action with a pegged slip sinker.
Mustad’s weighted Needle Power Lock and Fin-A’cky hooks expand this weighting concept with 1/32-, 1/16-, and 1/8-ounce weights added to the shank and bend of the hook. Also, three models include a 1/32-ounce weight on the double barb keeper to provide a slow horizontal drop. Mister Twister’s latest addition is the Swimmin’ Smart Hook, which places a sleeve of lead around the hook shank, and Eagle Claw’s double-barb LT95, which adds a triangular lead below the eye on this offset-shank hook.
Now that we have the components, it’s time to rig up and catch some bass. (Continued in "Rigging Wrinkles For Big Ol’ Bass Part 2.")
