Sinkers are the workhorses of catfishing rigs. Yet, compared to other rigging components such as lines and hooks, matching the functional attributes of sinkers to the fishing situation is often overlooked. Whether you’re leashing baits on bottom with setrigs, bouncing over bottom while drifting, working floatrigs, or finessing cats with a lighter touch, using the right sinker is the easiest way to improve your presentation.

Consider pouring your own sinkers. You’ll save money, and you’ll always have your favorite sinker on hand. With the right equipment, molding sinkers is an easy process. Plus, you get the satisfaction of fishing with your own home-crafted tackle, but be sure to follow safety precautions provided by the manufacturer when working with lead.

Environmental note—Because lead tackle can pose health risks to the environment—including ingestion by waterbirds—some states, particularly in the northeastern U.S., have banned the use or sale of some lead tackle. There’s also a ban on the use of lead sinkers in 13 U.S. national wildlife refuges. Because laws concerning the use of lead tackle vary by state and over time, we suggest you check current regulations in your area.

In jurisdictions where lead bans are in place, most regulations prohibit using lead sinkers of a small enough size to be potentially ingested by waterbirds. Most catfishing, however, involves using heavier and larger sinkers, so catfishermen aren’t affected as much by the regulations as are anglers of panfish and trout.

Alternatives to lead are materials such as tin, bismuth, brass, steel, and tungsten. Several companies, such as Bullet Weights, Lake Fork Tackle, XCalibur, Outkast Tackle, Penetrator Weights, Tru-Tungsten, and Water Gremlin offer lead-alternative sinkers, with most styles developed for the bass fishing market. Heavy bullet sinkers, used primarily in bass fishing, are available in lead-free materials and can serve the same purpose as a sliding egg sinker in catfishing. Water Gremlin offers tin split shot that works well for riggings requiring smaller sinkers.

Sinker Characteristics

The primary consideration when selecting sinkers for a particular rig is the shape of the sinker. A sinker determines how far and accurately a rig can be cast, how fast it sinks through the water column, and how well it holds or drifts across the bottom. Matching the right sinker shape to the conditions you encounter on the water is the easiest way to improve your presentation.

Casting—Catmen who fish small rivers or ponds usually aren’t too concerned with casting distance or accuracy. Cast a bait out onto a shallow flat or toward the face of a snag, and cats holding in the general vicinity eventually find it. It’s a different story for shore anglers fishing a big river tailrace or a major arm in a large reservoir. They often need to launch baits 100 yards or more to reach active fish.

Sinker weight directly affects how far a rig can be cast, but again, sinker shape also is important. Take a look at the weights used by surf fishermen to make monster casts into strong coastal winds. Bank sinkers and similarly shaped models, with most of the weight concentrated in the bottom half of the sinker, are preferred. These weights offer maximum distance with the least amount of weight.

Casting distance also is reduced by the resistance of the bait, hook, and leader flailing through the air during the cast. Most anglers can immediately improve casting distance by using a hook shield—a small plastic clip held in place on the sinker dropper with silicone sleeves. The baited hook is inserted under the clip, and the weight of the sinker keeps the leader tight and streamlined during the cast. As soon as the bait hits the water, the hook pops free and the rig functions like a normal paternoster rig. Some distance casters claim a 30 percent increase in casting distance by using a hook shield.

Sinking—Most catfishing takes place in water shallower than about 20 feet, so most catmen don’t think too much about the sinking efficiency of their sinkers. In deep or fast water, though, a sinker design that drops quickly through the water column can be as important as casting accuracy. If the rig is carried downstream 20 feet before hitting the bottom, for example, fish holding near the target area may never detect the bait.

The same bank sinkers used by surf fishermen for improved casting distance also are preferred by fishermen who probe wrecks and reefs directly below the boat in 200 or more feet of water. The same characteristics that allow the sinker to pass efficiently through the air also allow it to drop quickly through water, even in heavy current. Bell sinkers and pyramid sinkers sink efficiently, especially when compared to flattened models.

For years, catfish guide Stu McKay used a flattened design called a snagless sinker to fish below the swift waters of the Lockport Dam on the Red River of the North. The wide profile kept the sinker from rolling around on the bottom in current as round or oval sinkers do, but the wider profile caused the weight to turn like a spinner blade as it dropped to the bottom. McKay eventually settled on a roll-less sinker with a hole running through the center instead of a separate line attachment eye.

One of the most useful sinkers for bottom-rigging in rivers is the No-Roll sinker by Do-It. With its flat, low-profile design, this sinker holds in place better than egg or bass-casting shapes. Its weight-forward, teardrop shape allows for long casts and helps reduce snagging in woody cover. The flat shape causes it to sink more slowly than casting-type sinkers. The sinker’s carried more in current because of its large surface area, making the No-Roll a good option for walking baits and rigs along bottom in current.

Holding—It doesn’t matter how far a sinker can cast or how fast it drops to the bottom, if it can’t hold your rig where you want it. Again, in lakes and ponds with a clean bottom, almost any sinker style works. The same is true when fishing directly behind a boat anchored in current. But when you’re fishing cross-current, either from shore or from a boat, sinker design can make a difference. And different designs hold well on different bottom types.

A clean silt or sand bottom often is more challenging to hold to than a broken bottom. Four-sided pyramid and elongated storm sinkers have long been popular with surf fishermen forced to contend with heavy tides and sand or silt bottoms. The problem is, these designs often hold too well, especially at long range. Grapnel sinkers with flexible wire arms are popular in coastal areas. The wires dig into the bottom, then bend straight under pressure so the rig can be retrieved.

Of course, the bottom of many catfish rivers more closely resemble a junkyard than a beach. Holding in broken rock or dense piles of timber usually isn’t the problem, but getting the sinker back out is. Bell and bank sinkers can be pulled out of tight cover, especially from a boat positioned directly above the snag. Long, thin designs like pencil sinkers also are easy to pull out of cracks and crevices, but don’t hold as well as other styles. Another option is to use a grapnel sinker with the wire arms bent out so the sinker can’t drop between branches or rocks.

Drifting—Some catfishing situations call for a bait to be slowly drifted or trolled near the bottom instead of anchored near fish-holding structure. Sinkers designed for drifting must be heavy enough to keep the rig down in the fish zone, but light enough that the rig can move with the current or follow a drifting boat. These weights also must be snag-resistant so they don’t hang up on bottom structure. The most popular option is a three-way rig weighted with a heavy bell sinker.

Wire-legged bottom bouncers skip and bounce over rocks, logs, or clean bottom, and they excel in situations requiring coverage or snag-resistance. Tie your mainline to the bend in the wire frame just as you would tie on a spinnerbait. Attach a leader to the snap or snap swivel at the top of the wire arm. The leader stretches back one or two feet to your bait. Legless bouncers like the Gapen Bait Walker also can be still-fished directly behind a boat anchored in current. Keep just enough tension on the line to stand the lead base upright, and set the hook as soon as a fish mouths the bait.

To feed line to a fish while retaining the snag-resistant features of a bouncer, try a slip bouncer. Much like a sliding slipsinker, the wire-legged lead weight clips into a clevis that slides down the line until it hits the barrel swivel at the end of the leader, positioning it a set distance ahead of the bait. When a fish takes the bait, follow it back with the rod tip a foot or two, and set. Should you need a heavier weight, just snap the bouncer out of the clevis and insert a heavier weight.

Balancing—This is not really a sinker characteristic so much as a specialized sinker function. We use 3/0 lead shot to balance slipfloat rigs, designed to keep baits moving along the bottom with the current. Pinch enough shot on the line a foot or so above the hook so about two-thirds of the float is submerged. Properly balanced, slipfloats are easily pulled under when a fish strikes, but buoyant enough to keep the bait moving.

Removable and reusable split shot, such as those by Water Gremlin, have tiny wings to bend the shot open and remove it from your line. Many anglers feel, however, that round shot provide a more natural presentation in current. We prefer ultrasoft round shot like Dinsmores that can be pried open with a fingernail. Dinsmores offers an egg-shaped shot made from tin that they claim casts, sinks, and drifts as well as round lead shot. The weights also feature a “fingernail divot” for easy removal.

To anchor larger livebaits for big flatheads and blue cats, add a swivel about a foot above a 3/0 to 7/0 hook. Depending on the size of the float, a sliding egg sinker weighing 1/2 to 2 or more ounces may be needed to balance the float. Several manufacturers also offer quick on-off rigging via an internal rubber grip that fits inside a slot in the sinker. Insert your line into the slot, twist the ends of the rubber strip, and your line is gripped without a swivel or a knot. These sinkers allow you to adjust weights to fine-tune buoyancy as you change baits.

Sinkers are a key component to most catfish rigs, but few catmen consider which sinker is best for the task. Get yourself some sinkers. Better yet, get yourself a catbag full of sinkers of different sizes and styles and find out which ones work best for you. You’ll quickly learn that using the right sinker in the right situation is one of the simplest ways to improve your presentation.