The In-Fisherman Staff Looks At Rigging

Weighted Hooks

Rattlers

Interest in sound production led manufacturers to first offer thin glass rattle chambers containing tiny shot, to be inserted into plastic baits. When shaken, they produce a soft rattle. Chambers of steel, brass, and plastic have followed, for insertion into the bait—Woodies Rattlers, Hart PRO-ducer Rattles, Blue Fox Tor-P-Do Worm Rattles, and PRADCO’s new Excalibur worm rattles in four sizes.

Zoom and Zorro offer rattle chambers that slide along the line or can be inserted into a bait after a chunk of plastic is removed with a coring tool. Midsouth Tackle’s new aluminum rattle chamber fits inside tube baits. Obviously, the benefit of these devices is only achieved when the bait is actively fished and shaken.

Sinkers

Just as in the old days, we’re sunk without sinkers. After development of the bullet-shape sliding sinker in the 1960s, little changed, and bassers lost no sleep wondering about sinkers, except maybe whether a 3/16 or a 1/4-ounce weight would work best in a given situation.

But modern machining technology, spurred by threats of a ban on lead sinkers, led to new metals and styles. While Top Brass Tackle had been producing brass slip sinkers, fears that lead would be banned boosted interest in this material. And as anglers fished brass, they noted advantages over lead. It’s much harder and resists denting. This hardness also produces louder clicks when the sinker contacts the hook, the bottom, or a glass bead placed between the sinker and hook.

Thunder Bullets made the most of the brass and glass craze, machining several shapes of brass weights from 1/16 to 11⁄4 ounce, including some with rattles inside the sinker. Their Brass N’ Bullets are bullet-shape while their Thunder Rigs are more egg-shape for Carolina rigging. Top Brass and Gambler also offer rattling brass worm weights. Jawtec Worms devised brass sinkers and also hedged their bets with steel, since legislation proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency would have banned or restricted production of brass as well as lead weights. In the same vein, Bullet Weights developed a line of UltraSteel weights, made of an alloy called Ultra Steel 2000.

King of the hill in the loud rattle race are Kicker Fish Industries’ Kicker Rig and Top Brass’ Carolina Quake sinkers, with their large brass tumbler that slides in a chamber within the Carolina rigging-type weight. The Kicker Rig includes a brass chamber that screws together and houses 1/8-ounce lead discs that bang against each other. Weight is adjusted by adding and removing discs. The unit seals with an O-ring. While the bright gold flash of brass may at times attract bass (sinker bites often occur), anglers fishing clear water sometimes feel the unnatural flash may spook fish. Jawtec stains their sinkers black, while Top Brass offers eight colors to mix and match with plastic baits. Both companies package rigs of brass sinkers and beads, with collars and swivels to complete a Carolina rig.