Selecting the best type and size of sinker is the last bastion of rigging refinement.

Rock Hoppers

A rocky bottom presents the biggest challenge to Carolina rigging since rocks tend to catch sinkers more than any other type of cover. Scott Rook selects an egg-shaped sinker in this situation. “Bullet-shape sinkers tend to slide into crevices,” warns Rook, “but the egg sinker seems to bounce through much cleaner.”

Wind and water depth dictate the size sinker Rook selects, but sometimes he prefers the heaviest weights he can find. “There are situations where you need to feel the chunkier patches of rocks, and it takes a heavier sinker (3/4 to 1 ounce) to feel that,” he suggests.

Jordon prefers the barrel-shaped Lake Fork Tackle Mega-Weights for fishing through rocks because he believes its rounded edges roll over rather than stick in the cracks. His Carolina rig consists of a main line of 17-pound-test monofilament or 30- to 50-pound SpiderWire, a leader testing 5 to 10 pounds lighter than his main line, a #7 barrel swivel, and brass clickers to increase noise. He never uses glass beads with tungsten weights because the hard sinker will shatter glass.

Excalibur’s TG Weights have teflon inserts so line slides smoothly through the sinker, which prevents line fray as the weight constantly bangs and rolls along. At times, Jordon creates more noise for his Carolina rig by adding an extra sinker or two. He believes the clamor created by the extra sinkers clicking into each other triggers more strikes in some situations.

Two-time B.A.S.S. Angler of the Year Gary Klein also uses a worm or Mojo sinker for fishing vegetation, but he depends on a round sinker for dragging his baits through other types of cover. “In rubble, clay, or rocks, I want a weight that digs, so I prefer an egg sinker over other types,” Klein says. “I want it to dig the silt on the bottom instead of sliding across it. If I can create a silt trail with the weight, the fish can see it at a long distance in clear water and may think it’s a crawfish or small fish rooting around.”

In murky water, Klein tries to increase sound production by selecting a heavier tungsten weight (3/4 to 1 ounce). He believes tungsten is the ultimate material for a Carolina sinker, because the weight can be molded into a condensed shape, and its hard material transmits sound and feel of the bottom better than lead.

The Versatile Weight

New Jersey pro Pete Gluszek favored bullet sinkers for fishing vegetation and barrel weights around rocks until he tried a weight designed primarily for walleyes. When he received some Lindy-Little Joe Rattlin’ No-Snagg Sinkers to try during a trip to the BASS Masters Classic, Gluszek started experimenting with the uniquely shaped weight and now prefers using it for most Carolina-rig presentations. “I’ve been using them non-stop ever since,” he admits. “It comes through all types of cover better than what I’d used previously.”

The banana-shaped design of the No-Snagg Sinker allows the weight to work over and through dense cover without snagging or twisting while still providing an adequate feel of the bottom. The sinker consists of a balsa and lead-antimony body encased in a rubberized coating, with a stainless steel wire for a line tie. A rattle chamber creates sound as well.

Gluszek believes this shape works especially well over rocky bottoms. “Barrel sinkers often fit right into the crevices in chunk rock or riprap. That happens because the impact point of a barrel sinker is right where the line enters and that’s where the weight contacts cover,” he notes.

“The Lindy sinker has an impact point considerably above the heavy part of the weight (the bent section), which usually hits the cover, making it come through without hanging up,” Gluszek says.