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.