Running sinker, above swivel vs to hook.

[banshee]

So when you guys are talking about sinker running straight to the hook I assume you mean you are tying a braid to leader knot then running the sinker on the leader? Our floatlining rig is braid to leader (uniknot) then ball sinker running to swivel attached to the top hook of 2 ganged hooks That are joined by a swivel. Works good

I never use braid for trolling offshore or floating,So for me floating it's mono,swivel,mono,sinker,hook.The moment I need anything approaching a four ball I put a tiny lead atop the hook,lengthen the trace a bit and start working out what size lead will work on the rod side of the swivel.

[Volvo]

Both have their advantages and dissadvantages , have found over the years if you have sinker to the swivel with a meter or so leader then you do get ample line twisting up!!. Found overall sinker to the hook has less dissadvantages and less snags ..
Just my personal experience is all , especially Fishing for anything from Coral Trout , Lipper , Bream etc .
Otherwise Paternoster is the go for me ..

[RayLamp]

On the weekend I had 3 rigs out. 2 paternosters and 1 sinker to swivel then leader.

The top hooks on the paternosters were always taken first and the single sinker to swivel rig got the biggest fish. They only went for the bottom hook on the paternoster when everything else was taken. That was last weekends experience and I reckon i will go out again this weekend just coz the weather is looking good!

[tunaticer]

The only time I use a swivel is when I'm fishing for whiting.
The rest of the time I run with the smallest sinker to get the bait down to the target area running directly to the hook.
I do not fish heavy enough to anchor the bait in the current, preferring to cast up current and letting the bait move back to the back of the boat, once it gets dragged directly into the line of the current i recast.
Often times I do not use a sinker at all for places like Redcliffe.

[darter]

Some interesting reading,I use both approaches in relation to situation-on rocks a smallish sinker on hook fine,on beach other way around.
However.... (it may have been already mentioned) a sinker on top of hook can hamper the function of the swivel -its mainly there to prevent line twist
and that's an even more important point if using a side cast reel like an Alvey. So I always use two swivels one above the sinker to help stop line twist.

[Volvo]

Airlock , i use sinker above swivel with leader below swivel to hook when fishing shallow waters for Whiting , Bream etc and if feeding bait down slower in deeper waters then i have the braid to leader and sinker sitting straight above hook.
Deep dropping with longer leader and sinker above swivel i have found to cause all sorts of pains in the but with line twist etc especially where ther eis some run in the water ..