Running sinker, above swivel vs to hook.

[airlock]

I was hoping someone could shed a little more light on the prod and cons and tactical differences between rigging a running sinker above the swivel and having it running to the hook.

Ive experimented with both rigs while reef fishing and estuary fishing and find I have more success and as a result, keep going back to the sinker running to the swivel with a long leader.
My theory is that with the sinker stopping at the swivel, the bait can move more freely and hopefully look a bit more natural.
would anyone care to weigh in as to the pros/cons of the two rigs and set me right on their proper usage?

[banshee]

If fishing in really rough terrain the 'pickers doom' (ball sinker to the hook,no trace) is considered less prone to snagging than other rigging.
Fishing for Bream with bait it was the only way I used to rig.

[Noelm]

If using a bigger sinker, then using a swivel is best, a big sinker right to the hook, with a big chunk of bait, is a QLD thing, probably left over from the days when fish were in abundance, but, these days in more heavily fished areas, a well presented bait minus the blob of lead, will outfish the "olden days" rig every time, now I can hear people saying "I have been fishing that way for 40 years" then in the same breath "damn place is fished out, I remember when....." a decent swivel, that works, and a good bait is essential, however, in deeper water, the rig can tangle at times when the sinker runs up the line on the way down, and the bait is spinning around and catches the main line, but, a well done bait won't spin, a Paternoster is better for deeper water, but, not just a roughly tied double loop, that's just a "lazy mans" setup.
edit: a bigger running sinker can be used in deeper water by placing it between two swivels, it solves the sinker running up the line problem, this setup is often used by live bait fishermen who have problems with the live bait coming to the surface, usually when big fish are around on the bottom!

[tug_tellum]

If bream fishing,With little or no current I always use an Alvey with swivel and either the smallest sinker I have above the swivel or no sinker at all if I have a reasonably heavy bait (usually flesh bait) If using worm or yabbie I use as small a sinker as possible to get to where I figure the fish will be. With bream,I work on the theory that wherever you lose the most gear you will catch the most fish. Dont move it around much or you will get snagged more often on the rocks where they seem to like to hide and feed.
That works for me sometimes but there maybe better ways. I am open to hearing about better ways to improve my fishing.
tug_tellum

[Dignity]

If you are just dropping it to the bottom then everything Noelm has said. But float lining which is feeding the bait out slowly and if you do get to the bottom which will take some time, you then reel in and start again then a smaller sinker direct on the hook works best.

[Ah Me Ting]

And, then there is the whole 'soft plastics' jig head set up which, basically, has the 'sinker' at the hook and doesn't move.

So, who knows? Maybe us stinky bait users should try a rig with the sinker fixed at the hook?

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[gunna]

And, then there is the whole 'soft plastics' jig head set up which, basically, has the 'sinker' at the hook and doesn't move.

So, who knows? Maybe us stinky bait users should try a rig with the sinker fixed at the hook?

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Funny you should say that. Number of times when the placcies are not working I have stuck a fresh yabbie on the jig head. Never caught a fish with that setup.

[FINICKY]

And, then there is the whole 'soft plastics' jig head set up which, basically, has the 'sinker' at the hook and doesn't move.

So, who knows? Maybe us stinky bait users should try a rig with the sinker fixed at the hook?

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I don’t think you can compare plastics with bait rigs.
Plastics have the weight on the head but are being bounced and retrieved so they are constantly moving/swimming.
Baits rigged this way would just sit on the bottom while the sinker above the swivel allows the bait to move around in the current to attract attention from nearby fish.


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[Noelm]

It's pretty common for Paternoster "drifters" to use a heavy plastic or metal jig as a sinker, plenty of big fish have been caught on the plastic this way, it's just another option that can have rewards

[Moonlighter]

I don’t think you can compare plastics with bait rigs.
Plastics have the weight on the head but are being bounced and retrieved so they are constantly moving/swimming.
Baits rigged this way would just sit on the bottom while the sinker above the swivel allows the bait to move around in the current to attract attention from nearby fish.


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One of the most deadly rigs on the reefs around Moreton Bay is a 3/8 oz 5/0 jighead with a 4-6” long fat squid tentacle attached instead of a SP.

[banshee]

If using a bigger sinker, then using a swivel is best, a big sinker right to the hook, with a big chunk of bait, is a QLD thing, probably left over from the days when fish were in abundance, but, these days in more heavily fished areas, a well presented bait minus the blob of lead, will outfish the "olden days" rig every time, now I can hear people saying "I have been fishing that way for 40 years" then in the same breath "damn place is fished out, I remember when....." a decent swivel, that works, and a good bait is essential, however, in deeper water, the rig can tangle at times when the sinker runs up the line on the way down, and the bait is spinning around and catches the main line, but, a well done bait won't spin, a Paternoster is better for deeper water, but, not just a roughly tied double loop, that's just a "lazy mans" setup.
edit: a bigger running sinker can be used in deeper water by placing it between two swivels, it solves the sinker running up the line problem, this setup is often used by live bait fishermen who have problems with the live bait coming to the surface, usually when big fish are around on the bottom!

There's a method to the madness for the Queenslanders.Anywhere from 1770 up is the reef proper and with it extremely cranky sharp country,any sort of a trace wafting about will hang up in most coral, added to this the run can be hard (this seems to also offer the best fishing) so you end up with a big ball generally atop a big hook and bait.Now the big bait (sometimes a combo of a soft burley type and tough but mostly tough) is there to entice pickers and such to start a reaction strike from the larger fish in the vicinity.I used to visit my mate in CQ a lot up until seven years back,his weapon of choice was a heavy handline eight or ten ball and a snooded set of biggish hooks,his results convinced me.

[Out-Station]

I agree with earlier comments around the blob of lead to the hook thing but this said my go to rig for red throats when drfiting accross plate coral country is a ball just big enough to bounce along the deck with the drift between a swivel and hook, lumo bead to stop the sinker buggering your knot. Two 6/0 big guns ganged togther with a swivel. Works great, stays up of the bottom just enough to avoid tuskies and lets the sweetties have their turn, (sick of those bloody tuskies), when you feel your getting snagged you can "bounce" the ball if your quick and avoid the snag most of the time. The hook setup works great with the way RT's bite. This is the only time i ever use sinker to the hook these days.
Scott

[banshee]

If you are just dropping it to the bottom then everything Noelm has said. But float lining which is feeding the bait out slowly and if you do get to the bottom which will take some time, you then reel in and start again then a smaller sinker direct on the hook works best.

Your post got me thinking about a couple of different things I've seen when it comes to 'floating' a bait down.First one involved what was probably an eight ball straight through to the hook anchored (just) on broken rock/gravel up current of a smallish pin in about sixty feet.The bloke held the bait and sinker in one hand,rod in the other,opened the bail,dropped the sinker but held the slab bait until the sinker hit the bottom then dropped the bait and engaged the reel.Second one,bloke had brass ring to hook trace and every drop for the duration of a packet, in forty eight fathoms he would cut off the hook and put on a sacrificial sinker (reo bar) via a fizzy life saver sliding between the hook and brass ring.

[Dignity]

I agree with earlier comments around the blob of lead to the hook thing but this said my go to rig for red throats when drfiting accross plate coral country is a ball just big enough to bounce along the deck with the drift between a swivel and hook, lumo bead to stop the sinker buggering your knot. Two 6/0 big guns ganged togther with a swivel. Works great, stays up of the bottom just enough to avoid tuskies and lets the sweetties have their turn, (sick of those bloody tuskies), when you feel your getting snagged you can "bounce" the ball if your quick and avoid the snag most of the time. The hook setup works great with the way RT's bite. This is the only time i ever use sinker to the hook these days.
Scott

Scott, fishing for RT's is how I learnt this method, also works a treat on big snapper.

[paullee]

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