# Surf fishing weights



## Yard dog (Jan 25, 2010)

I am new to surf fishing but have enjoyed what little bit I have done. I have been using pyramid weights but they tend to roll and not hold the tension well. Does anyone have any suggestions on what other type of weight is available that would be better for surf fishing.

Any and all suggestions will be appreciated!


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## DennyR (Aug 24, 2008)

You'll get all sorts of opinions, but I had the same experience with pyramids rolling. I finally switched to storm sinkers and find they hold a lot better--at least in the areas where I fish. They can be hard to find, so I finally bought a Hilts mold and a small melting pot. Got the lead from EBay. In my very unscientific experiments, a storm sinker weighing an ounce less than a pyramid held as well or better.


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## fish bucket (Dec 5, 2002)

the best surf sinkers bar none are sputniks.
they hold at least 50% better than pyramids,storm,frogs tongues,etc.
thay're pricey but well worth it.


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## dudeondacouch (Apr 6, 2010)

Frog tongues work well for me, but i use some that don't have the angle. They're just flat on top.


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## fish bucket (Dec 5, 2002)

all of them work good at times and if you can hold with them use them.
but for the times when you have to hold in sloppy conditions i always go to a sputnik.


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## Hooked Up (Feb 6, 2009)

ive found u can usually get away with a 2oz lighter sputnik then a pyramid sinker......{ 6oz vs 8oz}........but man at tryin to get it off the bottom if ur in grass.....i dont like the trade off personally but the places we fish 10oz and 12oz are the norm


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## fish bucket (Dec 5, 2002)

they are not perfect but what is?
a lot of times we are fishing in close proximity to each other and we don't have the option of letting our bait drift so we have to do whatever to hold bottom.


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## RuddeDogg (Mar 20, 2004)

fish bucket said:


> all of them work good at times and if you can hold with them use them.
> but for the times when you have to hold in sloppy conditions i always go to a sputnik.


Yep.


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## SmoothLures (Feb 13, 2008)

I like storms over pyramids when available, but don't have to have them.


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## GreenFord (Apr 11, 2009)

For pure holding power nothing beats a sputnik. I have had a 5oz sputnik hold tight when an 8oz pyramid or frog tounge was wasking down the surf.


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## Rich60 (Apr 11, 2010)

Yard Dog

For a cheap solution try screwing some 1 to 1 1/4 inch sheet metal screws into 3 sides of a pyramid sinker. This will buy you 1 to maybe 2 oz of holding power for almost no extra weight. I like to fish no more than 5oz regularly and this helps me hold when neccessary. Good Luck. :spam:


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## Jersey Hunter (Jul 26, 2009)

Try Gemini Breakout Weights (google pier30fishing) had a 3oz on and asked the guy I was fishing with to feel the weight he said it felt like I had a brick on my line. I've used sputniks and feel these are superior. Bought the mould and pour my own.

The splash down sinker looks interesting too


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## FishinMortician (Jun 19, 2007)

I have been using the Gemini sinkers ever since Breakaway stopped selling sinkers, and before they came out with their super sinker wizard.

The mould system is pretty easy to use, but it is a bit pricey for the components, and pouring the sinkers is dangerous. Fumes and spatters abound. To be sure your exposure levels are much much higher when breathing the fumes from lead, than from straight ingesting them. The lead kind of passes through when ingesting, but goes straight into the blood stream when breathing them there fumes.

Having poured a bunch......I can tell you to be very careful and that there is alot to it. Fluxing, to quench or not to quench, time and effort, aquiring lead, etc. One of the tricks is to only heat it hot enough. The hotter you go the more fumes. Outside with a fan, and if you smell it, your breathing it. It will remain in your body as the liver cannot expel it, and if it accumulates enough, you become irrasible and confused- for life. 

You will also contaminate your pouring area, so plan to catch everything that falls. Children and pets you know.:--|

The new Splashdown Gemini was developed for one reason, that was to allow folks to have a 100% reliable clip down, right on their sinkers. The device secures the hook, even during a herky jerky cast. The flattened backside is there to allow the bait to travel in the slipstream, which protects it during the flight and during splashdown. But.....it also creates something known as 'base drag', which limits distance. I hear they release 100% as well.

Gemini sinkers are not distance sinkers to begin with; just look at it. The original did not have a bait clip, so people used other items. If you don't regularily use clip down rigs, the new sinker really offers nothing more than extra assembly time. The original would be the way to go.

The reason they do hold so well, is that they work like a grappling hook. They also sell what is called an 'up tide insert', which extends the grips even further away to enhance this effect. This adds extra grip.... _*to the same sinker*_. About 25% of the ones I bought stripped out and didn't hold on.

The big advantage to the whole system is that one mould will pour different weight sinkers- from 2 1/2oz up to 8oz. The advantage here is that you can match what your rod wants to throw, and probably not worry much at all about your hold to the seafloor. Non-grip sinkers require you to upsize to meet the need, these allow you to match the rod and do just fine. You would want to pour several different weight sizes and keep track of which one matches which rod, which is why they offer different colored heads.

The plastic grip assembly does offer it's share of hassles, too. Not easy to assemble, and tricky to get it right. You can bend the grip wires and lose some effectiveness. They only insert one way, and that is just so. The slots clog with sand and need dipped to wash it away. I love to call mine- 'English Dipping Sinkers". LOL twice

The adjustment will allow you to 'set the tension' very finely, and I like mine as light as I can get away with, letting just the weight of the sinker set my circle hooks. Usually, there will not be a need to tighten the tension, but it is there and it does work very well if the sinker slides.

The package comes with a way to mark the mould for pouring the different weights, but is not as accurate as one of them cheap chinese digital scales from Harbor Freight. My scale doubles as an arrow scale as well. Just keep it hidden so folks don't think you are part of the drug cartel. Pour, weigh, mark the mould with a sharpie, repeat for the entiore weight range. I recommend getting used to using grams instead of ounces, as it works better once you get used to it.

There are other alternatives. The Gemini sinkers are just another tool in your arsenal. Probably best to have several fellers thrown in to get one together.


Down here in NE Florida, the Florida Surf Casters had their annual banquet last night, and they had a chance to buy some of these devils.











Now them is sinkers gentlemen. These cast for extreme distance, hold exceptionally well, and come with a bait clip attached. Painted so there is no lead transfer, and some even glow in the dark. Great for night fishing. I made these and the men grabbed up about sixty of them last night. They would have gotten them all.....but talk about pricey. 

I have decided to not make anymore for a while. On to something new already.

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I wish you good luck with your new mould. Cut them silicone sleeves just so....no room for errors as they only give you just enough. Please be careful, one good splash of lead in the face ain't worth all the sinkers in the world. The vast majority of people are far better off just buying them. Lots to learn as you go, and you might wish to research a little on the web. Search for bullet making threads. Try to use something other than wheel weights. Hope I haven't bored you.


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## Jersey Hunter (Jul 26, 2009)

FishinMortician Nice right-up. What kind of paint did you use? Though I think I would be upset if I started losing painted sinkers.LOL


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## j c (Oct 15, 2009)

you'll be hard pressed to beat these for price, great weights and excellent customer service for those who don't feel like pouring their own...

http://www.pier30fish.com/pier30/home.php

jc


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## FishinMortician (Jun 19, 2007)

Powder coat......great stuff.


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