TAKING THE WEIGHT OFF

I’ve noticed when boat fishing that a large majority of anglers just grab a lead weight out of their box and get fishing, with no real consideration as to what, exactly, we want that lead to do. I was no different when starting out, but, over the years, I’ve come to realise that choosing the right type of lead weight makes a noticeable difference to both catches, and to the inevitable losses to snags, when fishing over rough ground.

Lead shape and design is the key. So what lead types should we be looking to use in specific situations, and what tips and tricks can we use to improve our fishing?

REACTION IN THE WATER COLUMN

If you’re fishing lures on the drift, then you want a lead design that drops cleanly through the water column to give you maximum speed on the way down with no chance of the lead sheering off to one side. The leads that cut through the water best are the bomb shapes featuring a sharp nose and tapered rear with most of the weight in the middle of the lead. These are perfect when you need to drop fast through the water column and will then be either retrieving the lure up a few turns before dropping back – literally fishing almost