Hey folks,

Picked up some hollow rope in the bargain cave to make slinky weights.

Seems most people use buckshot for the weight.

I have a bunch smaller lead for reloading trap/skeet shells.

Questions....

Is there any reason why using small shot wouldn’t work?

I’m just assuming most use buckshot because it’s easier to load in there.

What weights should I be looking to make?

Mainly using them for shore fishing dead bait on the bottom. Slip sinker style.

I've seen slinky sinkers used from a 1/4 oz up to +2 oz. All depends on your application (drifting for steelhead, river fishing, dead bait).

For dead baiting, weight doesn't matter very much. How much weight can your rod cast? I find 1 oz a comfortable size that carries my bait well offshore. You only need enough weight to cast and put a little tension on the line. If your line is slack it gets blown all over and tangled in the bushes while you wait for a strike.

I would pay more attention to the flexibility of the slinky. If you pack #8 shot in a 1/2" wide rope you'll end up with a pretty stiff slinky sinker. Whenever I make slinkies I pair the shot to the size of the rope so I have a single stack of weights. Then, I leave a little slack at the top, melt the top with a candle and smash it flat with a pliers. The finished weight should be loose and floppy.

Looks like my rope is for lead diameters between .150-.190 inch.

Going to track down some BB or 2 shot.

Makes sense that a long, single stack would be less likely to snag.



Thanks again!

Well, I went and ordered a kit for making slinky weights.

3 different sized setups. Comes with some shot to fill them. I’ve got the old man digging through the garage in search of some BB and Buckshot.