Sinks like a rock (sinker)

I got his idea from someone else on this forum a while back, but I can't find the post.  As I recall it was a brief mention deep in a thread on another subject.  So I can't take credit, but I wanted to share the idea in it's own thread for visibility as it is a beneficial one for both your pocket book and the environment.

What sinks like a rock?  A rock of course!  And with a little epoxy and a loop of stainless wire bent into a "U" shape, it can be easily clipped onto your rigs in place of lead.  It is of course a lot bigger per ounce (lead is 4.2x the density of lead), but if you are just dropping it over the side of a boat the size doesn't mater much, and best of all when you get snagged and have to break off, all you lost was a few pennies worth of wire and epoxy, and all you left in the water (that won't rust away) is a little dab of epoxy and maybe a short bit of mono instead of a big chunk of lead.  Helps if you tie your rigs so the line to your weight is a few lbs test less than the rest of your rig (I usually tie mine with 15 lb).

I have gotten a ton of great ideas and super useful knowledge from you all and wanted to contribute to this body of knowledge in a small way.  Pics attached, and I hope you find this useful.  All credit goes to whomever mentioned this in another thread, sorry I don't remember who you are

(Apparently I'm as dense as lead, I meant lead is 4.2x the density of granite...  )

I remember reading that post, but never got around to trying it out. Thanks for the reminder. It really is a great idea.

Any thoughts on how the epoxy will hold up over time in salt water?

Don't know yet, I have only taken them out twice, but I would guess it's pretty inert to salt water?  Open to being told otherwise if anyone knows better.

Needs googly eyes and a face painted on them... Great idea. I'm sure others have looped a rock on the line before when you run out of lead weights. Think I'll make some for my next trip.

Good idea. The main issue I see is that the larger size will result in greater drag in the current so it may not drop directly down.

Yeah, there is a little bit of extra drag I think, and there is greater displacement due to lesser density so you need to add an ounce or so (I haven't done the math re: displacement so that is just a guess, but seemed right on the water).  But it really wasn't a huge deal, I was using ~6oz rocks in ~70 fow in some medium drift and it worked just fine, didn't have trouble keeping the line straight.

Also, eyes are a great idea, I am going to have my kids draw some faces all over them next time

To expand on the idea... I wonder if wrapping the rock in stainless wire and skipping the epoxy would be an improvement.  If the rock snags, you pull hard enough and the wire comess off the rock.  You lose no tackle and you only donate a rock to the bottom.

Yeah, there is a little bit of extra drag I think, and there is greater displacement due to lesser density so you need to add an ounce or so (I haven't done the math re: displacement so that is just a guess, but seemed right on the water).  But it really wasn't a huge deal, I was using ~6oz rocks in ~70 fow in some medium drift and it worked just fine, didn't have trouble keeping the line straight.

Also, eyes are a great idea, I am going to have my kids draw some faces all over them next time

If you add eyes, you might be sad if you lose one, at least according to the googly eyed gardener....

I don't lose much when vertically jigging, but when fishing from shore, I can lose a pound in a day pretty easy.  I think I may have to start going this route!

Ooh, I like the wire wrap concept, definitely worth trying.  Would be tricky to get the tightness right so you only lose it when you are stuck but it is lose enought to slip out before the line breaks...

The size of rock you need per oz (4.2x the size of equivalent lead) would make efficient shore casting hard due to size and bad aerodynamics, but if you aren't trying to maximize distance it could work.  I should make some 1 and 2 oz versions and see how it goes.  Probably would not be good for beach fishing where you want distance but don't lose a lot of tackle, but could good for fishing off rocks where you don't need the distance but snag a lot.

Thanks for sharing! And nice meeting you on the stairs Saturday. It was pretty slow for me too, but got 1 keeper rockfish. I'm going to make a batch of these rock weights one of these nights.

Nice to meet you too!  Sorry it was slow, but glad you didn't skunk.  I only got one keeper too (but it was maybe my biggest blue ever?  A big one either way.)  Plus 5 micro rockfish that I sent home, including by far the smallest gopher I have ever brought up.  Thought it was a smelt at first when it came into view .  Good luck with the rock project.

All credit goes to whomever mentioned this in another thread, sorry I don't remember who you are

I don't know if it was me or someone else, but I have been doing this for a while and probably posted about it here. (And I too mark the weights on them with a Sharpie!) Got the idea from some British guy on YouTube. Works great for jigging, not as well for trolling because of all the extra resistance, but I still don't like dragging lead so I just use bigger rocks... also have a bigger one that I use with a clothespin for a true hillbilly descender.

I wouldn't put eyes on them though, unless you want Lingcod to grab them...