long line minimum weight

Mike Repp

Mike Repp

Well-known member
I am rigging some long lines for blue bills. Each line will have 8-12 decoys. Shallow water 3-5'. I have some old molds here at work for investment castings. They are real high quality aluminum. I can make 2.5 to 3 lb weights out of these molds. Is that enough weight for long lines? One at each end of the line. I know a lot of guys use sash weights but I dont want to go that heavy.
 
I am rigging some long lines for blue bills. Each line will have 8-12 decoys. Shallow water 3-5'. I have some old molds here at work for investment castings. They are real high quality aluminum. I can make 2.5 to 3 lb weights out of these molds. Is that enough weight for long lines? One at each end of the line. I know a lot of guys use sash weights but I dont want to go that heavy.
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If you want to be able to abandon your rig in nasty weather (when it whips up and you were not prepared), you need weight to hold that rig where you've put it. There's a fella on this board who used light weights and had to abandon his rig (big water hunting) and when he went back to recover his decoys...the rig was 3 miles from where he left it.
I use an 8# mushroom at the upwind end and a sash weight at the downwind end. I want the rig to stay put while hunting and only change when "I" change it.
This is from years of layout hunting, adapting and developing.........you will sift down to what works for you.
Lou
www.lockstockbarrell.com
 
I agree with Lou. Use plenty of weight.

How much depends on three factors.
1 - what kind of decoys are you using? Hollow plastic like G&H or Greenhead need much less weight than say Toledos or cork or wood decoys. When a big, heavy decoy starts getting tossed around by 2-3 foot waves a 3 lb wt. won't stop it.

2 - how deep of water and how much scope do have on your long lines. I regularily hunt in 8-10 ft. of water and have only 12 ft. of scope. When the weather kicks up I know I need to add my 27 ft. extensions onto my long lines or I will be chasing decoys.

3 - How much wind and therefore waves do you expect?

When I set up the layout and the spread I don't want it to move - period- until I want to move/adjust it.

The last unknown is ICE. No reasonable amount of anchor weight will prevent your rig from being balled up in one big mess if an acre sized chunk of ICE takes it out.

I hunt with Toledo decoys and have had the wind and waves move them with 5-9 lb sash weights. Lately I have gone to TWO sash weights to hold the spread in place. If I find a deal on 8-10 lb mushroom anchors I'll change - at least on the upwind side.
 
Pete,

Also tide and currents. I get a learning experience every time I hunt waters with strong tides an currents...simply things I don't generally deal with in the inland lakes I usually hunt. I've found that some weights roll pretty well. l like small navy anchors for these conditions. Old brake rotors seem to work well too and are cheap/expendable...

For no tides, no current, either sash weights or ones I've made out of soda cans filled with lead and a copper wire loop cast in seem to work swell.

Charlie
 
I guess I better get some bigger weights. To bad I have had these molds stashed under my desk since we phased out some parts over a year ago. Nice junks of aluminum, each half is 6" x 6" by 3". Guess i will hang onto them for something else. Thanks for the help.
 
I didn't put tides as a factor because, unfortunately, I live in the central coast region and am unable to partake of the delights of tides and salt water in general. I do hunt in fairly heavy currents at times but the water is generally 4 ft. or less with generally few waves of significance.

I'll have to resurrect my lead source and mold some more heavy wts. next summer.
 
Mike,

I'd try what you have in mind. What's the worst that can happen, it doesn't work and you have to try something else? You don't have much to lose.

I bet they'll work great in those shallow water depths.

Charlie


I guess I better get some bigger weights. To bad I have had these molds stashed under my desk since we phased out some parts over a year ago. Nice junks of aluminum, each half is 6" x 6" by 3". Guess i will hang onto them for something else. Thanks for the help.
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Mike,

I'd try what you have in mind. What's the worst that can happen, it doesn't work and you have to try something else? You don't have much to lose.
Charlie


The wind could shift, tangle up a hundred decoys and you could swamp the boat while you're trying to get things straightened back out and into the boat. That would be right up there w/ the worst. (stranger things have happened) Mike, w/ 12 bird lines, like Lou, I would stick w/ 8+ lbs. upwind and if you wanted to go a little lighter downwind you could. I've been using 10# rubber coated dumbbells for 10 years. No worries w/ those, and they're about the cheapest anchor per/lb. that you'll find. I wouldn't discount that mold you have there though, it'd be nice for smaller lines (6-bird) or even big singles in some of the rougher conditions that were mentioned above. jm .02
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Dwane I'm glad you responded I just happen to have a couple of 10 lb weights from a weight machine gathering dust in the garage. I will have to give them a try.

I cleaned up one half of one the molds today in the shop. After machining off features so that it was a smooth block it weights 3 lbs. Drilled and tapped it for a eye bolt I have a nice 3 lb weight. Its free and I am sure I will find a use for it. If not for big long lines it will make a nice weight for a short line maybe. I'm a bit of a pack rat, never like to throw anything away.
 
I'd take that aluminium to the scrap yard and sell it..then stop at garage sales on the way home and pick up 10lb weights from the excersise equipment that never got used. I have sash weights and hunt mainly a 50 acre lake,,in the spots that are mucky they are passable but on sand or in the river they suck. The best ones I've seen are some Chuck Crump made out of 3" solid steel round bar stock. He welded eyes on chunks that were about 4 inches long and the shrp leading edge must really bite in as we had very few problems in windy conditions. If you have three decoys, they could probably float a 10lb weight if drug to deeper water..getting the drag to stop is the key in my mind and that takes more line off the leading deke. I think line diameter helps too..use the thinnest you feel comfy with and your clips will snap on.
 
I'd use them. Throw 2 on the upwind side on 1 downwind and I think you'll be fine 95% of the time and if you need more you can always double them up. I've gotten by with less weight and more dekes in similar conditions.
 
Lee we just happen to have some 4" round stock out in the shop. I will have to see what that weighs. May have to "acquire" some of it and see how it works. But I think that your right its how much drag you can produce. The places that I hunt have sand or muck bottoms. If I can dig into that stuff the lines arent going anywhere.
 
I was surprised how heavy they were..5-7lbs I think. The only way better may be to saw them at an angle on the attatchment side so they "scoop" into the dirt. Watch your line diameter too, a big line has a great amount of "pull" in a hundred or so feet.
 
Mike,
as Harker is alluding to, the shape does matter. I hunt with weights that are in the 3-5 pound range at the most. the shape is such that they hold in sandy bottoms VERY well (that is what I hunt in) and the only thing that has moved them so far is ice that Pete mentions. Works for me, maybe it will for you too...2 of them upwind is not a bad idea either
 
Thanks Jim,

You can drop them off when you come for your decoys :) Seems like every year I lose a couple due to overzelous partners or something. I can always use more, especially the bigger ones.

Pete
 
On long lines I have been using Quart milk containers filled with concrete Leave the plastic on. They stack nice in the boat. For a inexpensive boat anchor use a gal bottle. Just cut the tops off fill with concrete and put a eye hook in the concrete with a washer and nut.

For the price of one boat anchor you have enough for all your long line plus a boat anchor.
 
I make my own from filling coke cans w/ wheel tire weight lead. They end up being a little over 8 lbs, and work great here in the Chesapeake. 8 lbs is the minimum I would use.

-D
 
If your melting lead to make the weights just use the smelting pot as a mold. Once you have the desired amount of lead in the pot, remove from or turn off the heat and use a coat hanger to hold a copper loop in place until the lead sets up. I made a set for my crabbing trotline weigh about 20 lbs and they don't move even with 1000' of baited line on it. 15 lbs of plastic barbell weights would not grip the bottom and dragged like crazy in the current.
 
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