tungsten? fad?

[Catt]

Bass XL I'll post my 2007 record all caught with lead weights, now you post yours

My records for 2007 revealed the following

Total Bass Caught: 875

Total days on the water: 55

Average daily catch: 15.9

Bass under 14: 277

Bass over 14: 441

Bass over 5 lbs: 63

Bass over 6 lbs: 51

Bass over 7 lbs: 17

Bass over 8 lbs: 9

Bass over 9 lbs: 6

Double Digits: 11

Largest: 11 lbs 3 ozs & 12 lbs 8 ozs (don't count it was caught on a Rat-L-Trap)

[Bass XL]

Catt, it looks like you had a great year!! ...I unfortunetly do not keep track of how many fish I catch in a year...I should because it would probably be very helpfull for future reference...All I'm saying, is that in my personal expierance (and many of my fishing buddies) tungsten weights have out cought regulair lead weights....am I saying lead weights are absolutely terrible? No, but I will always use tungsten weights over lead...as for your results go, they are great....but if you would have used tungsten weights all year instead of lead....I can almost gaurentee that you would have cought more fish..

[Catt]

So that means if I don't catch say 25% more bass with Tru-Tungsten then I did this year I can sue you? That's  ; I normally want call something BS but this one is.

Sensitivity has nothing to do with the material of your weight; it has to do with you rod, line, and your hands. Granted tungsten will come through grass due less resistance but the majority of those bass were caught in grass and the reason was my bait disturbs the grass attracting the bass.

[Bass XL]

I think everyone knows that rod, line, and feel, have the major part of sensitivity but your weight can help...with the smaller line contact, you are feeling more of your soft plastic, and less of your weight

[Bassin_Fin@tic]

Can we get a referee out here PLEASE!!  

[.ghoti.]

I like Tru Tungsten's Ike's jigs a lot. Not for the tungsten, but for the shape of the hook, which keeps the bait firmly secured to the jighead. If I could buy a lead head with a similar hook, I'd never buy another Tru-T.

I did get a few tungsten weights to try, but only after Wally-world put some in the clearance bin. I like the Ultrasteel just as much, and they are a lot cheaper.

Sensitivity, probably the single most over-hyped term in fishing, is in your hands and in your wrists, but most importantly, in between your ears.

Cheers,

GK

[The_Natural]

I think you have to ask yourself the question "If they were free...which one would you fish?!"  I do believe in the point of diminishing returns.  I only spend $200-$250 on reels...I don't 'have' to fish with the best of everything.  However...with the Tungsten weights I have fished with...they are worth the money.  It's not a question of better...we know Tungsten excels in a few areas [(size...sensitivity...bottom contact noise...paint stays on (lead dents easily...loses paint)].   This is yet another debate only you can answer for yourself.  "They are better...but are they that much better?".  Only you can decide that.  My tungsten weights probably don't get me another couple of bites...but just another piece of the equation when I put them in harmony with my sensitive rods, fluorocarbon, and my hands.  

[roadwarrior]

Hmm...

You guys must fish in much different environments then me, I don't think I own a weight that has been fished twice. If my weight is on the bottom, where does sensitivity come into play? If it's not on the bottom, then what does it matter? I don't get it. I guess I'm a little particular with split shot, I want it smooth (without edges and NOT reuseable), but that's just about line protection and snagging. If we're just talking about T-rig or C-rig weights, I don't notice any advantages using tungsten.

[Tin]

Ok so...

Pro's=Size to weight ratio, paint stays on the head, better than lead in eco terms

Con's=Price...Anything else?

As for sensitivity, you have less line contact, but an ounce is an ounce is an ounce. It doesn't make it feel any lighter.

[The_Natural]

If my weight is on the bottom, where does sensitivity come into play?

Discerning/differentiating bottom medium.  It's what sold me on Loomis years ago...I felt the bottom like never before.  It obviously wasn't as drastic as switching to a GLX, but I'll take any advantage that I can get.  

[Jeff H]

haha...You tell'em Catt!!  I do own brass bullets, and I do like them, but I'll use lead as long as my local laws allow me to do so.  I can feel rock and wood a tiny bit better with brass but I can't feel fish any better with them.  Thats BS in my opinion.  :

[roadwarrior]

If my weight is on the bottom, where does sensitivity come into play?

Discerning/differentiating bottom medium. It's what sold me on Loomis years ago...I felt the bottom like never before. It obviously wasn't as drastic as switching to a GLX, but I'll take any advantage that I can get.

Really?

I can (generally) tell the difference between a rock (rounded or gnarly) and a clam, mud verses sand, limbs as opposed to brush, but when I move over a beer can I have a little trouble with the brand. I have been fishing tungsten this year and it doesn't seem to help.

[Tin]

If my weight is on the bottom, where does sensitivity come into play?

Discerning/differentiating bottom medium. It's what sold me on Loomis years ago...I felt the bottom like never before. It obviously wasn't as drastic as switching to a GLX, but I'll take any advantage that I can get.

Ok, I think I got what your say but why tungstein to feel the bottom? Couldn't you feel more with a weight that covers more area, like lead?

[The_Natural]

If my weight is on the bottom, where does sensitivity come into play?

Discerning/differentiating bottom medium.  It's what sold me on Loomis years ago...I felt the bottom like never before.  It obviously wasn't as drastic as switching to a GLX, but I'll take any advantage that I can get.  

Really?

I can (generally) tell the difference between a rock (rounded or gnarly) and a clam, mud verses sand, limbs as opposed to brush, but when I move over a beer can I have a little trouble with the brand. I have been fishing tungsten this year and it doesn't seem to help.

Well... I gues that just saves you money  8-)

[ww2farmer]

I started using tungsten this year, and 2 weeks after I started, it was all I owned, with the exception of split shot,  I am 100% commited to using tungsten for all my t-rig and c-rig needs next year. But I will go back to lead on occasion for drop shotting, I lose alot of drop shot weights, and would have to win the lotto to keep up with what I need. I still use lead jigs and jig heads, and will continue to do so for dragging tubes, as I also lose alot of those. But I am really thinking about buying some Tru- tungsten jigs. As for shakey heads, I used both the Tru-Tungsten Ikey heads, and the Spot removers, I am not a fan of the Ikey heads, so I will be using the lead Spot removers from now on.

[Branuss04]

This is just like reading a post with a subject like "Shimano vs. Abu?".  I believe it's just like everything else in fishing, personal preference.  If you have confidence in it, stick with it.  Everyone of you guys have your own pro's vs con's on everything from rod's and reels to line and hooks.  Yes, tungsten is a lower profile than the same size of brass or lead, but yes it 4 times as much $$.  To some guys it's worth the extra price, to others (like me) they would rather have quantity of weights.  I also believe that they have there time and place.  "Personally" i would never use them for dropshotting, I might as well just start throwing $5 bills in the water because i'm rig my dropshot rig so I don't lose the whole rig if I get snagged, just the weight.  But "personally" i like them when punching through thick mats (I feel that with the smaller profile, they punch through easier).  I've used them night fishing as well, but if you look through my box, 95% of my weights are lead.  But to every man his own, stick to what you like.

[Catt]

I agree it's what you have confidence in that counts but don't try telling me that if I use tungsten I will automaticly catch more fish cause I gonna say BS. I will also call BS if you say tungsten is more sensitive cause your weight aint what telegraphs sensitivity even if it's less amount of line touching the weight cause a ¼ oz is a ¼ oz if it's at the end of your line or 10' up it.

[The_Natural]

I agree it's what you have confidence in that counts but don't try telling me that if I use tungsten I will automaticly catch more fish cause I gonna say BS. I will also call BS if you say tungsten is more sensitive cause your weight aint what telegraphs sensitivity even if it's less amount of line touching the weight cause a ¼ oz is a ¼ oz if it's at the end of your line or 10' up it.

It's not the surface area of weight that dampens the sensitivity, yet the softness of lead.  Tungsten is much more dense, which transmits vibrations better.  This is true with any material, including fluorocarbon, and higher modulus/strain graphite...the more dense a material is; the better it is at transmitting vibrations.   If you like the soft touch of lead...it will just save you money.  More power to ya...

[Catt]

I don't want my weight vibrating; I want too feel the bass fart so I can set hook  

[The_Natural]

I don't want my weight vibrating; I want too feel the bass fart so I can set hook  

I worry more about the bass peeing on me when I lip them!  I'm not into the golden shower...

[islandbass]

I don't buy into this sensitivity BS either; sensitivity is in your rod, line, and hands. I've been told I would catch more bass by simply changing to tungsten; I say dude do you know how many bass I catch yearly? Show me your record, I'll show you mine & let's see which is better.

I don't think there is any thing wrong with using tungsten but it aint an advantage

If you take a 1/4 oz. Tru-Tungsten worm weight, and compare it to a 1/4 oz. lead weight, their is a huge difference....The tungsten weight is wwwaaayyy smaller than the lead weight...the tungsten weight has smaller line contact than a lead weight does so you are getting more "bait" sensitivity. And ecause it is so much smaller than the lead weight, the bass are LESS likely to shy away from it....For those reasons, believe it or not, you CAN catch more bass than an ordinary lead weight.

Let me say that this is tongue and cheek first, but how does your theory of a smaller object make a bass less likely to shy away from it if bigger bass prefer to chase bigger things? (i.e., bigger baits to catch bigger fish; I've also seen fish attack my weight at times instead of the lure  )  ;D

Okay, I won't quit my day job anytime soon for a comedy gig.

Tungsten is denser than lead so it would definitely be smaller in size than a Lead object of the same weight.  My refusal to use it is economical. I am not willing to spend the extra $$ for the traits it offers.

I also say use it if you want to and don't if you don't.

[FishTank]

I like tru tungsten. I think it works great and is better than lead.  Is it worth the money?  Not really, but there are a lot of things in fishing that are not worth it either.  Do I catch more fish?  Maybe, but I think the benifit is in the size and they hold up longer.  One other thing I noticed that was a big benifit was that the lead weights that I was using would fray flourocarbon line and some mono and hybrid lines.  With the tru tungsten weights, I would get no fraying at all. If I had to pick which one I thought was worth the money, I would go with the 3/8oz flipping weights.  They are 1/2 the size of the lead weights I use.  

[Tpayneful]

I use Tourney Special Rods, Extreme Reels and Pline Flourocarbon.  I get more vibration from Tungsten than lead which gives me a better idea of what my lure is touching.  I use tungsten weights for T-Rig and C-Rig.  I am convinced that it is the right choice for me.

[FishGeek]

I was wondering if it was worth the extra $$$. Seems like the consensus is "yes"... I will have to give it a try.  Maybe I can convince someone it will be a nice Christmas present  

FWIW... tungsten works great for pinewood derby cars, too.  Denser (and safer) than lead.  

[Tin]

Can someone please end this. lol