How heavy should my weights be?

[Josejlk]

How many ounces of weight should i use to cast on my 12 ft uglystik?

I'm using 20lb mono with a 36in 45lb steel leader.

[bigfish4me]

Every situation calls for more or less weight.....depth,current and size of the bait being used.....its kind of a tough question to answer.....I would not exceed the weight rating of the rod though.

[Scooper]

Depends on the conditions... with a 12ft pole, I'll assume you are surf casting. You want just enough weight to hold your bait on the bottom. This will vary depending on the tides, wind, and currents... The weight will also vary based upon shape of the weight as some are designed to lay on the bottom while others are intended to set themselves in the bottom and thereby hold a little better on a sandy bottom with less weight.

here is a good article to give you some ideas:

http://fishresource.com/basics/weights.asp#function

[Josejlk]

that site doesn't tell me anything about size, nor does it have any recommendations.

[Scooper]

Next time you go to the local tackle shop, ask them what kind of set up you should be using... conditions vary. Basically it comes down to use the lightest weight possible that will hold bottom. That varies depending on conditions... wind, tide, bottom, etc...

In the mean time take a look here for IDEAS of places to fish and rigs that you should try. Its generic, but contains additional information that you may find helpful... just not as helpful as someone with local knowledge. My advice is to make friends with some local fishermen and you'll learn more about fishing than you could ever imagine... the old guys have forgotten more about fishing than you'll ever learn.

http://www.takemefishing.org/fishing...d-surf-fishing

[Josejlk]

i wont be going back there. my girl broke up with me, so i was wondering, whats a general idea of what size to use?

[bigfish4me]

what are you using for bait?
How far are you casting?
General depth and current your fishing?...........without any of that general info no one can answer your question propperly.

[Josejlk]

what are you using for bait?
How far are you casting?
General depth and current your fishing?...........without any of that general info no one can answer your question propperly.

1.cutbait
2.As far as i can (hence the 12ft rod)
3.Anything the beach throws at me

[bigfish4me]

1.cutbait
2.As far as i can (hence the 12ft rod)
3.Anything the beach throws at me

3 oz and up......chuck it out there....if your not holding bottom increase the weight until you do, google sputnik sinkers....they hold well in sand and you can get away with less weight than a traditional pyramid sinker. When we fish the beach in NJ.....any where from 3-8 oz of lead is the norm depending on the tide and the bait, naturally it would take much less lead to hold a piece of cut mullet than it would to hold down a bunker head. Start with a basic top and bottom rig with 3-4 oz......keep bumping up the lead until you hold.

[Josejlk]

yea, last time i went to the beach, i got out where it was decent and not waves-over-my-head bad, i cast out and by the time i got back to shore i started to reel in the slack and realized that my bait was already washed up on shore. the current when i was walking back was so strong i almost was not able to move my legs.