Stainless rebar for inexpensive sinkers?

[Pitch Pocket]

I’ve been thinking about weights for bottom fish and halibut. A 3 lb lead weigh at GI Joes is $6.25 each. Snagging up becomes pretty expensive. There’s got to be an alternative. I know people have used spark plugs and such, but has anyone ever used rebar?

Rebar comes in black bar (iron), epoxy coated and stainless steel. 5/8” rebar weighs about 1 lb per foot. Retail black bar is about $0.25 per foot. Epoxy coated is about 3-4 times the price of black bar. If I drive to Eugene to get it, I can get 2-3’ lengths of 5/8” stainless steel rebar at $1.00 per pound.

If you take black bar, cut into 1’ lengths, drill a hole in the end and loop wire or heavy mono through it, you can dip it into the plastic coating paint and seal it from rust for a while. Clip on a pound at a time and drop it over the side. If you lose it or it finally rusts on you making a mess, so what? It’s about $0.25 per pound retail, add the coating and your labor it is still way less than lead.

With the stainless rebar, you have little to worry about rusting, and it’s pretty cheap (less than ½ the price of retail lead). If you hook 2 to 4 one foot lengths together for 2 to 4 pounds, I imagine it would make quite a racket bouncing on the bottom too. Just wire-tie them together for a solid weight if you don’t want as much noise,.

Do you guys think it would work?

[Mr. Fisherman]

I don't see why not, it's heavy and it sinks, ala sinker.
You might want to put a swivel on the weight to keep it from chaffing your line.
It would be interesting to see it it would spin and tangle your line or if it dropped quicker with less resistance allowing you to fish with less line.
Hmmm, if you made 1# sections with holes in both ends you could add weights and have a super slinky type of affair that just might excape snaggs better?... Hmm.... I think some testing might be in order. Maybe we could market them on Ebay if they work without tangeling...
I have seen lures that look like a pice of pipe that slayed the Ling Cod, maybe we should put a hook on one and try it out?


[ 02-14-2003, 09:23 AM: Message edited by: Mr. Fisherman ]

[Threemuch]

Rebar will work, but not as well. The weight is only half the battle, density is important too. Steel weights will drift up on you much more than lead, because they have much more surface area compared to a comparable lead weight. Steel weights are not good for fast drift or trolling.

I have a better solution, I found a guy out near clackamas (via this website) who sells lead for a nickle an ounce. That's $2.40 for a 48 ounce sinker. If think most of the posts with this guys contact info were deleted, so if you want contact info for this fine gentleman who sells weights out of his home, shoot me an email.

Steel for shallow water jigs (<200'), is a GREAT idea. Cut an angle at the top and bottom, drill a couple holes, a couple split rings a big treble and you have a lure. Density still hurts, but you overcome it by casting way up into the drift. I have made jigs out of stanless hex bar. They work great. You could cut small sections, drill a hole in the center and start tying your own tuna feathers.


KB

[ 02-14-2003, 11:29 AM: Message edited by: Threemuch ]

[FallRiverGuy]

In california some kokanee fisherman use rebar instead of lead downrigger weights for bottom bouncing. Some swear by bouncing a weight along the bottom to stimulate a strike, but are unwilling to litter the bottom with lead. The ones I saw has a wire loop welded to one end so the downrigger cable could be attached. If the rebar was lost on the bottom no big deal.

[Mr. Gum Puckey]

Cherry city metals in salem has lead for about .25 a pound. There phone number is 1 800 309-5865

[Pitch Pocket]

Yes please Threemuch. I'd like that number. I have no real love for the stainless and the surface area point makes sense.

If anyone wants the stainless rebar to try, lets get an order together and have someone pick it up. Just let me know.