To help young sea anglers / Aider les jeunes pêcheurs / Ayudar los jovenes que se interesan al surfcasting 
To help young sea anglers / Aider les jeunes pêcheurs / Ayudar los jovenes que se interesan al surfcasting
Having a daylight visit to the beaches allow to better manage night fishing.
Small quiet Habor.
ll that can be launched was already used as sinkers. When I say that, I want to say ABSOLUTELY all. From the unimaginable spark plug to and including the traditional and precursory stone, bored one or not.
I don't think I will succeed to make an exhaustive list; so, here is a review of some main leads (sinkers) currently used by the French shores.
I should add one point: I will not detail the attachment devices or means, which deserve a particular chapter.
The stone
ertainly the first thing that was launched into the water. All the shapes were used. The utility of such a projectile nowadays? Fishing with "rotten bottom" in a trapping place, the rocks, and particularly the breaks. Tighten on a "breaking" (weaker monofilament: for example 30/100e for a reel line out of 35/100e); they make it possible to prospect where your neighbors do never cast. It is a system still in use by the "elders" who seek the big wrasses in the rocks. Dimensions: Weigh them, this is the best way. Between 100 - 150 G (that depends on the power of your rod) and you are ready. How's the fastening of such a projectile? With cotton yarn (that one to make shrimp scoops is best), about ten dry half hitches finishing by a doubled knot will avoid with your ballast slipping (see the picture aside) (once wet, cotton will tighten). A trick: Do not make your half hitches in the medium length of stone, it is more judicious and more logic to have it almost vertically suspended by its fastener, from an aerodynamic point of view, it will be better (or rather: less bad). In certain coastal zones one finds naturally bored rollers: their fastening is easier. One should not hope to beat records of distance with a stone!
Spike less Sinkers
he first one and most traditional is without any doubt that one we call "watch lead", name resulting from its size and its shape. Starting from 10 G to finish around 120 G, it satisfies most users. Even if you use only spike sinkers, it must belong to your ballast box, would it be only as possible spare. Without rolling possibility, this weight authorizes a slow side displacement of the line under the effect of a flow parallel to the shore, thus making possible to fish a wider area. Use when the fish are not " biters ", make the effort: change the sinker and try this one! It is not the base for distance casting but it casts out very well and does not have an "erratic" trajectory as one could suppose it at first glance.
Second step in the evolution towards a "clean" cast: the D.C.A lead. Which, considering its aerodynamics, will allow you to dispose your baits further. Contrary to " watch lead ", it does not only drag on the sand. Under a transverse stream, it slips gently towards the shore at the same time as it rolls. With the result that its movement of drift is faster than the one of a " watch lead ". I add that, considering rotation on its axis, it is advisable to check well the free rotation of the swivels of the rigs. It is a classic for " bomber " rigs associated with an impact shield. Another employment: training for the pendulum cast.
CAUTION: certain sales circuits propose these leads with chromium plated stems imitating stainless steel, useless to say to you that you shall reject these brands and choose some with stainless steel stems. Indeed, after a few fishing parties, rust settles and corrodes mainly the stem/lead joint at the collar level (retaining sea water when lead is parked) and thins this stem very quickly; transforming the lead into a killing missile (should it be pointed out?).
How to recognize stainless steel from chromium plated steel? R: Stainless is less brilliant.
Very often used in the Southwest of France, is the "star sinker" or "chestnut" is less used on our Northwest coasts. Obviously less aerodynamic for the long casts, it proved reliable on the S.W coasts and the famous lames on the beaches of the Landes see every day. It has its unconditional because it is a model of stability on the sand and the streams of the baïnes don't rag it easily. Other advantage: it sinks less in the sand than one traditional spike sinker. To me, I think that it is necessary to launch a heavier weight with this type of lead to keep a really tight line, but this opinion engages only me.
A "marriage" of " watch lead " and of the impact shield (always by Breakaway), gave this flat cast without spikes but with this kind of "bait clip". One can make the same thing with a " watch lead " plus an impact shield with however a more significant rig length.
Bored leads have their aficionados: the research of the so beautiful and so hard to please Royal sea beam led many surfers to copy the carpists' rigs (or would it be the reverse?). To fish with untightened line so that the fish does not feel the resistance of an anchored sinker resulted in letting slip the rig through a bored sinker [notice well that one can do the same thing using the attachment ring of an anchored lead]. As far as the difficult character of Sparus Aurata is not single, far from it, this method has been extended to Master Labrax. If the Mediterranean origin is not of any doubt, one sees more and more "helicopter" (sinker + dropper) assemblies on the Brittanian shores.
Caution however with the bore diameter: too large, it makes it possible certain sand particles to block the line into the sinker hole.
The variation on bored sinkers drives inevitably to shaping to gain in casting distance; such items as ROCCO ones are well known designed. With wings or without, the profit in distance is undeniable, and for those that are not interested by the profit in distance, they can find some benefit because one needs obviously less effort for the same distance. With grips or wings, the utility and the use of such projectiles are only limited by the Anglers' imagination.
In winter, at our latitudes, most surfcasters step back fishing from the piers, more "comfortable" and safer, rather than to beat the sole on the deserted beaches (especially at night). Fishing from the piers or in access channels (even in the outer harbors) does not impose to cast far. Except particular case like a strong stream or a rocky pier toe, it is not often necessary to have specific sinker and in this case, a lot of low cost models that can be thrown below the rod tip and can be used to liberate the line from the pier toe can be sufficient. And it is in this fishing case that one finds the majority of home made sinkers with more or less success.
And why don't we use the sinker as a feeder caster? You guessed it: what exists for a long time at fresh waters was adapted to shore fishing. The "imposed" shape of these " feeder-sinkers" turn them into perfect impact shields that protect the baits well during the flight and at the entry in water. I must recognize that the sardine oils or another fatty fish attract brachyurous as much as the finny race.
Let us leave a few seconds the sinkers offer at your usual retailers to focus on anglers who cast themselves their ballasts. You can find that the models at your retailer are too expensive. Who doesn't have mad after the consecutive loss of 2 complete rigs (with sinkers of course)? In addition to personal satisfaction, it is this reason that generally pushes us to build ourselves our own rigs. With due respect to certain moulds makers, I do not see with a same eye the fact of handling lead (often with uncovered hands) and the casting of this metal without precaution, as still too many young fishermen practice it, following in that the example of their grandpa. This practice is dangerous! Too many serious burns by handling an old mess tin loaded with 350°C lead, a tail of old pan which breaks (eh yes! because of the weight!), an unfortunate splash on the legs and one release all! To blacken your lungs, I must add highly toxic gases, inhaled when supervising the casting.
Do you want to weight your blood with lead for your whole life? So, let do the professionals, do not take risks for some bucks!
How to save sinkers? Quite simple! Fish on sandy bottom! Make a prospection at low tide, look into alignments, and take reference marks that do not cover with high tide... And cast in zones free from gripping risks. Do not tempt the devil, and if you want to really fish on rocky bottoms, choose "losable" nuts or other ballasts, rather than your last new bright burning spikes-sinker of the day before.
