Tuning 12lb fish DR weights from Bikini Bottom...Any advice?

[1lastweekend]

Hi, I have a couple of 12lb weights from Bikini Bottom, in the color below...Have any of you had success in tuning or slightly bending the tail fins to change the weight's tracking direction?  It seems like mine both track towards the center of the boat...I will try swapping the sides they run on as a 1st step, but I was wondering if anyone has had success in tuning them?  TIA...

[Fat Trout]

Yes...ive done this with 12s 14s and 16s from BB.  I put the tail in a vice and just put a slight kick in the tail and marked them for side of the boat they need to be on.  I did this after having my first set do what u are saying and even had the 2 get together once on a 17ft boat

[1lastweekend]

43 minutes ago, Fat Trout said:

Yes...ive done this with 12s 14s and 16s from BB.  I put the tail in a vice and just put a slight kick in the tail and marked them for side of the boat they need to be on.  I did this after having my first set do what u are saying and even had the 2 get together once on a 17ft boat

Thanks, I also have a 17ft boat and Monday night it looked like they were pretty close!  Running 140-150 ft down to find the 48 deg water they were waaay back...So to move out more to the side you put a slight inward bend on the tail correct?  Im gonna try 3 degrees and see what I get...I had already marked them S and P...

[Fat Trout]

4 minutes ago, 1lastweekend said:

Thanks, I also have a 17ft boat and Monday night it looked like they were pretty close!  Running 140-150 ft down to find the 48 deg water they were waaay back...So to move out more to the side you put a slight inward bend on the tail correct?  Im gonna try 3 degrees and see what I get...I had already marked them S and P...

down 140 is gonna be tough with 12's but doesn't change the topic other than yeah if the wanted to come together it will only be worse the deeper they are. 

 

Rather than say inside / outside and to avoid confusion....here is some bad artwork.  Direction of travel in Red.  Blue is force of the water on the bent tail.  Green is the direction the front of the shark shaped weight will go.  

 

 

[1lastweekend]

So the force of the water on an outward bend of the fin pushed the nose of the weight slightly outward, changing the tracking...Makes sense!  I will give it a shot tonight.  Thanks!

[stinger]

Just a heads up.

Do Not attach the line release to the tail of the weight as that will pull the tail off to one side in the direction that the rod is loaded on. If that is what you have been doing then that may be the reason your weights are tracking toward the center of the boat.

[1lastweekend]

On 8/17/2024 at 6:43 AM, stinger said:

Just a heads up.

Do Not attach the line release to the tail of the weight as that will pull the tail off to one side in the direction that the rod is loaded on. If that is what you have been doing then that may be the reason your weights are tracking toward the center of the boat.

Thanks, that's a great point, I don't use the tail hole, as I run Chamberlains off the DR wire just above the weight.  But I can see how running off the tail can affect tracking.

[sherman brown]

you need to use a release that attaches above the weight. i used pancake weight for years, started with 13# but moved to 12# because the 13# kept kicking the breaker on one of my riggers. but I always bent the tail so they would run to the outside of my boat. make sure you put them on right the next time out.