Easy-to-use trolling accessories – sinkers and divers

Sinkers and divers can be used to make lures that typically swim near the surface dive deeper. Fish tend to lie in deeper and cooler water particularly when the water is warmer, which means that you will need divers and sinkers to reach them. Divers and sinkers provide an easy and affordable option to force lures to dive deeper where the large fish hide. Both sinkers and divers are included in our extensive trolling selection, click here for our range.

Happy Angler online store’s range includes sinkers in two different categories:
• sinkers that are tied onto the line
• sinkers equipped with a quick-release

View our trolling sinker selection.

Sinkers that are attached to the line by tying work similarly to divers. A snap weight equipped with quick release is a more refined version that is much easier to use. You simply snap the quick-release weight onto the line in front of the lure and start fishing. The weight can be placed close to the lure at an approximate distance of 1–1.5 meters, or significantly further away at 10–20 meters or so. If you attach the weight further away, it will swim slightly deeper than the lure itself. This will keep the lure clear from any debris on making contact with the bottom and ensure that it remains effective at all times. As a general rule, 10 grams of weight equals 1 meter of depth. This means that a 50-gram weight moving at a typical trolling speed (3–4 km/h) and using typical trolling line length (30–40 meters) will swim at an approximate depth of 5 meters.

Tie a piece of line equal to the length of your rod behind the diver and attach your lure to the line. (Remember to use a leader if you are fishing for pike.) Attach the line from the rod to the front ring on the diver. Next, lower the rig carefully into the water. Due to its shape, the diver will plunge itself toward the depths. Once the fish attacks, the diver is triggered and the tow point shifts toward the front of the diver, thus reducing the resistance and making it easier to reel the fish in.

Sinkers and divers increase the towing resistance, which means that you will need a sufficiently stiff rod and thick enough line. You can find suitable kit in the KuhanVetäsen Beginner's trolling set.

Double lure

Double lure is an extremely effective setup for pike and zander trolling, for example. Double lure setup allows the lures to swim slightly deeper and increases their efficiency.  Double lures are also commonly used in trolling competitions throughout Finland.

A double lure setup is rigged by attaching a cross-line swivel approximately 1–1.5 meters in front of the main lure. Approx. 0.5 meters of line is attached to the third eyelet (lower eyelet) of the three-way swivel, and the second lure is attached to this piece of line.  We recommend using a surface-swimming lure, such as Bomber 15A, on the main line and a diver lure or a weighted lure, such as Storm Thundercrank or Veka weighted lure, as the front lure or so-called driving plug. Lower the entire rig carefully into the water and check the lines are untangled and that both lures are able to swim effectively. The swimming depth of the double lure rig is the same as that of the diver plug used as the driving plug.  

TEXT:

Tuomas ja Jussi Hutri

KuhanVetäsen Trolling Team
www.kuhanvetasen.com

KuhanVetäsen Trolling Team is a partner of the Happy Angler online store.