Sam Swett has a hard time figuring out why every bass fisherman doesn’t use Excalibur Tg Fishing Weights. “I don’t think a lot of fishermen fully grasp the advantages that Tg Weights offer,” said Swett, a professional tournament angler from Covington, LA. Tops on Swett’s list of reasons to fish Tg weights is the fact that they are 25 percent smaller than conventional lead weights. “That makes a huge difference when you are flippin’ matted grass, thick tree tops or other dense cover,” he said. “A Tungsten weight will penetrate in places another fishing weight of the same size would not.”
Swett pointed out that in a spot where another angler might have to use a 1/2-ounce worm weight to get through the cover, he would have the option of using a 3/8-ounce Tg worm weight, if he wanted a little more subtle action once the offering did punch through the cover.
Swett considers the smaller size a big advantage with Tg Drop Shot weights as well. “With drop-shotting, everything is really small. You’re using 6-pound-test fishing line and No. 2 fishing hooks. It’s all about finesse, and that smaller weight size can provide a big advantage.”
Beyond being smaller than lead weights, Tg Weights offer far more sensitivity, Swett has found. “Say I’m fishing Sam Rayburn,” he said. “It has mostly a clay bottom, but there are areas of to gravel. With a Tg Weight on my line, I can feel where the bottom composition changes, which often is a key area.”
Being in close touch with the bottom is absolutely critical for working soft-plastic lures on Texas- or Carolina rigs. The more an angler can visualize about what the bait is going through, the more effectively he can work his offering and the better prepared he is for every strike. In addition, added sensitivity makes it far easier to distinguish subtle strikes from bumps against rocks or other obstructions.
Extra sound is another advantage Tg fishing Weights offer in many situations, Swett said. Because it’s so hard, Tungsten makes a lot noise when it’s bounced along a hard bottom or banged against another surface. If Swett feels like he needs to call in the bass, he’ll commonly add a brass ring between his weight and his bait.
When Swett really wants to maximize sound, he’ll string Tg Weights together so they will bang together when he jiggles the rod tip. For a Texas rig, he’ll use two bullet weights, with one rigged backward. For Carolina rigging, he might use four 1/4 ounce Tungsten barrel weights instead of a single 1-ounce weight. That adds a lot of noise while at the same time creating a narrow, flexible weight that will pull through cover well.
Swett said that Tg weights set themselves apart from other Tungsten weights because of the high-quality insert, which keeps the Tungsten material from ever fraying the line and which has a large enough opening to allow an angler to effectively peg a weight. “The weights are very well put together,” he said. “I’ve never seen an insert come out.”
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