Loon deep soft weight: does this stuff just suck?

[trouthunting]

I picked up some Loon deep soft weight before the Jam. I popped it open and pulled out some of the putty only to find that rather than rolling nicely onto my leader it simply stuck to my fingers. Then to the cork, then to my vest pockets, phone, flies, boxes, and everything else.

I tried it recently again, hoping the cooler weather would help, but it had the same effect in both upper 70s and upper 50s.

Does anyone have experience with thus stuff? Did I miss a memo on its usage?

 

[maximus]

start with half as much as you think you need...and WET your fingers first then roll it on to the leader like tou would indicator putty....i prefer split shot for nymphing but like soft weight for my streamers molded to the head of the fly..... gets them down fast

 

[govtmule]

roll it around in your palms first like your making meatballs, then push that meatball onto your line (but don't completely cut it in half), now with both thumbs and pointer fingers (wet) mold it delicately (perhaps streamline it) and slap that meatball in the oven quickly...i mean water and it should form nicely......

jeff

 

[salvelinusfontinalis]

I never liked it myself. I prefer the small green split shots.

 

[jaybo41]

My experience with this stuff is that I went through precisely what you've described and went right back to the Dinsmore shot.

Great concept, but this Loon product was one that I would not purchase again or recommend . I have read in another thread here that there is a specific type of soft weight that works much better. Can't recall the name or which thread but it was recent.

 

[govtmule]

just want to say one thing, after listening to podcasts and reading articles i feel i am missin/not seeing strikes due to added weight/shot on my line, if you havent seen ozzy's under water world of trout dvd, then i suggest to watch it...they inspect/eat everything and spit things out in fractions of a second.....the added weight to your line is just another thing the trout has to move before your indicator moves (if you use one) by this time forget it......personally im trying to use more weighted nymphs and relying less on the indicator but i love the biostrike...kind of a "tweener" indicator....i feel small pinches of the tungsten putty (whatever brand) streamlined on your line may give you a better edge at detecting a strike than shot. my 2cents

jeff

 

[afishinado]

Tungsten Tacky weight works great:

Tungsten Tacky Weight


Like govtmule, I weight most of my nymphs whenI tie them for deep down and dirty nymphing, but TTW works great to add a small amount of weight to sink small nymphs or emergers, replacing micro shot. Good luck.

 

[trouthunting]

Thanks for the tips, guys! Afish, I'm going to give that TTW a shot. The insides of all the pockets on my vest are tacky now, thanks to the deep soft weight.

There is an upside to that though; whenever I put a leader into my vest pocket it stays secure without any hassle, hah!

 

[ryguyfi]

govtmule wrote:
just want to say one thing, after listening to podcasts and reading articles i feel i am missin/not seeing strikes due to added weight/shot on my line, if you havent seen ozzy's under water world of trout dvd, then i suggest to watch it...they inspect/eat everything and spit things out in fractions of a second.....the added weight to your line is just another thing the trout has to move before your indicator moves (if you use one) by this time forget it......personally im trying to use more weighted nymphs and relying less on the indicator but i love the biostrike...kind of a "tweener" indicator....i feel small pinches of the tungsten putty (whatever brand) streamlined on your line may give you a better edge at detecting a strike than shot. my 2cents

jeff

I completely agree. I add weight now to almost all my nymphs. You can even take some pliers and flatten it to make a better profile to your nymphs, as most naturals are pretty flat, rather than round. I still add shot as needed, but a bead head and 10 wraps of lead really help in getting your flies down. I don't know if I'm becoming a better fisherman, but I seem to hook more fish now than before. Or atleast I've told myself that.

Ryan