So, where did the name “stick lead” come from? When Duane Inglin first used one of mine to try a ridiculously snaggly section of the Bogachiel River on his new bobber dogging rig (catching a nice wild fish immediately) I told him there is no official name for this section of pencil lead that looked like a stick. “Ha. There you go!” The Stick Lead was official.
A final endorsement to the stick weight… I just spent several days with FHN host Duane Inglin and guide Mike Ainsworth on the wonderful Sauk and Skagit rivers for late season wild steelhead. We got some great fish up to 17 pounds, all on old school drift fishing (surprise) Okie Drifters with stick leads.
First, of course, is a bit of history concerning the stick weight—arguably it changed drift fishing when it showed up. Originally invented for strictly drift fishing, the last decade or so has seen side drifting and float (straight float, bobber dogging) fishing incorporate the nearly snag less length of 1/8th inch diameter pencil lead. But for those who are not familiar with the stick lead, here’s an abridged version, much shorter than the full article originally out in February 2013, STS.
In the Beginning… I found inspiration from several sources, the first an old 1967 Field and Stream, telling the story of a steelheader on the Kalama River, who, the previous season, went from January through March without losing a single rig to a rock snag, using a two-foot section of wire coat hanger. He claimed the long profile would simply flow over rocks. Noted. But nothing done, until…
A southern Oregon guide (I wish I could remember his name) at the sportsman’s show in 1989 gave me a half roll of 1/8th inch pencil lead, told me how many guides down there use the skinny lead, how it travels downstream uninterrupted, virtually snag less yet still transfers immediate bottom contact.
I took his advice, brought the lead (it was solid core, rigged on thin surgical tubing off a snap swivel) to the snaggiest, boulder festooned river I’ve ever fished, the northeast Peninsula’s Dungeness River (closed water since 1995). My favorite river for many, many years. That roll was unreal. That half roll lasted me two full summers of drift fishing the nastiest tackle eating river bottom.
Hand made Stick Leads in multiple lengths.
Remember, there was no internet back then. When my roll was gone, I could not find 1/8th pencil lead. So, I just went back to Slinkies and 3/16th pencil lead—then drift fishing went to the back burner when these Canadian folks brought down foam dink floats and big, shiny pink vinyl worms…
Fast forward two decades. I found some 1/8th inch hollow core in a dusty corner of the lead bin in Sportco in Fife. I found the crusty dusty, moldy oldie from the bottom of the rack in the stack in the back—solid gold to make you feel old and something clicked. Must make a way to use this. Home quickly to the Fishing Room, where I donned the mad scientist hat and went at it. Found some leftover .031 spinner wire, pre-formed loops. Stuck a 6” wire down the hole of a 6” chunk of hollow core and used needle nosed pliers to bend up a very short length of wire back up, squeezed flush to keep the lead from coming off.
They looked pretty good…made several more slightly longer and shorter. A dozen were put in the tackle backpack and off to the Sol Duc, a river known for terminal tackle inhaling psychotic rock and ledge. That trip brought back all the feels from the days on the Dungeness. I drift fished the entire three days and my only losses were several ill-timed casts into trees. Not one stick lead lost… I think the readers at our favorite fishing magazine need to know this. They found out, and the internet didn’t wait long for the new technique to quickly spread.
This little weighting system since genesis has saved hundreds of anglers’ countless rigs and most importantly, down time. Imagine how many more steelhead/salmon are caught with lines in the water and not spent re-tying?
What makes the stick lead work so well? The skinny, lighter weight rides a bit higher off the rocks due to its longer design. This alone saves the leader from abrasion. Its longer, weight-distributed nature does not “slam” bottom as does thicker, shorter pencil lead. We can assume its main snag less property is from minimum surface area bottom contact.
Losing less gear will put more beauties like this on in your net.
It has been entertaining to say the least when talking to other steelheaders, guides and regular folks alike at how the stick lead has been one of their finest additions to their river arsenals. Most tell of the stick weight having the slipperyness of a Slinky but with all the feel of lead. So many have told of making a cast too far upstream in boulder fields or having to fix a line snarl while terminal gear rides on slack line, certain death snag coming, only to reel up slack and find terminal gear had travelled down to below their position cleanly. Sometimes, after reeling up slack it pulls back, a fish waiting patiently for the angler, thanks to the “Teflon” of the stick weight.
Making The Stick Weight
Naturally, it never takes long for a tackle company or solo maker to put out something that works well. The fine folks at Beau Mac saw the opportunity and put out their own version of the stick lead, the “Lil Doggies,” all 1/8th diameter lead with a loop of wire on the end for attaching to swivels, etc. The main difference in the Beau Mac sticks is they are a bit heavier than the homemade ones, as they are all solid lead while the ones we make with hollow core lead and wire are a tad lighter for the same length. I really like the Beau Mac versions as they come in different lengths, and I don’t have to make any!
I touched on how they are made briefly, but here is the low down to making your own stick weights. For weights up to six inches, you can find commercially made spinner wire with a pre-formed loop from Brads or Oregon Tackle. Try to find the .035 wire, it is a hair heavier and works better than thinner wire as it keeps the lead straighter, it prevents skinny lead from bending as thinner .031 or .030 wire would.
Cut your length of 1/8th hollow core, slide in the wire, flush with the loop. Leave a ¼ inch of wire hanging out of the end, then with needle nose bend the end upwards and crimp over the end of the lead, making it all flat. The reason we use wire inside the hollow core instead of just pinch-ing it on a line tag—the lead would bend easily and not create a “ricochet” effect as thick wire… the lead hits rock, bends and increases surface area, making the lead far stickier.
Old school Okie drifters pre-rigged on a leader board.
Most interesting evolution in stick lead history is the use in bobber dogging. At its first few seasons, the stick lead was pretty much exclusive with bobber doggers. In the interim, the usage of round, rubber coated small leads found their way into the bobber dogger’s boxes. Yes, they work well, a more concentrated weight brings terminals down quicker, but at a compromise. Whereas a stick lead just tickles rock, barely slowing terminals and allows things such as beads and yarnies a very natural presentation. Lead balls bang and jerk as they move down, making terminals hop about, not nearly as natural as the “gliding” stick lead allows. The best bobber doggers I know still use stick leads exclusively.
I make stick leads, and carry the Beau Macs in sizes from 3”, for trout fishing ultralight lines to summer run delicate baits in low water all the way up to ones 12” long for fishing deep, long drifts, such as the upper Skagit River in north Washington to Cali’s clear, fast Smith. In between is where the most use lies—standard issue for most river situations are 5- or 6-inch sticks.
Yes, I, along with many other open division steelheaders have tried 3/16th and 1/4” hollow core on the .035 pre-formed wire. The result? Fine if you are fishing over mostly sand and pea gravel, but adding the wire it seems would be far less grabby than fishing sans a wire. It is just as snaggy and featuring sharper thumps against rock as if there were no wire attached. Go thin or go home, kids.
Rigging The Stick Lead
The pre-formed loop on the .035 wire makes rigging simple. I’ve watched so many steelheaders rig their lead weights of any style off a rolling drop swivel, size 4s and the slightly larger #5s. They feature a clip off the center of the swivel. These 3 ways allow the lead to rotate as it contacts rock, making a slippery, skinny lead ever slicker. Just clip the wire loop to the snap dropper. Yes, a larger regular snap swivel works fine, but the dropper is far better. Drift fishers, side drifters, bobber dogging and other float rigs all rig the same; one end of the swivel onto the mainline, the other to a leader and whatever on the business end.
Stick Lead rig tied up and ready to fish.
Always fish the stick lead non sliding. The weighting system itself is so light there is little to alert even the wariest clear water fish after even the lightest bite. Most important is the fact it takes a bit longer to sink—the lead must follow the terminals closely to ensure immediate sink to eliminate separation (of terminals) on shorter sections of holding water.
For a working balanced combo, Mr. Inglin prefers the 5/8ths ounce Beau Mac float in tandem with a 6” stick lead for bobber dogging. I will defer to him and others who are skilled at that technique, as I am a mere drifter of the bottom bouncing ancient way.
Are there any disadvantages from the stick lead? Yes. It is far less dense than 3/16th or ¼” pencil lead. Drift fishers and bobber tossers will have to get used to casting a bit further upstream than normal, allowing the longer lead additional time to sink. My biggest advantage is I still love to drift fish the greatest lure of all time, the O.G. Maxwell Manufacturing/Grizzle Tackle #3 and #4 “Sunrise” translucent Okie Drifter. I have a precious twenty-two of them left. Each one I lose tears my heart out. The stick lead has saved me from losing precious Okies hand over fist to a rare occasion.
So, where did the name “stick lead” come from? When Duane Inglin first used one of mine to try a ridiculously snaggly section of the Bogachiel River on his new bobber dogging rig (catching a nice wild fish immediately) I told him there is no official name for this section of pencil lead that looked like a stick. “Ha. There you go!” The Stick Lead was official.
Always fish the stick lead non sliding. The weighting system itself is so light there is little to alert even the wariest clear water fish after even the lightest bite. Most important is the fact it takes a bit longer to sink—the lead must follow the terminals closely to ensure immediate sink to eliminate separation (of terminals) on shorter sections of holding water.
Which lengths are most popular, better, or most often used for each technique? Well, after many seasons and so many anglers, somewhere in the middle. And, as far as you old schoolers or those who just like to add drift fishing to your set of clubs and worry about loss of feel, bottom contact. I heard the argument for thicker pencil lead due to the new stick leads do not transfer the “thump”, but let me remind us that between the highest modulus vibration transferring rods we use today, paired with braid we are now all fishing in “high def”, and the slightest tick from stick leads may transfer to hands almost shockingly well.
And no, I’ve never officially weighed each length. I just eyeball them; put on which length I feel fits the situation best and choose by the old seat of the pants method. I imagine some stick lead users after this much time have weighed them and mark them accordingly, but bets are most are like me and kinda know by using them so much. I do know, however, a full 6” stick weight is approximately half an ounce.
A final endorsement to the stick weight…I just spent several days with FHN host Duane Inglin and guide Mike Ainsworth on the wonderful Sauk and Skagit rivers for late season wild steelhead. We got some great fish up to 17 pounds, all on old school drift fishing (surprise) Okie Drifters with stick leads. I don’t know how many casts/drifts we made but imagine three anglers casting uninterrupted for three days. Final gear tally? All three of us used the same piece of stick lead the entire trip. Our dull black drop swivels had turned shiny brass, the coating completely worn off, each stick lead featuring ten thousand tiny marks and bright.
Remarkable stats from bobber doggers and old school drift fishers, although after fourteen years not a bit surprising to the many who have discovered the tackle saving and smooth presentation excellence of the so simple yet so versatile stick weight.
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1 comment
Been making drift sinkers out of coat hanger wire and assorted sinkers since I was a kid (60’s) I think I have saved enough coat hangers for my life! Y’all will have to find something else… has saved me a lot of flounder rigs!