Painted VS Un Painted Tugsten Bullet Weights

[TDawg]

Okay so I am going to move over to all tungsten bullet weights, and am wondering what everyone thinks about painted vs un painted. Please let me also know what colors you like if you are in favor of painted weights too. I guess if its needed lets say I am going to be fishing the delta/clear lake and the foothill lakes as well.

Good fishing,

TDawg

[Marty]

There was a post not to long ago about the same subject – that talked about using power coat. Before that post I used regular paint that I had to do over once in while because of chips. I also have used Finger Nail Polish which is good for about two trips fishing. As for the power coat it did not work for me – I could not get the tungsten hot enough to work plus it melted the rubber insert in my weights. Before I go on Tur-tungsten comes out that are already painted in different colors but IMO they cost to mush. I use the tungsten from BPS.

So I came up with a complete different way of doing it. Depending on what size weight that I’m going to use. I use “Heat Shrink Tubingâ€

[mark poulson]

Marty's right, Tru Tungsten painted weights are way overpriced, or, at least, too expensive for me. I go to extreme lengths to retrieve a stuck sinker now, where I never bothered with lead.
I use both painted, from Tru Tungsten, and unpainted, from Conquistador (I think).
I have more confidence in the colored weights, because they "match the hatch" more in terms of being the same color as the plastic I'm using.
For me, one of the main advantages of tungsten weights, aside from being smaller than lead, is that it is harder than lead, and gives off a distinctive click that I can feel when it goes over hard surfaces like rock.
Sometimes it even feels like a bite. I think I can feel the bottom better with tungsten, and I don't think the harder metal gets stuck in the rocks as easily as lead.
But I wonder if the painted weights aren't just a little softer, and less sensitive, because of the coating of paint. I know the paint they use is hard, but it's not as hard as bare tungsten.
So that might be a drawback, although, even though I think I can hear a difference when I rattle them in my hand, I don't know if it's enough to really make them less sensitive than unpainted.
I haven't tried Marty's shrink wrap yet, but I will.
For me, the confidence of matching colors, or, at least, no shiny silver weight, outweighs the chance that there's any loss of sensitivity.
So I make peace by using painted for texas rigging, where the weight is tight to the plastic a lot of the time, and unpainted for split shot, where I peg them with a rubber nail and the weight is definately separated from the plastic.
And I use sharpies to color the unpainted ones anyway. I don't want a shiny silver weight to distract the bass. The color lasts for half a day, and I change to a more colored one when I retie, and repaint the others before I fish with them again.

[Morgan]

Since I switched to tungsten weights, I lose far fewer weights. Don't know why. It may be that they bounce off the rocks better? I don't buy lead anymore unless it's the ones for the senko hook.
All of those I prefer either brown or green painted except when I'm carolina rigged non-painted is ok since the weight is farther from the bait.

Morgan

[acm95301]

I buy lead and tungsten, The tungsten I save for tournamnets or desperate fishing....the lead is for pre fishing or for questionable cover sitituations, when I know I'm tossing weights into crazy cover.

I like my weights to be black 90 percent of the time, but brown is ok..or tru tungsten makes a cool green pumpkin.

[egomaniac]

Here is a great place i found them on ebay but less expensive good colors and dont chip. www.alleystungsten.com

Option 1: Seven (7) 3/16oz, Seven (7) 1/4oz, & Seven (7) 3/8oz - Black, Blood Red, Brown, Green Pumpkin or Red Shad.

Option 2: Five (5) 1/4oz, Five (5) 3/8oz, Three (3) 1/2oz, Three (2) 3/4oz - Black, Blood Red, Brown, Green Pumpkin or Red Shad.

Option 3: Four (3) 1/2oz, Three (3) 3/4oz, Three (3) 1oz - Black, Blood Red, Brown, Green Pumpkin, Red Shad.

Option 4: Five (4) 3/4oz, Four (4) 1oz - Black, Blood Red, Brown, Green Pumpkin or Red Shad.

Option 5: Two (2) 3/4oz, Three (3) 1oz, Two (2) 1-1/2oz - Black, Blood Red, Brown or Green Pumpkin.

or you can just get whatever and tell the Julian sent ya.

ebay link:http://cgi.ebay.com/Mix-Match-Painted-T ... 230354105e

[mark poulson]

Julian,
Thanks for the link. $1.20 each for 3/16 is still expensive, but it's less that the $1.50+ Tru Tungsten charges.

[egomaniac]

its is, i found them worth it, but still hate loosin them lol.

[mark poulson]

Amen!
The only good thing about them being expensive is I check my line a lot more, and retie much more often.
Cheap S.O.B.!

[mrfishin86]

http://www.basstackledepot.com/e-z-tung ... ights.aspx

check these out

[mark poulson]

http://www.basstackledepot.com/e-z-tung ... ights.aspx

check these out

Thanks for the link.
Looks like $1.20 each is the lowest price for any painted tungsten 3/16 sinkers.