Fishing Articles
Slinking Slinkies
An amazingly simple fishing
technique that can be mastered in one day
Timothy Kusherets
One of the great things about using a slinky is that
regardless of what the condition of the river it’s immune from
snags. In this photo the river ran high and turbid with zero visibility.
During rising water like this fish huddle close to the bed, which is
exactly where offering presentations should be. Using a slinky it’s
possible to fish just about any substrate terrain without getting routine
snags risking lose the leader.
To effectively get past fast currents fishermen have to use weights
that are heavy enough to get down, but also adaptable enough that they
don’t get caught on substructure like boulders, logs, and drop-offs
and the most reliable way to do that is to use a slinky system. Slinkies
slide over, around, and between snags that would grab any other weight
rig. This particular kind of fishing is referred to as “Slinking
the Drift”.
Slinking the drift is the best way to cover deep water that has many
snags in it. Since the outside of the slinky itself is comprised of
parachute cord it makes almost no sound when it hits the substrate.
Slinkies are tied to the leader and mainline with two snap swivels to
keep lines and weight from tangling. Regardless of the river depth,
slinkies never have to be heavier than two ounces.
This kind of drift-fishing lets the angler feel “everything”
in the water, so it’s important to know the difference between
a log, boulder, and strike to successfully detect bites. Because this
particular weighting system is so successful at keeping fish on the
bite it is entirely possible to get hookups on the first few casts,
especially for those anglers familiar with the reach.
To properly fish with slinkies cast upriver and let it sink to the bed.
Immediately after it starts the drift, reel in the slack line and put
either your forefinger, for spin casting setups, or thumb, for bait-casting
reels, to add to the sensitivity of detecting strikes. Make a mental
note of all the bumps and slow stops for the first few casts. Do not
set the hook on anything unless you’re sure that it’s a
fish or you’ll risk spooking fish with slinkies that are heavy.
As the mainline makes its way through the drift, watch it for any discernable
“slow downs” or “near stops”. Using a slinky
to get down into fast water requires heavy lead shot and anything that
can slow it down and nearly stop it is almost always a fish. As the
line slows down look at the tip of the rod and watch to see if it bends
just slightly, if it does set the hook hard. A facet of fishing deep
fast water is that large fish tend to initially pull slowly at first
and then make a run, which is why it’s important to first look
at the tip of the rod before setting the hook.
© Timothy Kusherets 2008/09 Copyrighted
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