Standard casting techniques are great for placing your line and hook at the surface of the water, but what if you want to catch fish that dwell below the surface? Well that’s what fishing weights were made for, but what do they do exactly?

There are two main types of weights; clamp/ press weights (which look like small semi-circles until pressed together with the line in between each side) and loop/ bomb weights which have a built in loop for your line to be thread through or tied too.

Weights are available in a range of sizes, with lighter weights of being used to assist with casting and heavier weights being ideal for getting a hook to the bottom of the water. There are also options to add floats to your line so that they counter the full force of the weight and can often hold them deeper in water, but without hitting the ground.

The type of weight that you’ll want to use will depend on two things; the distance that you’re intending to cast and the depth that you want your hook to travel to. For clamp weights it’s a good idea to carry a proper pair of fishing pliers to ensure that they hold your line tight.

Attaching a weight to the end of your line and then casting is guaranteed to increase casting distance, while adding a few small weights to your line will let your hook sink to a certain depth.