Slow Sink vs. Moderate/Fast Sink: Picking the Right Sink Rate

Many of our glides come in two sink rates. The action is the same. What changes is how fast the bait falls and how deep it naturally runs. Picking the right one keeps your bait in the zone where the fish actually are.

Slow sink

A slow-sink glide falls gently and stays high in the water column on a normal retrieve. It lets you work a bait slowly without it diving out of the strike zone.

Pick slow sink when:

• You're fishing shallow water, flats, or over the top of grass.
• Fish are suspended high or cruising near the surface.
• You want to work the bait slowly and let it hang in front of a fish.
• It's warm and fish are up chasing bait.

Moderate/fast sink

A moderate/fast-sink glide gets down quicker and holds a deeper depth on the retrieve.

Pick moderate/fast sink when:

• Fish are deeper: points, ledges, bluff ends, channel swings.
• It's windy or there's current, and you need the bait to stay down and in control.
• The water is cold and fish are hugging the bottom or holding deeper.
• You want to reach the zone faster and spend more of the cast where fish live.

Count it down

Whichever sink rate you throw, count the bait down after the cast. Start reeling at different counts until you get bit, then repeat that count. It's the easiest way to stay in the strike zone all day.

Followers that won't eat?

If fish keep following but won't commit, try fishing the bait deeper. A fish that has to come down to the bait, or meets it at its own level, often eats instead of trailing it to the boat.

Can't decide?

If you only buy one, think about where you fish most. Shallow lakes and grass favor slow sink. Deep, clear, or windy water favors moderate/fast. Lots of anglers carry one of each so they're covered for whatever the day brings.