Learn All About Picking The Right Sinker Weight From This Angler

One of the most head-scratching questions around fishing, especially for newer anglers, is how to pick the proper sinker weight? There are many different factors that you need to consider when picking a weight. Picking a proper weight is usually done by trail-by-error. If you went too heavy or too light, then you need to make adjustments on the fly. There is an art to picking the proper weight, but even experienced anglers get this wrong, so don’t beat yourself up too much if you have issues with this. But is there a rule of thumb that experienced anglers use to help determine what sinker weight to pick?

When picking a fishing weight, the general rule of thumb is to pick the lightest sinker weight possible, allowing you to hit bottom. You don’t want the water’s current to lift the weight off the bottom and push it up. Using a lighter sinker will allow you to feel bites and have better control of the action of your lure or jig.

Because so many variables come into play when picking a sinker weight, it can be difficult to provide a concrete recommendation.

That is until now!

I took my love for physics and fishing and combined them. I developed a series of tables that will allow you to select a fishing weight based on your fishing depth and the speed of the water’s current that will keep the fishing weight at the bottom.

How Are These Tables Developed?

These tables were developed to guide you in picking the lightest weight possible based on the water current’s speed to prevent your sinker from being pushed off the bottom or keep your fishing line going down as vertical as possible.

To do this, I had to account for several different forces acting on your fishing line and sinker when underwater for different depths. These forces were:

• The weight of the fishing line and sinker
• The bouyance force of the fishing line and sinker
• The drag force created by the speed of the current pushing against the fishing line and sinker

After considering all these different forces, I calculated the maximum current speed of the water before the current lifts the fishing weight off the bottom. I based the maximum current speed calculation on standard sinker weights and certain depths.

Below is the typical structure of these tables:

How To Use These Tables?

Here is a step by step way on how to use these tables:

1. Determine what is your rough fishing depth
   
2. Determine what is your rough current speed.
   • There are many different ways to estimate the current speed. Here is what I would do for a quick estimate.
     
     • If you’re fishing on shore, throw a small twig in the water or anything that floats and estimate the distance (in feet) it travels for a certain period of time (in seconds). Take your estimated distance and divide it by the time you counted for to find the feet per second for the current speed.
       
     • If you’re fishing on a boat, locate a fix point nearby and estimate the distance (in feet) you traveled from that point for a certain period of time (in seconds). Take your estimated distance and divide it by the time you counted for to find the feet per second for the current speed.
       
       Alternatively, you can log the distance travelled by using an online map. I just use google and pin my current location. I would then recheck my new location in about 10 minutes and measure the distance. You need more time to go by using this because Google Maps will not be able to sense very small movements on a map. Then I will multiply 10 minutes by 60 seconds to get the total time in seconds. Then take the distace off google maps and divde it by the total seconds to get the current’s speed in feet per a second.
       
3. Go down the column that has your rough depth and you are looking for the first cell that lists a higher speed than what you estimated.
   
4. From this cell (the listed current speed) look to the left under the sinker weight column and it will tell you the minium sinker weight needed for that speed before the current lifts weight off the bottom.

Example On How To Use These Tables:

Before we dive into the different tables that I’ve developed to help you select the lightest weight possible, let us go over an example of how to use these tables.

Scenario: You’re fishing on a lake, and you have an 8lb braided line spooled, and you estimated that you’re fishing in 50 ft of water. You’ve noticed a decent current in the water, which you estimated to be roughly 1.25 ft/s, by measuring it by one of the above methods.

You find the appropriate table for your fishing line test and the type and looked down the 50 ft fishing depth column. You keep going down the rows until you find the first listed speed that’s over your estimated current speed. In this case, it’s 1.34 ft/s, as shown below.

From 1.34 ft/s, you look to the far left column under sinker weight, and you will get 1 oz. This is the lightest weight you can use up to a current speed of 1.34 ft/s which will not be lifted off the bottom.

Sinker Weight Selection Tables For Mono/Flouro/Braid 8 lb Test Fishing Lines

Monofilament Fishing Line:

Sinker Weight	Fishing Depth 10 ft	Fishing Depth 20 ft	Fishing Depth 50 ft	Fishing Depth 100 ft
1/64 oz	0.26 ft/s	0.18 ft/s	0.12 ft/s	0.06 ft/s
1/32 oz	0.36 ft/s	0.25 ft/s	0.17 ft/s	0.08 ft/s
1/16 oz	0.51 ft/s	0.36 ft/s	0.23 ft/s	0.11 ft/s
1/8 oz	0.72 ft/s	0.51 ft/s	0.33 ft/s	0.15 ft/s
3/16 oz	0.89 ft/s	0.63 ft/s	0.40 ft/s	0.18 ft/s
1/4 oz	1.02 ft/s	0.72 ft/s	0.46 ft/s	0.21 ft/s
3/8 oz	1.25 ft/s	0.89 ft/s	0.56 ft/s	0.25 ft/s
1/2 oz	1.45 ft/s	1.02 ft/s	0.65 ft/s	0.29 ft/s
3/4 oz	1.77 ft/s	1.25 ft/s	0.79 ft/s	0.36 ft/s
1 oz	2.04 ft/s	1.45 ft/s	0.91 ft/s	0.41 ft/s
2 oz	2.89 ft/s	2.04 ft/s	1.29 ft/s	0.58 ft/s
3 oz	3.54 ft/s	2.50 ft/s	1.58 ft/s	0.71 ft/s
4 oz	4.09 ft/s	2.89 ft/s	1.83 ft/s	0.82 ft/s
5 oz	4.57 ft/s	3.23 ft/s	2.04 ft/s	0.91 ft/s
6 oz	5.01 ft/s	3.54 ft/s	2.24 ft/s	1.00 ft/s

Fluorocarbon Fishing Line:

Sinker Weight	Fishing Depth 10 ft	Fishing Depth 20 ft	Fishing Depth 50 ft	Fishing Depth 100 ft
1/64 oz	0.27 ft/s	0.20 ft/s	0.13 ft/s	0.10 ft/s
1/32 oz	0.38 ft/s	0.27 ft/s	0.18 ft/s	0.13 ft/s
1/16 oz	0.54 ft/s	0.38 ft/s	0.25 ft/s	0.18 ft/s
1/8 oz	0.76 ft/s	0.54 ft/s	0.34 ft/s	0.25 ft/s
3/16 oz	0.94 ft/s	0.66 ft/s	0.42 ft/s	0.30 ft/s
1/4 oz	1.08 ft/s	0.76 ft/s	0.48 ft/s	0.34 ft/s
3/8 oz	1.32 ft/s	0.94 ft/s	0.59 ft/s	0.42 ft/s
1/2 oz	1.53 ft/s	1.08 ft/s	0.68 ft/s	0.48 ft/s
3/4 oz	1.87 ft/s	1.32 ft/s	0.84 ft/s	0.59 ft/s
1 oz	2.16 ft/s	1.53 ft/s	0.97 ft/s	0.68 ft/s
2 oz	3.05 ft/s	2.16 ft/s	1.37 ft/s	0.97 ft/s
3 oz	3.74 ft/s	2.64 ft/s	1.67 ft/s	1.18 ft/s
4 oz	4.32 ft/s	3.05 ft/s	1.93 ft/s	1.37 ft/s
5 oz	4.83 ft/s	3.41 ft/s	2.16 ft/s	1.53 ft/s
6 oz	5.29 ft/s	3.74 ft/s	2.36 ft/s	1.67 ft/s

Braided Fishing Line:

Sinker Weight	Fishing Depth 10 ft	Fishing Depth 20 ft	Fishing Depth 50 ft	Fishing Depth 100 ft
1/64 oz	0.37 ft/s	0.27 ft/s	0.17 ft/s	0.12 ft/s
1/32 oz	0.53 ft/s	0.37 ft/s	0.24 ft/s	0.17 ft/s
1/16 oz	0.75 ft/s	0.53 ft/s	0.34 ft/s	0.24 ft/s
1/8 oz	1.06 ft/s	0.75 ft/s	0.47 ft/s	0.34 ft/s
3/16 oz	1.30 ft/s	0.92 ft/s	0.58 ft/s	0.41 ft/s
1/4 oz	1.50 ft/s	1.06 ft/s	0.67 ft/s	0.47 ft/s
3/8 oz	1.83 ft/s	1.30 ft/s	0.82 ft/s	0.58 ft/s
1/2 oz	2.12 ft/s	1.50 ft/s	0.95 ft/s	0.67 ft/s
3/4 oz	2.59 ft/s	1.83 ft/s	1.16 ft/s	0.82 ft/s
1 oz	2.99 ft/s	2.12 ft/s	1.34 ft/s	0.95 ft/s
2 oz	4.23 ft/s	2.99 ft/s	1.89 ft/s	1.34 ft/s
3 oz	5.19 ft/s	3.67 ft/s	2.32 ft/s	1.64 ft/s
4 oz	5.99 ft/s	4.23 ft/s	2.68 ft/s	1.89 ft/s
5 oz	6.69 ft/s	4.73 ft/s	2.99 ft/s	2.12 ft/s
6 oz	7.33 ft/s	5.19 ft/s	3.28 ft/s	2.32 ft/s

Sinker Weight Selection Tables For Mono/Flouro/Braid 10 lb Test Fishing Lines

Monofilament Fishing Line:

Sinker Weight	Fishing Depth 10 ft	Fishing Depth 20 ft	Fishing Depth 50 ft	Fishing Depth 100 ft
1/64 oz	0.25 ft/s	0.18 ft/s	0.12 ft/s	0.09 ft/s
1/32 oz	0.35 ft/s	0.25 ft/s	0.16 ft/s	0.12 ft/s
1/16 oz	0.49 ft/s	0.35 ft/s	0.22 ft/s	0.16 ft/s
1/8 oz	0.69 ft/s	0.49 ft/s	0.31 ft/s	0.22 ft/s
3/16 oz	0.85 ft/s	0.60 ft/s	0.38 ft/s	0.27 ft/s
1/4 oz	0.98 ft/s	0.69 ft/s	0.44 ft/s	0.31 ft/s
3/8 oz	1.20 ft/s	0.85 ft/s	0.54 ft/s	0.38 ft/s
1/2 oz	1.38 ft/s	0.98 ft/s	0.62 ft/s	0.44 ft/s
3/4 oz	1.69 ft/s	1.20 ft/s	0.76 ft/s	0.54 ft/s
1 oz	1.95 ft/s	1.38 ft/s	0.87 ft/s	0.62 ft/s
2 oz	2.76 ft/s	1.95 ft/s	1.24 ft/s	0.87 ft/s
3 oz	3.39 ft/s	2.39 ft/s	1.51 ft/s	1.07 ft/s
4 oz	3.91 ft/s	2.76 ft/s	1.75 ft/s	1.24 ft/s
5 oz	4.37 ft/s	3.09 ft/s	1.95 ft/s	1.38 ft/s
6 oz	4.79 ft/s	3.39 ft/s	2.14 ft/s	1.51 ft/s

Fluorocarbon Fishing Line:

Sinker Weight	Fishing Depth 10 ft	Fishing Depth 20 ft	Fishing Depth 50 ft	Fishing Depth 100 ft
1/64 oz	0.26 ft/s	0.19 ft/s	0.12 ft/s	0.09 ft/s
1/32 oz	0.36 ft/s	0.26 ft/s	0.17 ft/s	0.12 ft/s
1/16 oz	0.51 ft/s	0.36 ft/s	0.23 ft/s	0.17 ft/s
1/8 oz	0.72 ft/s	0.51 ft/s	0.33 ft/s	0.23 ft/s
3/16 oz	0.88 ft/s	0.63 ft/s	0.40 ft/s	0.28 ft/s
1/4 oz	1.02 ft/s	0.72 ft/s	0.46 ft/s	0.33 ft/s
3/8 oz	1.25 ft/s	0.88 ft/s	0.56 ft/s	0.40 ft/s
1/2 oz	1.44 ft/s	1.02 ft/s	0.65 ft/s	0.46 ft/s
3/4 oz	1.77 ft/s	1.25 ft/s	0.79 ft/s	0.56 ft/s
1 oz	2.04 ft/s	1.44 ft/s	0.91 ft/s	0.65 ft/s
2 oz	2.89 ft/s	2.04 ft/s	1.29 ft/s	0.91 ft/s
3 oz	3.53 ft/s	2.50 ft/s	1.58 ft/s	1.12 ft/s
4 oz	4.08 ft/s	2.89 ft/s	1.82 ft/s	1.29 ft/s
5 oz	4.56 ft/s	3.23 ft/s	2.04 ft/s	1.44 ft/s
6 oz	5.00 ft/s	3.53 ft/s	2.23 ft/s	1.58 ft/s

Braided Fishing Line:

Sinker Weight	Fishing Depth 10 ft	Fishing Depth 20 ft	Fishing Depth 50 ft	Fishing Depth 100 ft
1/64 oz	0.35 ft/s	0.25 ft/s	0.16 ft/s	0.11 ft/s
1/32 oz	0.49 ft/s	0.35 ft/s	0.22 ft/s	0.16 ft/s
1/16 oz	0.70 ft/s	0.49 ft/s	0.31 ft/s	0.22 ft/s
1/8 oz	0.99 ft/s	0.70 ft/s	0.44 ft/s	0.31 ft/s
3/16 oz	1.21 ft/s	0.85 ft/s	0.54 ft/s	0.38 ft/s
1/4 oz	1.39 ft/s	0.99 ft/s	0.62 ft/s	0.44 ft/s
3/8 oz	1.71 ft/s	1.21 ft/s	0.76 ft/s	0.54 ft/s
1/2 oz	1.97 ft/s	1.39 ft/s	0.88 ft/s	0.62 ft/s
3/4 oz	2.41 ft/s	1.71 ft/s	1.08 ft/s	0.76 ft/s
1 oz	2.79 ft/s	1.97 ft/s	1.25 ft/s	0.88 ft/s
2 oz	3.94 ft/s	2.79 ft/s	1.76 ft/s	1.25 ft/s
3 oz	4.83 ft/s	3.41 ft/s	2.16 ft/s	1.53 ft/s
4 oz	5.57 ft/s	3.94 ft/s	2.49 ft/s	1.76 ft/s
5 oz	6.23 ft/s	4.41 ft/s	2.79 ft/s	1.97 ft/s
6 oz	6.83 ft/s	4.83 ft/s	3.05 ft/s	2.16 ft/s

Sinker Weight Selection Tables For Mono/Flouro/Braid 20 lb Test Fishing Lines

Monofilament Fishing Line:

Sinker Weight	Fishing Depth 10 ft	Fishing Depth 20 ft	Fishing Depth 50 ft	Fishing Depth 100 ft	Fishing Depth 250 ft
1/64 oz	0.21 ft/s	0.15 ft/s	0.10 ft/s	0.08 ft/s	0.06 ft/s
1/32 oz	0.29 ft/s	0.21 ft/s	0.14 ft/s	0.10 ft/s	0.08 ft/s
1/16 oz	0.40 ft/s	0.29 ft/s	0.19 ft/s	0.14 ft/s	0.09 ft/s
1/8 oz	0.57 ft/s	0.40 ft/s	0.26 ft/s	0.19 ft/s	0.12 ft/s
3/16 oz	0.69 ft/s	0.49 ft/s	0.31 ft/s	0.22 ft/s	0.15 ft/s
1/4 oz	0.80 ft/s	0.57 ft/s	0.36 ft/s	0.26 ft/s	0.17 ft/s
3/8 oz	0.98 ft/s	0.69 ft/s	0.44 ft/s	0.31 ft/s	0.20 ft/s
1/2 oz	1.13 ft/s	0.80 ft/s	0.51 ft/s	0.36 ft/s	0.23 ft/s
3/4 oz	1.38 ft/s	0.98 ft/s	0.62 ft/s	0.44 ft/s	0.28 ft/s
1 oz	1.60 ft/s	1.13 ft/s	0.72 ft/s	0.51 ft/s	0.32 ft/s
2 oz	2.26 ft/s	1.60 ft/s	1.01 ft/s	0.72 ft/s	0.45 ft/s
3 oz	2.77 ft/s	1.96 ft/s	1.24 ft/s	0.88 ft/s	0.55 ft/s
4 oz	3.19 ft/s	2.26 ft/s	1.43 ft/s	1.01 ft/s	0.64 ft/s
5 oz	3.57 ft/s	2.52 ft/s	1.60 ft/s	1.13 ft/s	0.72 ft/s
6 oz	3.91 ft/s	2.77 ft/s	1.75 ft/s	1.24 ft/s	0.78 ft/s
8 oz	4.52 ft/s	3.19 ft/s	2.02 ft/s	1.43 ft/s	0.90 ft/s
10 oz	5.05 ft/s	3.57 ft/s	2.26 ft/s	1.60 ft/s	1.01 ft/s
12 oz	5.53 ft/s	3.91 ft/s	2.47 ft/s	1.75 ft/s	1.11 ft/s
16 oz	6.39 ft/s	4.52 ft/s	2.86 ft/s	2.02 ft/s	1.28 ft/s

Fluorocarbon Fishing Line:

Sinker Weight	Fishing Depth 10 ft	Fishing Depth 20 ft	Fishing Depth 50 ft	Fishing Depth 100 ft	Fishing Depth 250 ft
1/64 oz	0.22 ft/s	0.16 ft/s	0.11 ft/s	0.09 ft/s	0.07 ft/s
1/32 oz	0.30 ft/s	0.22 ft/s	0.15 ft/s	0.11 ft/s	0.08 ft/s
1/16 oz	0.43 ft/s	0.30 ft/s	0.20 ft/s	0.15 ft/s	0.10 ft/s
1/8 oz	0.60 ft/s	0.43 ft/s	0.27 ft/s	0.20 ft/s	0.13 ft/s
3/16 oz	0.73 ft/s	0.52 ft/s	0.33 ft/s	0.24 ft/s	0.16 ft/s
1/4 oz	0.84 ft/s	0.60 ft/s	0.38 ft/s	0.27 ft/s	0.18 ft/s
3/8 oz	1.03 ft/s	0.73 ft/s	0.47 ft/s	0.33 ft/s	0.21 ft/s
1/2 oz	1.19 ft/s	0.84 ft/s	0.54 ft/s	0.38 ft/s	0.25 ft/s
3/4 oz	1.46 ft/s	1.03 ft/s	0.66 ft/s	0.47 ft/s	0.30 ft/s
1 oz	1.69 ft/s	1.19 ft/s	0.76 ft/s	0.54 ft/s	0.34 ft/s
2 oz	2.38 ft/s	1.69 ft/s	1.07 ft/s	0.76 ft/s	0.48 ft/s
3 oz	2.92 ft/s	2.07 ft/s	1.31 ft/s	0.92 ft/s	0.59 ft/s
4 oz	3.37 ft/s	2.38 ft/s	1.51 ft/s	1.07 ft/s	0.68 ft/s
5 oz	3.77 ft/s	2.67 ft/s	1.69 ft/s	1.19 ft/s	0.76 ft/s
6 oz	4.13 ft/s	2.92 ft/s	1.85 ft/s	1.31 ft/s	0.83 ft/s
8 oz	4.77 ft/s	3.37 ft/s	2.13 ft/s	1.51 ft/s	0.95 ft/s
10 oz	5.33 ft/s	3.77 ft/s	2.38 ft/s	1.69 ft/s	1.07 ft/s
12 oz	5.84 ft/s	4.13 ft/s	2.61 ft/s	1.85 ft/s	1.17 ft/s
16 oz	6.74 ft/s	4.77 ft/s	3.02 ft/s	2.13 ft/s	1.35 ft/s

Braided Fishing Line:

Sinker Weight	Fishing Depth 10 ft	Fishing Depth 20 ft	Fishing Depth 50 ft	Fishing Depth 100 ft	Fishing Depth 250 ft
1/64 oz	0.28 ft/s	0.20 ft/s	0.13 ft/s	0.09 ft/s	0.06 ft/s
1/32 oz	0.40 ft/s	0.28 ft/s	0.18 ft/s	0.13 ft/s	0.09 ft/s
1/16 oz	0.56 ft/s	0.40 ft/s	0.25 ft/s	0.18 ft/s	0.12 ft/s
1/8 oz	0.80 ft/s	0.56 ft/s	0.36 ft/s	0.25 ft/s	0.16 ft/s
3/16 oz	0.98 ft/s	0.69 ft/s	0.44 ft/s	0.31 ft/s	0.20 ft/s
1/4 oz	1.13 ft/s	0.80 ft/s	0.50 ft/s	0.36 ft/s	0.23 ft/s
3/8 oz	1.38 ft/s	0.97 ft/s	0.62 ft/s	0.44 ft/s	0.28 ft/s
1/2 oz	1.59 ft/s	1.13 ft/s	0.71 ft/s	0.50 ft/s	0.32 ft/s
3/4 oz	1.95 ft/s	1.38 ft/s	0.87 ft/s	0.62 ft/s	0.39 ft/s
1 oz	2.25 ft/s	1.59 ft/s	1.01 ft/s	0.71 ft/s	0.45 ft/s
2 oz	3.18 ft/s	2.25 ft/s	1.42 ft/s	1.01 ft/s	0.64 ft/s
3 oz	3.90 ft/s	2.76 ft/s	1.74 ft/s	1.23 ft/s	0.78 ft/s
4 oz	4.50 ft/s	3.18 ft/s	2.01 ft/s	1.42 ft/s	0.90 ft/s
5 oz	5.03 ft/s	3.56 ft/s	2.25 ft/s	1.59 ft/s	1.01 ft/s
6 oz	5.51 ft/s	3.90 ft/s	2.47 ft/s	1.74 ft/s	1.10 ft/s
8 oz	6.37 ft/s	4.5 ft/s	2.85 ft/s	2.01 ft/s	1.27 ft/s
10 oz	7.12 ft/s	5.03 ft/s	3.18 ft/s	2.25 ft/s	1.42 ft/s
12 oz	7.80 ft/s	5.51 ft/s	3.49 ft/s	2.47 ft/s	1.56 ft/s
16 oz	9.00 ft/s	6.37 ft/s	4.03 ft/s	2.85 ft/s	1.80 ft/s

Sinker Weight Selection Tables For Mono/Flouro/Braid 30 lb Test Fishing Lines

Monofilament Fishing Line:

Sinker Weight	Fishing Depth 10 ft	Fishing Depth 20 ft	Fishing Depth 50 ft	Fishing Depth 100 ft	Fishing Depth 250 ft
1/64 oz	0.19 ft/s	0.14 ft/s	0.10 ft/s	0.08 ft/s	0.07 ft/s
1/32 oz	0.26 ft/s	0.19 ft/s	0.13 ft/s	0.10 ft/s	0.08 ft/s
1/16 oz	0.37 ft/s	0.26 ft/s	0.17 ft/s	0.13 ft/s	0.09 ft/s
1/8 oz	0.52 ft/s	0.37 ft/s	0.24 ft/s	0.17 ft/s	0.12 ft/s
3/16 oz	0.63 ft/s	0.45 ft/s	0.29 ft/s	0.21 ft/s	0.14 ft/s
1/4 oz	0.73 ft/s	0.52 ft/s	0.33 ft/s	0.24 ft/s	0.16 ft/s
3/8 oz	0.89 ft/s	0.63 ft/s	0.40 ft/s	0.29 ft/s	0.19 ft/s
1/2 oz	1.03 ft/s	0.73 ft/s	0.46 ft/s	0.33 ft/s	0.21 ft/s
3/4 oz	1.26 ft/s	0.89 ft/s	0.57 ft/s	0.40 ft/s	0.26 ft/s
1 oz	1.46 ft/s	1.03 ft/s	0.65 ft/s	0.46 ft/s	0.30 ft/s
2 oz	2.06 ft/s	1.46 ft/s	0.92 ft/s	0.65 ft/s	0.41 ft/s
3 oz	2.52 ft/s	1.78 ft/s	1.13 ft/s	0.80 ft/s	0.51 ft/s
4 oz	2.91 ft/s	2.06 ft/s	1.30 ft/s	0.92 ft/s	0.58 ft/s
5 oz	3.25 ft/s	2.30 ft/s	1.46 ft/s	1.03 ft/s	0.65 ft/s
6 oz	3.57 ft/s	2.52 ft/s	1.60 ft/s	1.13 ft/s	0.71 ft/s
8 oz	4.12 ft/s	2.91 ft/s	1.84 ft/s	1.30 ft/s	0.82 ft/s
10 oz	5.60 ft/s	3.25 ft/s	2.06 ft/s	1.46 ft/s	0.92 ft/s
12 oz	5.04 ft/s	3.57 ft/s	2.26 ft/s	1.59 ft/s	1.01 ft/s
16 oz	5.82 ft/s	4.12 ft/s	2.60 ft/s	1.84 ft/s	1.17 ft/s

Fluorocarbon Fishing Line:

Sinker Weight	Fishing Depth 10 ft	Fishing Depth 20 ft	Fishing Depth 50 ft	Fishing Depth 100 ft	Fishing Depth 250 ft
1/64 oz	0.20 ft/s	0.15 ft/s	0.11 ft/s	0.09 ft/s	0.08 ft/s
1/32 oz	0.28 ft/s	0.20 ft/s	0.14 ft/s	0.11 ft/s	0.09 ft/s
1/16 oz	0.39 ft/s	0.28 ft/s	0.18 ft/s	0.14 ft/s	0.10 ft/s
1/8 oz	0.54 ft/s	0.39 ft/s	0.25 ft/s	0.18 ft/s	0.13 ft/s
3/16 oz	0.65 ft/s	0.47 ft/s	0.30 ft/s	0.22 ft/s	0.15 ft/s
1/4 oz	0.77 ft/s	0.54 ft/s	0.35 ft/s	0.25 ft/s	0.17 ft/s
3/8 oz	0.94 ft/s	0.66 ft/s	0.42 ft/s	0.30 ft/s	0.20 ft/s
1/2 oz	1.08 ft/s	0.77 ft/s	0.49 ft/s	0.35 ft/s	0.23 ft/s
3/4 oz	1.32 ft/s	0.94 ft/s	0.59 ft/s	0.42 ft/s	0.27 ft/s
1 oz	1.53 ft/s	1.08 ft/s	0.69 ft/s	0.49 ft/s	0.31 ft/s
2 oz	2.16 ft/s	1.53 ft/s	0.97 ft/s	0.69 ft/s	0.44 ft/s
3 oz	2.64 ft/s	1.87 ft/s	1.18 ft/s	0.84 ft/s	0.53 ft/s
4 oz	3.05 ft/s	2.16 ft/s	1.37 ft/s	0.97 ft/s	0.61 ft/s
5 oz	3.41 ft/s	2.41 ft/s	1.53 ft/s	1.08 ft/s	0.69 ft/s
6 oz	3.74 ft/s	2.64 ft/s	1.67 ft/s	1.18 ft/s	0.75 ft/s
8 oz	4.32 ft/s	3.05 ft/s	1.93 ft/s	1.37 ft/s	0.87 ft/s
10 oz	4.83 ft/s	3.41 ft/s	2.16 ft/s	1.53 ft/s	0.97 ft/s
12 oz	5.29 ft/s	3.74 ft/s	2.37 ft/s	1.67 ft/s	1.06 ft/s
16 oz	6.11 ft/s	4.32 ft/s	2.73 ft/s	1.93 ft/s	1.22 ft/s

Braided Fishing Line:

Sinker Weight	Fishing Depth 10 ft	Fishing Depth 20 ft	Fishing Depth 50 ft	Fishing Depth 100 ft	Fishing Depth 250 ft
1/64 oz	0.26 ft/s	0.18 ft/s	0.12 ft/s	0.09 ft/s	0.06 ft/s
1/32 oz	0.36 ft/s	0.26 ft/s	0.17 ft/s	0.12 ft/s	0.08 ft/s
1/16 oz	0.51 ft/s	0.36 ft/s	0.23 ft/s	0.17 ft/s	0.11 ft/s
1/8 oz	0.72 ft/s	0.51 ft/s	0.32 ft/s	0.23 ft/s	0.15 ft/s
3/16 oz	0.88 ft/s	0.63 ft/s	0.40 ft/s	0.28 ft/s	0.18 ft/s
1/4 oz	1.02 ft/s	0.72 ft/s	0.46 ft/s	0.32 ft/s	0.21 ft/s
3/8 oz	1.25 ft/s	0.88 ft/s	0.56 ft/s	0.40 ft/s	0.25 ft/s
1/2 oz	1.44 ft/s	1.02 ft/s	0.65 ft/s	0.46 ft/s	0.29 ft/s
3/4 oz	1.77 ft/s	1.25 ft/s	0.79 ft/s	0.56 ft/s	0.35 ft/s
1 oz	2.04 ft/s	1.44 ft/s	0.91 ft/s	0.65 ft/s	0.41 ft/s
2 oz	2.88 ft/s	2.04 ft/s	1.29 ft/s	0.91 ft/s	0.58 ft/s
3 oz	3.53 ft/s	2.50 ft/s	1.58 ft/s	1.12 ft/s	0.71 ft/s
4 oz	4.08 ft/s	2.88 ft/s	1.82 ft/s	1.29 ft/s	0.82 ft/s
5 oz	4.56 ft/s	3.23 ft/s	2.04 ft/s	1.44 ft/s	0.91 ft/s
6 oz	5.00 ft/s	3.53 ft/s	2.23 ft/s	1.58 ft/s	1.00 ft/s
8 oz	5.77 ft/s	4.08 ft/s	2.58 ft/s	1.82 ft/s	1.15 ft/s
10 oz	6.45 ft/s	4.56 ft/s	2.88 ft/s	2.04 ft/s	1.29 ft/s
12 oz	7.07 ft/s	5.00 ft/s	3.16 ft/s	2.23 ft/s	1.41 ft/s
16 oz	8.16 ft/s	5.77 ft/s	3.65 ft/s	2.58 ft/s	1.63 ft/s

Sinker Weight Selection Tables For Mono/Flouro/Braid 40 lb Test Fishing Lines

Monofilament Fishing Line:

Sinker Weight	Fishing Depth 10 ft	Fishing Depth 20 ft	Fishing Depth 50 ft	Fishing Depth 100 ft	Fishing Depth 250 ft
1/64 oz	0.18 ft/s	0.14 ft/s	0.10 ft/s	0.08 ft/s	0.07 ft/s
1/32 oz	0.25 ft/s	0.18 ft/s	0.12 ft/s	0.10 ft/s	0.08 ft/s
1/16 oz	0.35 ft/s	0.25 ft/s	0.17 ft/s	0.12 ft/s	0.09 ft/s
1/8 oz	0.50 ft/s	0.35 ft/s	0.23 ft/s	0.17 ft/s	0.11 ft/s
3/16 oz	0.61 ft/s	0.43 ft/s	0.28 ft/s	0.20 ft/s	0.13 ft/s
1/4 oz	0.70 ft/s	0.50 ft/s	0.32 ft/s	0.23 ft/s	0.15 ft/s
3/8 oz	0.86 ft/s	0.61 ft/s	0.39 ft/s	0.28 ft/s	0.18 ft/s
1/2 oz	0.99 ft/s	0.70 ft/s	0.44 ft/s	0.32 ft/s	0.21 ft/s
3/4 oz	1.21 ft/s	0.86 ft/s	0.54 ft/s	0.39 ft/s	0.25 ft/s
1 oz	1.39 ft/s	0.99 ft/s	0.63 ft/s	0.44 ft/s	0.28 ft/s
2 oz	1.97 ft/s	1.39 ft/s	0.88 ft/s	0.63 ft/s	0.40 ft/s
3 oz	2.41 ft/s	1.71 ft/s	1.08 ft/s	0.77 ft/s	0.49 ft/s
4 oz	2.79 ft/s	1.97 ft/s	1.25 ft/s	0.88 ft/s	0.56 ft/s
5 oz	3.12 ft/s	2.20 ft/s	1.39 ft/s	0.99 ft/s	0.63 ft/s
6 oz	3.41 ft/s	2.41 ft/s	1.53 ft/s	1.08 ft/s	0.68 ft/s
8 oz	3.94 ft/s	2.79 ft/s	1.76 ft/s	1.25 ft/s	0.79 ft/s
10 oz	4.41 ft/s	3.12 ft/s	1.97 ft/s	1.39 ft/s	0.88 ft/s
12 oz	4.83 ft/s	3.41 ft/s	2.16 ft/s	1.53 ft/s	0.97 ft/s
16 oz	5.57 ft/s	3.94 ft/s	2.49 ft/s	1.76 ft/s	1.12 ft/s

Fluorocarbon Fishing Line:

Sinker Weight	Fishing Depth 10 ft	Fishing Depth 20 ft	Fishing Depth 50 ft	Fishing Depth 100 ft	Fishing Depth 250 ft
1/64 oz	0.19 ft/s	0.14 ft/s	0.11 ft/s	0.09 ft/s	0.08 ft/s
1/32 oz	0.26 ft/s	0.19 ft/s	0.13 ft/s	0.11 ft/s	0.09 ft/s
1/16 oz	0.36 ft/s	0.26 ft/s	0.17 ft/s	0.13 ft/s	0.10 ft/s
1/8 oz	0.50 ft/s	0.36 ft/s	0.23 ft/s	0.17 ft/s	0.12 ft/s
3/16 oz	0.61 ft/s	0.43 ft/s	0.28 ft/s	0.20 ft/s	0.14 ft/s
1/4 oz	0.70 ft/s	0.50 ft/s	0.32 ft/s	0.23 ft/s	0.16 ft/s
3/8 oz	0.86 ft/s	0.61 ft/s	0.39 ft/s	0.28 ft/s	0.19 ft/s
1/2 oz	0.99 ft/s	0.70 ft/s	0.45 ft/s	0.32 ft/s	0.21 ft/s
3/4 oz	1.21 ft/s	0.86 ft/s	0.54 ft/s	0.39 ft/s	0.25 ft/s
1 oz	1.40 ft/s	0.99 ft/s	0.63 ft/s	0.45 ft/s	0.29 ft/s
2 oz	1.97 ft/s	1.40 ft/s	0.88 ft/s	0.63 ft/s	0.40 ft/s
3 oz	2.41 ft/s	1.71 ft/s	1.08 ft/s	0.77 ft/s	0.49 ft/s
4 oz	2.79 ft/s	1.97 ft/s	1.25 ft/s	0.88 ft/s	0.56 ft/s
5 oz	3.12 ft/s	2.20 ft/s	1.40 ft/s	0.99 ft/s	0.63 ft/s
6 oz	3.41 ft/s	2.41 ft/s	1.53 ft/s	1.08 ft/s	0.69 ft/s
8 oz	3.94 ft/s	2.79 ft/s	1.76 ft/s	1.25 ft/s	0.79 ft/s
10 oz	4.41 ft/s	3.12 ft/s	1.97 ft/s	1.39 ft/s	0.88 ft/s
12 oz	4.83 ft/s	3.41 ft/s	2.16 ft/s	1.53 ft/s	0.97 ft/s
16 oz	5.57 ft/s	3.94 ft/s	2.49 ft/s	1.76 ft/s	1.12 ft/s

Braided Fishing Line:

Sinker Weight	Fishing Depth 10 ft	Fishing Depth 20 ft	Fishing Depth 50 ft	Fishing Depth 100 ft	Fishing Depth 250 ft
1/64 oz	0.24 ft/s	0.17 ft/s	0.11 ft/s	0.08 ft/s	0.06 ft/s
1/32 oz	0.33 ft/s	0.24 ft/s	0.15 ft/s	0.11 ft/s	0.08 ft/s
1/16 oz	0.47 ft/s	0.33 ft/s	0.21 ft/s	0.15 ft/s	0.10 ft/s
1/8 oz	0.67 ft/s	0.47 ft/s	0.30 ft/s	0.21 ft/s	0.14 ft/s
3/16 oz	0.81 ft/s	0.58 ft/s	0.37 ft/s	0.26 ft/s	0.17 ft/s
1/4 oz	0.94 ft/s	0.67 ft/s	0.42 ft/s	0.30 ft/s	0.19 ft/s
3/8 oz	1.15 ft/s	0.81 ft/s	0.52 ft/s	0.37 ft/s	0.23 ft/s
1/2 oz	1.33 ft/s	0.94 ft/s	0.60 ft/s	0.42 ft/s	0.27 ft/s
3/4 oz	1.63 ft/s	1.15 ft/s	0.73 ft/s	0.52 ft/s	0.33 ft/s
1 oz	1.88 ft/s	1.33 ft/s	0.84 ft/s	0.60 ft/s	0.38 ft/s
2 oz	2.66 ft/s	1.88 ft/s	1.19 ft/s	0.84 ft/s	0.53 ft/s
3 oz	3.25 ft/s	2.30 ft/s	1.46 ft/s	1.03 ft/s	0.65 ft/s
4 oz	3.76 ft/s	2.66 ft/s	1.68 ft/s	1.19 ft/s	0.75 ft/s
5 oz	4.20 ft/s	2.97 ft/s	1.88 ft/s	1.33 ft/s	0.84 ft/s
6 oz	4.60 ft/s	3.25 ft/s	2.06 ft/s	1.46 ft/s	0.92 ft/s
8 oz	5.31 ft/s	3.76 ft/s	2.38 ft/s	1.68 ft/s	1.06 ft/s
10 oz	5.94 ft/s	4.20 ft/s	2.66 ft/s	1.88 ft/s	1.19 ft/s
12 oz	6.51 ft/s	4.60 ft/s	2.91 ft/s	2.06 ft/s	1.30 ft/s
16 oz	7.52 ft/s	5.31 ft/s	3.36 ft/s	2.38 ft/s	1.50 ft/s

Sinker Weight Selection Tables For Mono/Flouro/Braid 50 lb Test Fishing Lines

Monofilament Fishing Line:

Sinker Weight	Fishing Depth 10 ft	Fishing Depth 20 ft	Fishing Depth 50 ft	Fishing Depth 100 ft	Fishing Depth 250 ft
1/64 oz	0.17 ft/s	0.13 ft/s	0.10 ft/s	0.08 ft/s	0.07 ft/s
1/32 oz	0.24 ft/s	0.17 ft/s	0.12 ft/s	0.10 ft/s	0.08 ft/s
1/16 oz	0.33 ft/s	0.24 ft/s	0.16 ft/s	0.12 ft/s	0.09 ft/s
1/8 oz	0.46 ft/s	0.33 ft/s	0.21 ft/s	0.16 ft/s	0.11 ft/s
3/16 oz	0.56 ft/s	0.40 ft/s	0.26 ft/s	0.19 ft/s	0.13 ft/s
1/4 oz	0.65 ft/s	0.46 ft/s	0.30 ft/s	0.21 ft/s	0.14 ft/s
3/8 oz	0.79 ft/s	0.56 ft/s	0.36 ft/s	0.26 ft/s	0.17 ft/s
1/2 oz	0.91 ft/s	0.65 ft/s	0.41 ft/s	0.30 ft/s	0.19 ft/s
3/4 oz	1.12 ft/s	0.79 ft/s	0.50 ft/s	0.36 ft/s	0.23 ft/s
1 oz	1.29 ft/s	0.91 ft/s	0.58 ft/s	0.41 ft/s	0.27 ft/s
2 oz	1.83 ft/s	1.29 ft/s	0.82 ft/s	0.58 ft/s	0.37 ft/s
3 oz	2.24 ft/s	1.58 ft/s	1.00 ft/s	0.71 ft/s	0.45 ft/s
4 oz	2.58 ft/s	1.83 ft/s	1.16 ft/s	0.82 ft/s	0.52 ft/s
5 oz	2.89 ft/s	2.04 ft/s	1.29 ft/s	0.91 ft/s	0.58 ft/s
6 oz	3.16 ft/s	2.24 ft/s	1.41 ft/s	1.00 ft/s	0.63 ft/s
8 oz	3.65 ft/s	2.58 ft/s	1.63 ft/s	1.16 ft/s	0.73 ft/s
10 oz	4.08 ft/s	3.89 ft/s	1.83 ft/s	1.29 ft/s	0.82 ft/s
12 oz	4.47 ft/s	3.16 ft/s	2.00 ft/s	1.41 ft/s	0.90 ft/s
16 oz	5.16 ft/s	3.65 ft/s	2.31 ft/s	1.63 ft/s	1.03 ft/s

Fluorocarbon Fishing Line:

Sinker Weight	Fishing Depth 10 ft	Fishing Depth 20 ft	Fishing Depth 50 ft	Fishing Depth 100 ft	Fishing Depth 250 ft
1/64 oz	0.18 ft/s	0.14 ft/s	0.11 ft/s	0.09 ft/s	0.08 ft/s
1/32 oz	0.24 ft/s	0.18 ft/s	0.13 ft/s	0.11 ft/s	0.09 ft/s
1/16 oz	0.34 ft/s	0.24 ft/s	0.17 ft/s	0.13 ft/s	0.10 ft/s
1/8 oz	0.47 ft/s	0.34 ft/s	0.22 ft/s	0.17 ft/s	0.12 ft/s
3/16 oz	0.57 ft/s	0.41 ft/s	0.26 ft/s	0.19 ft/s	0.14 ft/s
1/4 oz	0.66 ft/s	0.47 ft/s	0.30 ft/s	0.22 ft/s	0.15 ft/s
3/8 oz	0.81 ft/s	0.57 ft/s	0.37 ft/s	0.26 ft/s	0.18 ft/s
1/2 oz	0.93 ft/s	0.66 ft/s	0.42 ft/s	0.30 ft/s	0.20 ft/s
3/4 oz	1.14 ft/s	0.81 ft/s	0.51 ft/s	0.37 ft/s	0.24 ft/s
1 oz	1.31 ft/s	0.93 ft/s	0.59 ft/s	0.42 ft/s	0.27 ft/s
2 oz	1.85 ft/s	1.31 ft/s	0.83 ft/s	0.59 ft/s	0.38 ft/s
3 oz	2.27 ft/s	1.60 ft/s	1.02 ft/s	0.72 ft/s	0.46 ft/s
4 oz	2.62 ft/s	1.85 ft/s	1.17 ft/s	0.83 ft/s	0.53 ft/s
5 oz	2.93 ft/s	2.07 ft/s	1.31 ft/s	0.93 ft/s	0.59 ft/s
6 oz	3.21 ft/s	2.27 ft/s	1.44 ft/s	1.02 ft/s	0.65 ft/s
8 oz	3.70 ft/s	2.62 ft/s	1.66 ft/s	1.17 ft/s	0.74 ft/s
10 oz	4.14 ft/s	2.93 ft/s	1.85 ft/s	1.31 ft/s	0.83 ft/s
12 oz	4.53 ft/s	3.21 ft/s	2.03 ft/s	1.44 ft/s	0.91 ft/s
16 oz	5.24 ft/s	3.70 ft/s	2.34 ft/s	1.66 ft/s	1.05 ft/s

Braided Fishing Line:

Sinker Weight	Fishing Depth 10 ft	Fishing Depth 20 ft	Fishing Depth 50 ft	Fishing Depth 100 ft	Fishing Depth 250 ft
1/64 oz	0.24 ft/s	0.17 ft/s	0.11 ft/s	0.08 ft/s	0.06 ft/s
1/32 oz	0.33 ft/s	0.24 ft/s	0.15 ft/s	0.11 ft/s	0.08 ft/s
1/16 oz	0.47 ft/s	0.33 ft/s	0.21 ft/s	0.15 ft/s	0.10 ft/s
1/8 oz	0.67 ft/s	0.47 ft/s	0.30 ft/s	0.21 ft/s	0.14 ft/s
3/16 oz	0.81 ft/s	0.58 ft/s	0.37 ft/s	0.26 ft/s	0.17 ft/s
1/4 oz	0.94 ft/s	0.67 ft/s	0.42 ft/s	0.30 ft/s	0.19 ft/s
3/8 oz	1.15 ft/s	0.81 ft/s	0.52 ft/s	0.37 ft/s	0.23 ft/s
1/2 oz	1.33 ft/s	0.94 ft/s	0.60 ft/s	0.42 ft/s	0.27 ft/s
3/4 oz	1.63 ft/s	1.15 ft/s	0.73 ft/s	0.52 ft/s	0.33 ft/s
1 oz	1.88 ft/s	1.33 ft/s	0.84 ft/s	0.60 ft/s	0.38 ft/s
2 oz	2.66 ft/s	1.88 ft/s	1.19 ft/s	0.84 ft/s	0.53 ft/s
3 oz	3.25 ft/s	2.30 ft/s	1.46 ft/s	1.03 ft/s	0.65 ft/s
4 oz	3.76 ft/s	2.66 ft/s	1.68 ft/s	1.19 ft/s	0.75 ft/s
5 oz	4.20 ft/s	2.97 ft/s	1.88 ft/s	1.33 ft/s	0.84 ft/s
6 oz	4.60 ft/s	3.25 ft/s	2.06 ft/s	1.46 ft/s	0.92 ft/s
8 oz	5.31 ft/s	3.76 ft/s	2.38 ft/s	1.68 ft/s	1.06 ft/s
10 oz	5.94 ft/s	4.20 ft/s	2.66 ft/s	1.88 ft/s	1.19 ft/s
12 oz	6.51 ft/s	4.60 ft/s	2.91 ft/s	2.06 ft/s	1.30 ft/s
16 oz	7.52 ft/s	5.31 ft/s	3.36 ft/s	2.38 ft/s	1.50 ft/s

What Are The Assumptions Used To Create These Table

Just with any calculation, there are some limitations. As I try to account for as many variables as possible, it’s nearly impossible to account for the literal hundreds of different combinations of sinker types/shapes and different line diameters between different brands.

So if you’re experiencing different results from what the table is showing, it could be a result of your fishing line combined with your sinker shape. But no worries, just move up to the next weight up, and it should be ok.

Also, if you’re fishing in an area with heavy cover, you might need to go up a weight or two just to make sure your weight can push through the cover.

What If There Is No Current?

If you were fishing on a day where there is no current. Then you can literally use any weight that you want.

In this case, you can use any weight you want, and it will hit bottom and remind there. The depth does not affect the weight you will need to hit bottom when there is no current.

The only thing that will matter, though, is the speed at which you want your weight to sink. I already calculated the sinking rate for different weights in this post.

This will be useful to know because the different sinking rates will give your bait different actions. The slower it sinks will give your bait more of a swaying or fluttering motion verse a faster sinking rate which will be fast and hit the ground hard.

Which one to go for depends on how the fish feel and what they are striking on for that day.

Happy Fishing And Tight Lines