Have you, or anyone else, used the moldable, soft weight material?
Steve
I have, and I like them a lot. The one I use is Loon Deep Soft Weight. It comes in a dark grey or a metallic brass version.
The price at the local shop is a bit much, $7 per container, but unless you lose the container, the amount of weight could be enough for at least two seasons, depending on how you use it. You scoop off a bit with your fingernail, then mold it into the shape you want on your leader. It is advised that you do this directly above a leader knot, which helps to anchor the material in place. Once it hits the cold water, it solidifies and rarely comes off during fishing. If you happen to snag the weight, it will usually come off before you break the leader and lose the fly.
Too much weight? Pinch a little off. Too little? Make the glob bigger.
The material has less density than lead, but is non-toxic and won't poison the waterfowl that happen to slurp it up while feeding.
None of this: dropping bb shot, biting lead, fooling with tabs on the shot, struggling to get weight off the leader, etc.
I was fishing some leeches a few days ago, and realized I hadn't weighted the patterns enough. I pinched on some moldable weight just in front of the knot on the hook eye, and gave it a try. Found out that the fish REALLY like the action, and don't seem to notice or care about the extra dark glob in front of the fly pattern. (If I were a fish, I would be really concerned about the funny hook-shaped thing sticking out the ass of the fly, but that's another matter...)
The combination of an unweighted or lightly weighted (and mobile) fly plus the moldable weight used just in front of the hook eye is a winner.
Wes Wada Bend, Oregon
"You can observe a lot just by watching." -Yogi Berra
