Pros and Cons of Tungsten Terminal Tackle

To Tungsten or Not When It Comes to Your Terminal Tackle

TACKLE TIPS | FISHING TECHNIQUES

February 24, 2019 by Don Manning

Not many anglers get excited over bullet worm weights and drop-shot weights. Instead, they talk up their newest spinnerbait or the flashiest color of stick worm to hit the market. Truth is, tungsten terminal tackle deserves the same excitement and consideration as all your other fishing tackle.

Terminal tackle is just that, terminal. It is a piece that completes your fishing rig whether you are throwing a Carolina rig, Texas rig, or smallmouth bass fishing with a drop-shot bait. Tungsten, however, takes terminal fishing tackle to a whole new level.

Tungsten could be the miracle material for fishing weights. It’s tougher, denser, more sensitive, and very environmentally friendly. Tungsten is also smaller than lead when compared with the same size weight, which translates to less hang ups. One of the few disadvantages of tungsten is it is a lot more costly than lead.

There is no comparison when comparing tungsten weights vs. lead. Tungsten works great for jig heads, drop-shot weights, slip sinkers, and every other situation where you use lead.

As mentioned, tungsten is much harder than lead, and 1.7 times denser than lead which gives you more sensitivity than lead. You can feel every piece of the bottom you are fishing when fishing jigs. Whether you are fishing sand, rocky, or structure filled bottoms, a tungsten fishing weight will give you a better idea of what your bait is doing and help you detect strikes more easily.

Pros and Cons of Fishing Tungsten Weights vs. Lead

Advantages of Tungsten Fishing Weights

• More sensitive to fishing environment to feel bottom environment and bites
• Smaller size for same weight compared to lead fishing weights
• Distinct rattle-like sound produced when making contact with structure and the bottom
• Tougher and last longer than similar lead weights
• Environmentally friendly

Disadvantages of Tungsten Fishing Weights

• Tungsten weights cost significantly more than lead terminal tackle
• Availability at local tackle shops

Another advantage to using tungsten terminal tackle is the added sound it produces. Tungsten is much louder than lead. A tungsten weight omits a sound similar to a rattle when bounced off of hard bottoms. This little extra action in your bait provides a slight edge as opposed to fishing traditional lead weights.    ​

Tungsten terminal tackle has many pros, but it is not without its disadvantages. First, tungsten weights are significantly more expensive than lead weights. For example at Tackle Warehouse, tungsten barrel weights made from tungsten are almost three times more expensive than standard lead weights. It certainly makes you try harder to get unstuck when you get snagged while fishing a tungsten weight. The second disadvantage of tungsten fishing weights is that they are not always available everywhere. Because of cost, many local tackle shops do not carry a wide selection of tungsten terminal tackle.

​Is it worth the switch from lead to tungsten? The answer is yes if you consider all the advantages tungsten terminal tackle has over lead. It is unbelievable, when you try tungsten. Once you switch and get used to using tungsten, you will never go back. Ask any professional bass angler today, and I bet none of them has any sort of lead weights in their tackle bag. Save some of your hard earned cash, and switch to tungsten, you will be glad you did.