Tungsten Rocks
Story & Photos
BY MARK FONG
WB
T
ungsten is a chemical element repre-
sented by the symbol: W and the atomic
number: 74. Tungsten is a dense mate-
rial. The word tungsten means “heavy stone in Swedish”. Tungsten is both very high in
tensile strength and corrosion resistance.
I am sure you are wondering where this train of
thought is going. Simply put tungsten has become
a valuable material for bass anglers as it pertains to
the mundane world of fishing weights.
For years, lead has been the standard for
fishing weights and to this day it continues to be
economical and widespread. However, if you are
looking for the latest and greatest, and of course
which bass fisherman isn’t, tungsten offers many
advantages over traditional materials like lead and
brass.
SMALLER IS BETTER
My introduction to tungsten came not coinci- dentally with my first experience punchin’ heavy mats at Clear Lake some ten odd years or so. Ever since then I have been a huge fan of tungsten.
Since it is much denser than lead, a tungsten sinker of equal weight is far more compact (40 per- cent smaller) than one made out of lead.
This is an important fact to consider when punchin’ heavy vegetation. The smaller profile of tungsten penetrates a vegetative canopy much easier and efficiently than a comparable lead weight.
In addition tungsten’s small profile translates to a better hookup ratio and a more natural pre- sentation. The difference can easily be seen when you take into account that it is common place to
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