When you’re saltwater fishing, you’ll almost always need to use weights on your line to keep your bait in place. Check out these saltwater fishing tips for weights. Unless you’re freelining a live fish or using some other no-weight fishing method, you’ll need some weight. How much weight you need depends largely on how strong the current is where you’re fishing.

Weights come in different shapes and different sizes. For some fishing rigs, you’ll want to use a sliding egg sinker, while with other types of rigs, a triangular weight will work best. In areas with small or no waves and little undertow, a half-ounce sinker or a one-ounce sinker might be all you need. In heavier surf and strong tides, you might need a two or three-ounce weight. In very strong tides, a storm pyramid weight might be required.

Never use more weight than you need. If you’re not familiar with your fishing venue, take several different sinkers of varying weights with you. Attach a one-ounce weight to your line and cast it out. If it stays put, try a half-ounce sinker. If the tide brings your line back in or moves it to the right or left, attach a slightly heavier weight to your line. You’ll need to take extra weights with you, as you’ll probably lose some weights and hooks to large fish and/or submerged structures.