Cheburashka sinker: DIY jig head installation

Fishing with Cheburashka is a promising activity, as it allows the spinner to search for prey at different depths, currents and locations.
The cartoon prototype of the Cheburashka entered the life of every fisherman and became his favorite hero. What does Ushastika have in common with a man’s occupation? How can this piece of equipment affect the amount of catch? What features, forms and rules for choosing sinkers exist? What is it made of and is it possible to independently produce such a popular head weight at home? We will answer all these questions in this article.

Cheburashka cargo: general description

A Cheburashka weight, a Cheburashka jig head or an eared sinker is an element of equipment that has two loops on its body, called “ears” in the fishing world, which serve for mounting a carbine with a fishing line or bait in the form of a wobbler, edible bait or hook of various configurations, in including double and tee.

For more information about what a sinker is, what its purpose is and what features this element of equipment for jig phishing has, read here

Advantages and disadvantages of Cheburashka cargo

Let's figure out why this particular type of sinker has gained respect and love from anglers of different ranks.

“Cheburashka” is one of the components of the hinged mounting equipment, which has a number of advantages and capabilities:

The ability to perform long casts due to the weight of the load, which during flight always ends up in front of the bait and this position eliminates “helicopters” (overlaps), which are so common when rigidly mounted with a jig head, when the sinker rotates around itself in flight. Also, the range is ensured by placing the bait behind the load, which reduces its windage and increases its flight.
Thanks to the presence of ears, it is possible to quickly install equipment at any stage of fishing.
Possibility of equipping such cargo with different types of hooks.
This equipment is reliable when landing fish.
It goes through snags well, and in combination with an offset hook, it copes with snags.

One of the advantages of installing a Cheburashka with a hook is that it performs well when fishing for prey, but installation can have a negative impact when hooking it, when a rigid hitch with a jig head is considered more effective. This is a minus of the Cheburashka, which can be easily dealt with in amateur fishing, but in sports it is a significant drawback. Also, installation with a Cheburashka is more difficult than with a jig head.

Cheburashkas and Jig heads

Review of Cheburashka sinkers and jig heads.

What is Cheburashka and Jig head?

A Cheburashka sinker is a weight with metal ears or loops sticking out on the sides. On one side of the Cheburakh, a carabiner with fishing line is attached, and on the other there can be a silicone bait and a spinner, a wobbler, or a tee with colored feathers.

Cheburashkas can be of different shapes and can be collapsible. The collapsible Cheburashka is very popular due to the free pin inside. A free or removable pin allows you to quickly change the bait.

Whereas a regular Cheburashka requires a long time to replace gear. Now the fish head sinker and tungsten Cheburashkas are gaining popularity.

A hook is soldered into the weight of the Jig head and there is one loop for the fishing line. Jig heads are popular among Americans. For me personally, jig heads are not suitable, there are no significant advantages, I prefer the freedom of movement of the bait without any restrictions. And of course the speed and convenience of changing weight and bait. Particular attention should be paid to the jig head skirt. The skirt allows you to hold the bait securely and prevents it from slipping. The gamakatsu has a skirt that’s just right.

The death of jig heads is due to a large percentage of the awns being caught, and this is very hard on your pocket.

Tungsten dismountable eared Cheburashkas are gaining particular popularity.

Tungsten Cheburashkas are not only valuable fur, but also 2-3 kg of pike perch, and maybe pike.)

Tungsten cheburashkas are a good income for the manufacturer, because when a professional fisherman has a stick for a piece of bucks, or maybe more, katuchen from a cool manufacturer, clothes from famous brands, then why should he use lead when there is tungsten?)
No, tungsten cheburashkas This is not only a show-off for the rich, but also a good result in fishing. Here's why:

Tungsten Cheburashka is much heavier than lead, and smaller in size.
The smoothness of this load is perfect.
From an aesthetic and commercial point of view, a tungsten sinker is more beautiful than a lead one.
There is no marking of the cargo, but you can either select weights by color or keep separate boxes for different weights.
Tungsten Cheburashka is used when the lead Cheburashka is noticeably wider than the silicone bait.

An interesting point: a rig made of a 2-inch twister and a 5-gram lead weight moves in the water, the fish distinguishes between two objects - the twister and the weight. And it distinguishes them not only visually, the fish senses water disturbances caused by the movement of a large load. For a two-inch twister, 4-5 gram tungsten weights are much better suited.

Here is a visual example of two articulated rigs with Cheburashkas made of 2.1 g tungsten and 2.1 g lead.

The long-eared tungsten weight performs well on reservoirs with a weak bite, but there is a need for quick retrieves.
It happens that a tungsten Cheburashka bites, but not a lead one. There is no explanation for this either.
A good casting range compared to lead is found when the spinning rod is equipped with a suitable 3-6 lb cord for ultralight fishing. The speed is higher when fishing vertically.
The mirror coating of the weight reduces its visual visibility to fish. Dark mirror weights help catch the most cautious fish on a dark bottom. On limestone or light sand, light weights are more suitable.
The hardness of tungsten weights helps to attract pike perch or pike perch with ringing blows on the bottom shell or pebbles.
Environmental Safety. They do not poison water and do not leave toxic marks on hands.

We recommend reading:

Spinner Witch
GOATTWISTER
Mepps and Bestia
Tuning the goatwister
THERMAL TUBE FOR PREDATOR
Shape for sinkers Fish head
Painting the sinkers
Making silicone baits

Click like and you will be GREATLY HAPPY for this!)

Cheburashka sinker shapes

The spherical shape is a classic and the most common in the fishing environment. However, many spinning anglers in their fishing practice prefer other improved forms of Cheburashkas, which are successfully demonstrated by the manufacturers of such sinkers.

Advantages of the classic form:

With a small volume, they have maximum weight, which serves as a determining factor for long-distance bait throwing.
Sinking quickly.
It passes through overgrown “traps” very well.
Shows itself well in depth and current.

The shape called “field” has a design feature in the form of flattened sides and an elongated body. The use of such a load is appropriate when fishing in a small body of water with characteristic bottom unevenness, both during flow and in calm water.

Planning sinkers have their own character:

Slowly sink to the bottom.
When reeling in, the fishing line immediately rises and floats above it, so it easily “jumps” over obstacles.

The fish head is a more expensive sinker, but is unremarkable and is not used often.

So most spinning players prefer the spherical shape of the Cheburashka.

What material is usually used for manufacturing

Like most other sinkers, lead is usually used to make Cheburashkas. The main advantage of the metal is that it has a relatively low cost and, if desired, is quite easy to obtain. If you plan to purchase a weight rather than make it yourself, you must take into account that today manufacturers are increasingly adding various impurities and additives to lead products, making the production process more affordable. The disadvantage of this point is that due to the absence of an oxidation reaction, the weight will have a shiny reflective surface for a long time, and as practice shows, most fish bite on tarnished weights, which look more natural in the water.

You can also find products made from the following metals:

tungsten. It has a large weight, due to which the size of the load can be reduced. But since tungsten is a more expensive material and more money is required for its processing, such weights have a rather high price, and not every fisherman will agree to purchase them;
brass. They have a low price, but due to their increased softness they quickly become unusable.

If fishing with a spinning rod is carried out frequently, it is recommended to use lead Cheburashkas, as they have proven themselves to be the best and, with proper use, will last for a long time.

Sinker material

Typically, lead is used to produce jig weights at home, since this metal has a number of advantages, although it is inferior to tungsten in many characteristics.

Read about what material is best to purchase sinkers for jig wiring, the advantages and disadvantages of each of them, as well as what needs to be done to prevent oxidation of the head here

general description

The “Cheburashka” sinker for jig bait is a metal body equipped with 2 small wire loops called ears. The cargo body can have different shapes and colors. The sinker ears have a semicircular shape and are made of stainless wire with a diameter of 0.4−0.6 mm.

Form

Most fishermen use Cheburashkas of the classic round shape. This is due to the ease of their manufacture and good performance characteristics. Round sinkers have maximum weight with a minimum body volume, which has a positive effect on casting distance and the behavior of the bait in strong current conditions. This geometry allows the bait to quickly reach the bottom and pass well through thickets of aquatic vegetation.

Another common form of “Cheburashka” sinker is called “filda”. This type is distinguished by its oblong shape and laterally flattened body, which greatly facilitates its passage through snags, grass thickets and other underwater obstacles. “Filda” does not have such good aerodynamics as round weights, so its area of application is limited to small rivers and shallow lakes.

Flat sinkers have proven themselves well when fishing for passive fish using a spinning rod; fishing with such “Cheburashki” is carried out in still water. The flat shape of the weight allows the bait to float slowly in the water column, which is especially important when fishing for a low-active predator in heavily snagged places.

Many are in the shape of a fish head. Such products are much more expensive, but in practice they do not show any advantages over the classic options, which is why they are not popular among fishermen.

Sinker material

Eared sinkers are made of lead alloys - this is due to the low cost and ease of processing lead. Since this metal has a low melting point, the production of sinkers can be done at home.

When catching deep-sea predators, “Cheburashkas” made of tungsten alloys are often used. Sinkers made of this material have several advantages over lead ones:

tungsten has a higher specific gravity, which has a positive effect on casting distance;
due to increased rigidity, tungsten weights do not deform when hitting underwater rocks;
When hitting rocks, the hard metal makes sounds that attract fish from afar.

How to choose the right cargo

Tips for choosing the ideal Cheburashka shape:

Make sure that the shape of the weight is cast perfectly, since irregularities (bends, bulges, pits) will affect the behavior of the weight and, ultimately, the result of the catch.
The seams must be neat, since under any load, if the connection is not perfect, the sinker will fly apart.
If possible, the lead sinker should be painted, which prolongs its service life and protects it from corrosion or oxidation. However, this point is also negative, since marks from fish tracks are a kind of bite signal, and if the cargo is painted, such marks are not visible. On the other hand, the colored cargo can serve as an attack point for a predator. In this case, the choice of color is decided by the desire of the fisherman.

Tips for choosing a Cheburashka element - eyes:

Make sure that the material used to make the ears (wire) is not thick and allows manipulation.
Also, this material must be elastic and not subject to change under the influence of loads.
Pay attention to the shape of the lugs and the quality of their manufacture, remember that they must be coated with anti-corrosion lubricant.
Check the installation of the ears, it must be strong.
Make sure that the size of the lugs is harmonious with the overall design and not too large so that the required installation can be performed.
The size of the lugs must be sufficient (at right angles to each other) for unhindered installation of the equipment elements.

Next, after purchasing a good quality head, you should decide on the characteristics that will affect the catch:

the shape of the load, which was described above;
Cheburashka cargo weight.

Advice. For beginner spin fishermen, it is better to have weights with a 5g incremental advantage, such as 5g, 10g, 15g, etc. For more experienced people, a decrease of 2 g, or even 1 g.

You can read more about the weight characteristics of jig heads here

Collapsible Cheburashka

The main advantage of a collapsible Cheburashka is the ability to remove the wire eyes and thereby avoid difficulties when installing the factory ring as a connecting element with the hook at any stage of fishing. This manipulation is sometimes inconvenient to perform with an ordinary non-separable weight.

Disadvantages of collapsible cargo - under the influence of gravity, low-quality ears can pop out at the most inopportune moment.

Tip: it is recommended to store such sinkers in a box so that if the hooks slip out, they will not be lost.

Recommendation for strengthening the ears in Cheburashkas with thin wire - you need to squeeze the weight from the sides using pliers.

Many spinning anglers may have questions regarding collapsible lugs. For example, could the hole for extending the lugs affect the volume of the sinker? If you look closely, you will not see any changes in volume. Can the ears straighten? High-quality ears do not bend when additional load is placed on them. Can the thin wire of this eyelet cut fishing line (braided cord)? This situation is only possible when tying the wrong knot. For example, to secure the cord it is better to use a knot called a “clinch”.

We disassemble the incomprehensible

Everyone knows what a Cheburashka load is. The essence is this: it is a round lead ball with wire ears molded into it. It is believed that this form is very similar to the famous cartoon character.

Everything is good in such a non-collapsible cargo, but there is one serious drawback. To connect the ears to the hook, you need an additional element - a winding ring. It is round and made of steel wire, and in order to carry out these manipulations with the connection, you will have to tinker. It’s good that now there are special pliers that help open the ring. It's easier with them.

A collapsible Cheburashka is the same cargo, only its wire ears can be removed. Sometimes they are called “free ear”. With such lead weighting, changing the bait is simplified several times and takes a few seconds.

How to make a Cheburashka sinker at home

A video lesson on creating a mold from plaster and casting dismountable Cheburashkas will be demonstrated by the author of the channel “My Fishing”

A short video about making fasteners for dismountable Cheburashkas with your own hands from E. Yablochkin

Important! Before you start manufacturing, you need to know about the dangers of this metal on the human body and the environment. Read the article about the dangers of lead here https://www.vredno-vsyo.ru/index.php?newsid=147

International experience in combating the lead threat in fishing https://marine-fish.ru/era-svinca-podhodit-k-koncy-svincovye.html