As a child, most of our family vacations were camping and fishing. Learning to fish was a bit stressful because my Dad would get very frustrated spending his fishing time untangling and redressing my line. It seemed as though if there were obstructions in the water, I would find them.
One trip, we went with my Grandparents. My Grandpa felt sorry for me, so when we got back to the trailer, he started playing with ideas of how to keep my weights from snagging every time I reeled in. He came-up with the elongated shape with the eye loop to tie on the line. It worked, but I couldn’t cast very far.
Then I got busy with life and did not fish again until about 45. I started going on annual fishing trips with my sister and her family. My niece was 10 and had the same luck I did. When I returned home after the first year, I started playing with my Grandpa’s original idea. I made a variety of sizes and weight sample pieces for the next trip. Over the next 2 years, I homed in on what worked best and the result is this fishing weight set.
I then patented it and put the idea out for sale. The feedback was that I needed to show market acceptability before someone would purchase the idea, so I created KBT Weights LLC. The official open for business date is April 1, 2014.
What makes these weights unique is the shape, size and weighting. For the sinker, being 4 inches long keeps it from catching on rocks and branches at the bottom of the lake. Having most of the weight at the bottom helps it to stand more upright in the water once your line is tight. This also helps to keep your hooks floating in the water instead of lying on the bottom of the lake. The bullet/torpedo shape of the head helps with the wind resistance during the cast, which allows it to carry your line out further in the casting process. By attaching the weight to a swivel at the end of your line, it helps to keep your line from tangling and noting.
Fishing with a float was a little frustrating also. Almost all floats are a thin plastic that is very easy to crack. Once it cracks, you’re done – it will not float. It was also very difficult to see against the glare of the water. Because it did not have much weight to it, you couldn’t cast it out very far. If you wanted to get out further, you’d have to play with adding bebe weights. Fishing on top of the water is also frustrating in the wind. Again, since there is not much weight to a conventional float, the wind and waves bring it back to shore. The KBT float solves all of these problems. It’s not plastic, so it won’t crack. Since it is also 4 inches long and a bright yellow, it is easy to see against the glare of the water. It’s weight and shape allows you to cast out much farther. The bullet/torpedo shaped head allows it to cut through the waves on those windy days so it stays out much longer. Since the float is attached to a swivel, it gives you a couple of different options of where to place it on your line. You can leave it at the end of your line and allow your hooks to float on tope of the water or you can place it above your hooks allowing your hooks to settle 2 to 3 feet in the water to fish at a little more depth.
It is difficult for children and adults loosing finger flexibility or degrading eyesight to work with the slip-shot weights. You have to be able to hold the line is the slit of the lead while you crimp the lead weight closed with pliers. This also requires you to handle the lead directly, which can be a health issue to some. With the KBT weights, you simply slide the clip on the swivel through the eye loop and close the clasp and you are ready to go.
It gets expensive buying replacement tackle before each fishing trip. With the KBT weights, you keep your tackle. The only thing you have to do is make sure you don’t allow your line to rot and become brittle. If you are fishing with brittle line, the weight could snap your line when you cast.
The performance of the KBT weights is noticeable. Every time I’ve been fishing with them, other people around the lake will come up to me and ask me what I’m using. Mostly, they’ve never seen anything that will consistently cast out that far. Child or adult, the distance of the cast is much greater.
Every time you fish a new lake or spot, you have no idea what lays beneath the water. If you happen to hit a spot with a lot of rocks or branches, it will typically ruin your day or even your trip. Many times, if you’re late to the lake, the fishing spots open are the ones with the most obstructions. The KBT weights allow you to cast past the spots others get caught in. Even if you land on rocks or branches, the height of the weight will keep you from getting caught or snagged.