Ever used a rock cod sinker as a downrigger weight?

I was browsing around in Outdoor Emporium in Seattle today while picking up something for the new Outback and discovered some big fishing weights called rock cod weights. They are little rectangular weights with a square end and a rounded off end. I've been contemplating how to get more weight with less drag on my downrigger lately, and it occurred to me that I might be able to use one of those rock cod weights with one quick modification as a downrigger weight. Here's a picture of one that I found online.



I thought that I could add one more brass screw-in eyelet on one of the flat sides and have myself a sleek little downrigger weight. I picked up a 3lb version since even my 4lb cannonball weight is overkill on local lakes and stuff, so a little math that I struggled to remember from my engineering classes told me that the 3lb rock cod weight would likely do at least as well as the 4lb cannonball weight. I stopped by McLendon Hardware on the way home and picked up some brass screw-in eyelets, and one quick hole drilled was all that was needed. Since it was just a fun little project anyway, I thought it wouldn't hurt to throw a coat or two of paint on the final product to keep from handling the bare lead. It's yellow for now, which should make it a lot easier to see coming up, but I may eventually paint it black or vinyl dip it if the idea works.

I pondered a bit over how far from the round end to mount the eyelet to hook to the downrigger line, and ended up just over 1 1/4" back from what will be the front edge when it's moving through the water. That should result in a standard flasher and hoochie setup pulling it just enough so that the weight is flat in the water or just slightly tilted downward to give it a bit of a diver action. I'll likely end up adding another eyelet a bit farther back just to see how that behaves after I test with the current one.

I haven't tried it yet and likely won't get to for at least a few weeks, but even if it's a total failure it was entertainment for a couple hours of pondering and making it that only cost me about $12 total. If it does work, I'm going to pick up one of the 5lb size, which is just a longer version of the 3lb size. That should work as well as a 6lb cannonball weight for getting baits down and have a lot less drag on the side of my kayak. I'll pick up some reflective tape for the flat sides like Cannon has on the fins of their cannonballs, too. 

Without further adieu, here's the masterpiece in its glory. 

Here's a picture of the 4lb cannonball with the 3lb rock cod weight for size comparison. It should have a lot less drag going through the water.

That'll FISH.   
The latest rage with downrigger weights is the "stick" style.  So, the long axis of the lead hangs vertically in the water column (and dances effectively around the stumps and underwater hazards). The rock cod weight would do just fine in either aspect (as a stick or as a ball).

I use a downrigger ball troll for attracting kokanee.  https://fishfield.com/products/kokaneekid-fishing-flasher-downrigger-release?variant=7077293850657
These are great for having just the right amount of leader to handle your line into the snap release and also attracting kokanee while trolling with your downrigger weight.