Hi Guys - Sinking Tip here ("ream churning" a specialty Sloggi !!
).
I am a big fan of floating devons (have been for many years) for the situations when I am forced to accept that spinning offers me my best chance of a fish (usually early spring when the water is too high to get in with the 'big fly rod').
THE RIG :
Don't buy Bouncing Betty's from a tackle dealer
. They usually come come in packs of three 'standard' weights and have the lead 'welded' into the 'tube' (I wonder why
) thus preventing removal and the option to change the weight easily depending on the pool (or part of the pool) that you happen to be fishing - not too mention costing a small fortune.
Getting the correct weight is crucial. As with ANY method - fly or spin - presentation (depth, pace) is paramount.
Get clear beer kit tubing (50 pence for a hundred yards from any home brew shop - a slight exaggeration I know but compare the cost to shop bought Betty's!!) - cut into approx 3" lengths - stick a dod of clear epoxy resin ( 75 pence a gallon !!), or similar, into the 'top' end into which you stick a bog standard barrel swivel (below the barrel otherwise you will restrict 'articulation') - leave to dry and harden - Bob's yer uncle - bouncing Betty's at a fraction of the cost ;D !!.
Now the difficult bit... get someone you know who is adept at such things to make you moulds in various lengths and to create a range of weights then melt down some lead which is easily, and cheaply, got from 'scrappy's'. The moulds can be long and thin or with a thin 'tip' bulked out for weight underneath. By "thin" I mean fractionally bigger in diameter than the inside diameter of the tubing - about 1/4" as a ball park size. I personally prefer long thin 'sticks' of lead as they can be trimmed / shortened bankside via a small pair of pliers to achieve the 'perfect' weight for the water / flow conditions. The 'long thin' lead is also infinitely easier to 'work' loose should you get stuck on the bottom. Apropos of this, another reason that the 'welded' shop bought Betty's are bad news is that should you get 'stuck' the lead wont pull away resulting in (probably) the loss of the entire 'rig'
!!. The lead should be inserted into the tubing no more than about 3/8" to ensure that ,should you become really stuck, the lead will pull away from the tubing again ensuring that this is all you lose. Very seldom have I known the minnow to be the cause of snagging - thats one of the benefits of using this particular method unlike weighted minnows which, in my case, were all sold at a car boot sale the day I realsied I had no further use for them and that there was a far superior alternative. Finally, the 'Betty' is threaded through the eye of the 'Betty' swivel above the mainline swivel which, incidentally should always be a quality BB swivel as the minnow 'burls' and if you don't use a BB then stand back and wait for the line kink explosion
!! What you now have is a 'running' lead 'rig' (the exact same rig is also excellent form worm fishing - so I am told
!!) The addition of a BB swivel applies to 'burling' lures only (Minnows and Flying C's). Toby's, Rapalla's, Kosters, Blair's are all 'wobblers' and not 'burlers' and therefore DONT need an expensive BB swivel attatched....a bog standard barrel swivel will do....I digress (apologies Oh Sloggi one
)........a leader of about 3-4' below the BB swivel is ample and, of course, a tad lighter in breaking strain eg. mainline 18lb test and leader 15lb.
TECHNIQUE : Choose what feels like the correct weight for the pool. Have in your pocket a couple of leads that are lighter and a couple that are heavier. Remember - and apologies to the more experienced of you who may read this for stating the obvious....novices my not have realised this yet.....that you can achieve more or less depth NOT by adjusting your weight but by adjusting the ANGLE of your cast eg. a more 'square'cast will sink quicker than a cast put out at an acute angle downstream (same rules apply to fly).
You should feel the lead making 'contact' with the river bed a nano second, or three, after 'splashdown' and you should continue to 'feel' the bottom as the minnow arc's towards your bank or to a point where you have gone through the 'taking strip' - (an imaginary and variable width 'corridor' within the river where, depending on water height and speed of current, fish are likely to be - your ability to 'read' water will be tested here and your ghillie will advise accordingly!!. IF you do not achieve a decent 'arc run' and that the lead is making too 'thick' a contact with the river bed then either reduce your weight of lead (impossible with commercially manufactured Betty's without a great deal of hassle) OR adjust the angle of cast.
THE MAJOR BENEFIT : We have all read about spring spinning tactics being based around the adage of "slow and deep"...yes?. Having sussed out the 'correct' weight of lead for your Betty rig you will find that as the minnow gradually 'bounces' its way back in towards your bank that it will occasionally stop on the bottom - it has NOT snagged...it has just stopped temporarily (maybe the lead is sitting just behind a small stone or whatever) - LEAVE IT THERE for a few seconds then just gently raise your rod tip sharply and the lead will move over / around the 'obstruction' and continue to trundle around the 'arc' for a few more feet before stopping again - LEAVE IT - repeat this process until your lead has
genuinely traveled as far as it will go. At this point leave it on the 'dangle' for at least 30 seconds before you retrieve. WHY ?? .....because when your lead has temporarily 'stopped' the minnow is burling away in a 'contented' manner - how much "slower" can you get than stationary !!?? ;D. Remember, spring fish will not travel to intercept your lure - I believe that the countless angling scribes who have influenced our thoughts and learning curves over the decades are correct on this one and that you really do have to make it 'easy' for the the fish to "tak a hud (hold)" of the lure.
It makes sense to me and has produced many fish over the years - I hope that it might be productive for you also
.
Sloggi - really must remember to PM you my password so you can edit this 'diatribe' to your heart's content as the length of my recent posts have been causing you obvious upset... what was it you said again ??....that I was"churning out reams of parchment" ?? Just trying to be helpful folks !! Happy to let you talk about paint Oh wise one
).
. They usually come come in packs of three 'standard' weights and have the lead 'welded' into the 'tube' (I wonder why 
!!. The lead should be inserted into the tubing no more than about 3/8" to ensure that ,should you become really stuck, the lead will pull away from the tubing again ensuring that this is all you lose. Very seldom have I known the minnow to be the cause of snagging - thats one of the benefits of using this particular method unlike weighted minnows which, in my case, were all sold at a car boot sale the day I realsied I had no further use for them and that there was a far superior alternative. Finally, the 'Betty' is threaded through the eye of the 'Betty' swivel above the mainline swivel which, incidentally should always be a quality BB swivel as the minnow 'burls' and if you don't use a BB then stand back and wait for the line kink explosion 
!! What you now have is a 'running' lead 'rig' (the exact same rig is also excellent form worm fishing - so I am told 
)........a leader of about 3-4' below the BB swivel is ample and, of course, a tad lighter in breaking strain eg. mainline 18lb test and leader 15lb.