Wobbler tuning

Tuning a salmon wobbler is something that many people are hesitant to do. Quite in vain. A good wobbler can be adjusted in a variety of different swims. Although the wobblers I make are already adjusted in the workshop to a good swim, they are nevertheless made to be adjusted for different conditions. In this article, I will explain the basics of wobbler tuning and some more special methods.

Basics of tuning a wobbler

The basic tool for adjusting a wobbler is sharp-nosed pliers (picture 1), either round-nosed or flat-nosed. However, the pliers must have slick inner surface. This avoids scratching the front loop, which can, in the worst case, break the line if it is tied directly to the front loop.
The most common need for adjusting a wobbler is that the wobbler is not swimming straight. If the wobbler sides to the left, the nose ring is twisted in the opposite direction to the right (picture 2). And the same vice versa. Very often the change needed is very small, so a small change is often enough. You learn by doing.

Making a bigger change to the swim of a wobbler

Especially with salmon wobblers, the aim is often to achieve a unstable seeking swim. Seeking occurs when the pull point of the wobbler is moved as low as possible, in which case the mass remaining above is close to causing the wobbler to tip over (picture 3). The shape of the wobbler also affects searching, but that is a subject of another article. More seeking and kick can be achieved by turning the front loop downwards, in which case the pull point drops lower (picture 4). When you want a more stable swim and less kick for the wobbler, turn the front loop upwards, in which case the pull point returns closer to the middle of the wobbler. After these measures, it is also worth checking that the wobbler swims straight. Roughly speaking, seeking action is best in a gentle current and more stable swimming is best in a strong current.

“Pro tips”

Modifying the swim plate

Even for many experienced salmon anglers, tuning a wobbler is limited to modifying the front loop. However, there are other ways to tune a wobbler, which I recommend especially for salmon anglers and trolling. The most important of these is modifying the wobbler’s swim plate with hot water. A quick dip in hot water softens the plastic plate and it is then easy to modify. In "stare-plate" wobblers, changing the angle of the outer part of the flap has a big effect on swimming. Changing the angle to a lower angle increases the wobbler’s kick, while a bigger angle reduces the kick (picture 5). These changes often also have an effect on the wobbler’s seeking action. But the effect is often individual.

In tuning saddle-plate wobblers, I think heat modification has the biggest effect when you want the wobbler to have a seeking action. Even a very small change in the angle of the swim plate can bring the wobbler to life (picture 6). In saddle-plate wobblers, I think modifying the plate is more important than modifying the loop up or down, of course, also those changes affect swimming. I always have hot water in a thermos when I tune the wobblers I make.

Hooks

When talking about seeking action in wobblers, hooks have a big impact on the swim. Influential factors are the weight of the hook, the length of the shank and the width of the mouth. There is no basic rule when choosing a hook for a wobbler, but the effect of changing the hook can only be determined by experimenting. However, I recommend you try it (picture 7).

Feel free to experiment. The wobblers I make are made to be tuned.