I too, use mostly collarless ball heads. !/16 oz is my standard size. I usually use the countdown method to find the bottom than vary the depth until I find the fish. I consider the few jig losses that occur to be the cost of doing business and leave it at that. Last year I added a St Croix Panfish rod (7 ft light action) to my arsenal and liked it so much I will be adding another next month. Great rods.