Most of my fishing is done on slack lines, and for years I’ve used bobbins with line clips.
They do the job, but they’re not perfect. On windy nights you get false bleeps unless you turn the sensitivity right down, and recently one of my bobbin chains snapped in the dark. The head came off and the isotope went flying — luckily I found it.
That was enough to make me rethink things.
I’ve always liked using indicators, even when slacklining. They keep some tension on the line, show liners clearly, and there’s nothing better than watching one lift on a take.
Instead of replacing the bobbins, I decided to go back to short, old-school swinger arms.
Years ago I had some short Nash swingers that were spot on, and I wanted something similar — simple, solid, and reliable.
What I was really after was something like the original Solar Butt Bangers — single-hinged stainless steel arms that keep everything hanging correctly when fishing slack lines.
The problem is, they’re no longer made.
Most of what’s available now is double-hinged, which works fine in some situations, but for slacklining I don’t want the indicator head flipping upside down.
After a bit of digging, I picked up a set of 90mm Solar Butt Banger arms on eBay (they also come in 140mm).
The build quality is exactly what you’d expect from Solar — solid stainless steel that will probably last a lifetime. They also pair nicely with older setups like my Solar buzzer bars, which are still going strong after 30+ years.
I matched them with Matrix heads I already had and Trakker Clinga XT clips. You can add weight if needed — I tend to use heavier setups when fishing zigs.
Since switching over, they’ve solved the problems I was having straight away.
- No more false bleeps in the wind
- No more broken chains
- Clear indication on liners and takes
Simple, reliable, and exactly what I was after.
If you’re fishing slack lines and getting fed up with bobbins, Click Here to take a look at the original Solar Butt Bangers on Ebay