The reason I use so much weight is because I fish out of a skiff that sits on top of the water bobbing around like an empty coke bottle. Even the slightest breezes moves me around causing the jigs/hooks to not stay vertical (pulling the hook out of the crappie's face). There's days when it's perfectly still with no wind or boat traffic where I could lighten up ALOT on the weight....but unfortunately those days are few and far in-between.:o Also, with heavier weiights you can move around a bit faster and still keep your lines mostly verticle.