Spoonbill Bouncers – A unique bottom bouncer designed by Nebraska Custom Tackle. Many anglers chose to use a bottom bouncer in conjunction with a spinner rig, as this simple presentation offers a great deal of versatility and can be an extremely beneficial combination in all kinds of water. I use 10.5-foot walleye rods out the sides, and 5-foot “shorty” rods out of the inside when long lining all 4 rods. I have 2 small boxes that cover the 50+ weights verses a large storage box ( and less tangles). If I must fish slow with light line, I often prefer to slip bobber or live bait rig. Since I do like to run bottom bouncers at faster speeds, I am also a big believer in using heavier snells. Bottom bouncers have proven to be an effective tool in the pursuit of walleye. (2) Cover and Structure The combination of cover and structure often produces the biggest walleyes. Prop rigs like Northland Fishing Tackle’s Butterfly Blade are simply deadly as they turn at much slower speeds than traditional spinner blades which keeps the presentation off the bottom and out of snags particularly when you have to turn the boat a lot to stay on tight structure. Sometimes because of sunlight or air pressure the Walleyes slow right down and go deeper in the 15 to 20-foot range. document.write('
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$2.26 $ 2. Bottom Bouncing Walleye Fishing Rig My 3-way swivel method is great for fishing for deep walleyes that are over 20 feet deep and it's good for covering ground when the Walleyes are spread out. If you feel resistance stop and see if you can feel the walleye sucking on the worm. This is not a case for finesse. Trout and Whitefish wait for the Mayflies to reach the surface. Get it as soon as Tue, Feb 9. Bottom bouncers work so well there have even been cases of painted bottom bouncers being reeled in only to have the angler find actual teeth marks in the paint because of a Walleye attack. Bottom bouncing, a modified form of drift fishing or trolling, is an effective way to attract fish and cause them to strike or start feeding.Learning how to use a bottom bouncer also provides anglers with an excellent method for locating fish if not familiar with the waters. It's very similar to the traditional Lindy rig but with some refinements, which really do make a difference. $23.99 $ 23. Picture is the author Jason Mitchell with his oldest son Brennen Mitchell with Brennen’s largest walleye from the summer of 2019. $9.47 $ 9. These curved soft baits zig zag and swim through the water at over a mile and a half per hour and really seem to trigger the larger fish and the added movement seems to keep the smaller fish from being able to get their mouths around the bait. Let the bottom bouncer down to the bottom and start trolling slowly.Drag the bottom bouncer for a foot then lift it off the bottom and touch down again.Do this over and over. A bottom bouncer baitcasting reel should be comfortable, reliable and have a smooth drag. I'm putting together a strategy to fish my first real tournament in three weeks, and the lake we will be fishing has constant variation in the bottom (flooded badlands). Bullet Weights LBBP38-6 Painted Bottom Bouncers (6-Pack) 3.8 out of 5 stars 6. Of course, there are exceptions. The reason bottom bouncers are so effective is the simple versatility. document.write('
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An ounce for every ten feet of water will enable you to easily fish the bottom bouncer below the boat at about a forty-five-degree angle. As walleye anglers, we are conditioned to rig soft plastics on jigs for fishing below a boat or when pitching away from the boat. Bottom bouncers and spinner harnesses can be run with no live bait as well which can be extremely deadly at times. In fact, if I could only use one presentation alone during the month of July, it would be hard to beat a bottom bouncer teamed up with either a spinner harness or some type of rig. $23.99 $ 23.
More advanced terminal tackle like Bottom Bouncers, Beads, Blades, Trolling Accessories etc. Troll worm harnesses behind bottom bouncers or floating Rapalas on a three way rig as slow as 0.8 mph. I find that fourteen or even twenty-pound snells track behind the bottom bouncer much better at the faster speeds and enable you to use speed to find and trigger fish. Quantum still makes a reel with a flipping … if (document.body.clientWidth <= 1024) {
If the fish are being extra resistant to your attempts, the 3-Way Swivel Rig may save your fishing excursion. Quantum still makes a reel with a flipping switch called the Accurist PT. Running 4 inlines and 2 bouncers, the bouncers go near bottom, run your 1oz inlines 25, 35, 50 and 65 back and let the fish tell you where they want it. If you are drifting fast than you can have two or three feet from the slip sinker to the jig. When we are faced with this we usually go with a bottom bouncing Walleye rig, which is called a Loten Rig after Greg Loten, a commercial bush pilot who perfected the technique. You may hear the term “Walleye chop” which refers to rough water that typically increases the Walleye’s feeding activity. Feeling a hard strike on a bottom bouncer and setting the hook is right up with catching a fish on a jig. Keep the speed at 0.8 to 1.1 mph. Whether drifting or trolling, simply remember to let out enough line so that the bottom bouncer touches bottom. and you're trolling speed will be 1/2 to 3 mph. 4.7 out of 5 stars 60. Basically, you’re using the longest trolling rods you have out the sides and the shorter rods back at an angle. First, slide a 1/8 ounce (1/4 if it's windy) slip-sinker down your line and tie on your floating jig. Subscribe to our Newsletter to receive ongoing updates and notifications on new product arrivals.We’ll make sure to keep you in the loop! If you do a few simple things right with a bottom bouncer rig it's hard not to catch walleye: 1. $31.99. If you just stick the needle in from the side (which my diagram shows incorrectly) the air leaks out and the rig will not be as buoyant. Through this entire spectrum, walleye bottom bouncers are forgiving in that you can slide out into deeper water or move up shallow and keep your presentation near the bottom if need be. 40. Last, bottom bouncers are simply fun. Slowly trolled or drift fished, the key to getting the most from a bottom bouncer and spinner combination is letting out just enough line to make “soft contact” with the bottom. Bottom Bouncer Trolling Speed . }
For rods and reels, I prefer to use a baitcasting set up. As a rule of thumb, we recommend an ounce of weight for every ten feet of water. 26. Bullet Weights LBBP38-6 Painted Bottom Bouncers (6-Pack) 4.0 out of 5 stars 7. There are few tools that will help you catch more walleye right now under so many different conditions. For example, what line you use for pitching, vertical jigging, bottom bouncers and rigging, trolling, etc. Only 1 left! Trolling is a popular walleye presentation and also a fishing method practiced with a wide variety of fishing lines. These same tactics work on lethargic post spawn walleye as well. How do you troll with a bottom bouncer? If the weeds are 6 inches off the bottom then put the split-shot about 9 inches from the floating jig. Pulling blades behind a bottom bouncer is a slam dunk, bread-and-butter tactic for summertime walleyes. }
You can trigger fish with speed and harnesses or go with more subtle hybrid rigs like Butterfly Blades and cover a lot of water on the other end of the spectrum. Snell length can really vary. Bottom bouncing is most commonly done from a drifting or trolling boat, and is a great way to attract or locate fish during most seasons and times of day. The bottom bouncer is not intended to be a finesse presentation. The most common sizes are 1, 2 and 3 ounces, but a number of manufacturers produce these trolling sinkers in sizes up to eight ounces for fishing in deep water applications. In both North and South Dakota, bottom bouncer rigs have been catching walleye on the Missouri River reservoirs for an awfully long time. Through this entire spectrum, bottom bouncers are forgiving in that you can slide out into deeper water or move up shallow and keep your presentation near the bottom if need be. Also the Walleyes are less aggressive and tend go after slow moving or stationary baits. Running 4 inlines and 2 bouncers, the bouncers go near bottom, run your 1oz inlines 25, 35, 50 and 65 back and let the fish tell you where they want it. In this type of scenario jigging with regular jigs is not that effective because your jig gets covered with muck and weeds really fast. By far the quickest and easiest way to get into Columbia River walleye is to use bottom bouncers and worm harnesses. … In order to stay on the bottom you'll need 1oz. When the water temperatures are over seventy degrees, we often see the fish grab on to the bait and as the bait keeps moving, the fish simply do not want the bait to get out of their mouth. #7 Red Barrel Swivel 5ea. If it feels like a Walleye set the hook hard. You can fish shallow or deep. I can still remember being out with a guide on the Whalesback Channel when I first learned this technique and we caught more walleye in a day than I had in 5 years combined. will ALL vary. Bottom-bouncers are a killer (and super easy) way to search out late-summer fish. Trolling really kicks into high gear for summer walleye. Bottom bouncers are an incredibly effective tool for catching walleye on a wide variety of natural lakes and reservoirs come midsummer. Heavier snells hold up to faster speeds so much better. I personally like to use a stiffer seven-foot medium heavy bait casting rod as the stiffer rod loads up and pops the bottom bouncer through rocks and snags much better especially if you have the rods in the rod holders. If your snell or harness is getting twisted, you are using too light of poundage on your snell. Bottom bouncers have been proven that they work extremely well when it comes to fishing for Walleye. You do not want to jig the rig way up like a normal jig or jig it aggressively. A walleye master, Dale, has fished walleye from Arkansas to Canada and Michigan to Montana, and he doesn’t disappoint. The reality is there is no one fishing line for every walleye fishing application. As you change depths, you can always let out more line or pick up line. Watch and learn as walleye expert, Dale Gilbert, shares his best tips for trolling for walleye with rigs. When Walleyes go deep it means there is a reason why they went deep and their feeding patterns get disrupted and they become very lazy. For holding the rod, nothing beats a good baitcasting reel with a flipping switch, which is getting harder to find. Over the past few years I have went away from using actual bottom bouncers and inline weights for trolling. You can run plain snells and live bait. Bottom-bouncers are a killer (and super easy) way to search out those mid-summer fish when they’re spread out in smaller pods. In clear water, using a simple plain snell is extremely deadly and is underrated at times. Alot of the times the big girls hit a 1 oz inline at 10 back even in 50+ feet of water. }. 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Deals on fishing bottom bouncers when you shop the largest online selection eBay.com. From two to 20 feet deep and keep in contact with the bottom rod... Shine around rock, gravel, etc storage box ( and less tangles.... Some anglers will even go so far as to call this tackle the trolling for walleye with bottom bouncers bait because of sunlight or pressure!