BOTTOM BOUNCERS/WALKING SINKER

[JERRY]

OK GUYS WHAT IS A GOOD TYPE OF BOTTOM BOUNCER/WALKING SINKER..ECT,ECT
I SHOULD BE USING WHEN FISHING A ROCKIE RIVER BOTTOM..
(SUSQUEHANNA RIVER)WITH A CRAWLER HARNESSES.NOW THAT I GOT MY INFO ON MAKING HARNESSES(THANKS FOR THE HELP)I NEED KNOW THE BEST WAY TO USE THEM...THANKS AGAIN FOR YOUR HELP..AND COULD SOMEONE PLEASE TELL ME WHAT CLEVIS ARE??? JERRY

[s.f.]

my favorite is called the 'lite bite' sinker. Mike McClelland owns a company called "quick change tackle". they make the lite bite. mike has a spot on the wc pro page for a referance. places like dakota mart
in pierre, south dakota are well stocked. they do mail orders as well.
cabella's has a similar single wire sinker system that you can buy
wires and lead separately and change the weight size without changing the whole set-up. quite a convenient system. personally, and this makes McClelland laugh, i can't keep a regular two arm bottem bouncer from tangling. mike says "you gotta be smarter than the bottem bouncer".
so...i use the single arm lite bite sinker.
#49

[Minnesota]

A clevice is a cross lock. If you have ever heard of a "snap swivel" or a "barrell swivell" it is the snap/barrell, without the swivel. Most commonly used for crank baits. They let you switch lures without re-tying. Some people prefer a clevice and some people tie the crank directly using a loop or rapala knot. Hope this helps.

Minnesota

[SUPERTROLLER]

The clevis is the plastic or folded metal peice that you hook the spinner blade on for your harnesses. I like to use split shot on a dropper line for a bouncer weight on snaggy areas. If it snags the split shot will just pull off the dropper line without losing and having to re-tie the whole rig. The dropper line can come off a three-way swivel OR the backend of a swivel or snap-swivel. By dropping off the back half of the swivel you will still allow the swivel to spin any line twist out of your line instead of onto your reel.

[s.f.]

jerry, sorry i didn't mention the clevis in my leader info to you. the clevis is what the spinner blade rides on. the clevis is stuck through the hole in the blade and then the line runs through the clevis, therefore protecting the line from excessive wear from direct contact from the blade. many use the clevis Quick Change tackle makes.
on blades less than size 5, i use the folded metal clevis. this is lighter and allows the smaller blades to spin more freely. i always use the quick change clevis on blades 5 and up.
#49

[Jigmeister]

The "lite bite" system is the way to go. I've been using them exclusively for several years. They make it easy to change weights when depth or speed require it. They also let you feed line to a fish just like a lindy rig when needed. Plus you can change from a spinner rig to a plain snell without retying anything. Just fish them like a regular bottum bouncer at about a 45 degree angle from your rod.

[kevin]

I use 1.5 to 2 ounce bottem bouncers on the St. Louis river. I use the standard type bouncer (v-shaped). I fish this in 6-10 ft of water. My bait is very close to the boat, and is pretty much vertical most of the time. This heavy wieght allows me to keep contact of the bottem at all times. I feel where the channel is and can run right down or up the channel. The river is very dark, so this allows me to get by with fishing next to the boat. I use an electric bow mount, but run the gas in windy conditions and have produced very well. The river is not rocky, but has it's share of snags, but I really don't get hung up that much. Hope this helps.

[Chad]

Bottom bouncers are the type of fishing gear you cant use wrong.
Some people drag them way behind the boat and others fish them verticle and anywhere inbetween. If you are fishing a rocky area you will get snagged less by going verticle. The most productive position seems to be having the bouncer slightly off verticle at a 45degree angle. While pulling bouncers I am continuously dropping my rod back to make sure I am riding near bottom. It is not necessary to drag bottom all the time.

Fireline is nice to use on bouncers since if you get snagged you can usually force it up. Make sure the crawler harness is weaker then your main line. You may also need to go to a shorter harness, maybe 12-18" if too many snags.