View Full Version : bottom bouncers
wally whacker
05-07-2001, 11:28 AM
I just read the article on bottom bouncers for walleyes, but didn't see one major factor listed, current. I understand the one ounce for 10, 2 ounce for 20, rule, but what about when current is involved. I live on the st. lawerence river, and there is alot of current up here. When your fishing in 40 ft. of water with bottom bouncers, and there is a 1-2.5 mph current involved how much weight do you use. Or do you just use a 3 ouncer and troll down current instead of up current. I also troll between 8-20 ft. of water with a little more current, and can't even feel it touching bottom. Any help would be great, I'm a worm and shad rap fisherman so this is all new to me.
Thanx
Dan
Gilligan
05-07-2001, 11:39 AM
I've fished the St. Lawrence River some and the currents there in places are tough. the 10' per oz is a rule of thumb. Use the necessary weight bouncer to reach bottom without going past a 45 deg angle. Another effective bouncer method rather than trolling is drifting. Use all that current to your advantage. Again dont go back more than a 45deg and run live bait rigs. With all the snags there I would suggest a floating jig with a crawler piece, minnow or leech. Crawler harnesses will work too. I string on 1 or 2 of the lindy floats with the crawler harness and pump air in the crawler to keep it off the bottom tangles.
Buy an assortment of bigger sizes and try them all. You will soon learn which ones will work best. River currant changes from spot to spot and from time to time. Don't let the line get more than 45 degrees behind your boat or it could start to lift up off of the bottom. Three way rigs work the same and they have some benifits such as.. adjustable bait presentation depths, break away weights. Keep in mind, the object of the exercise is to present your bait just above the bottom, which is where most river fish will be looking for it. In dirty water, a thumping blade or a rattle will help the fish find the bait. They will hear it coming and be ready for it.
steve(IL)
05-08-2001, 04:40 AM
You might want to consider a three way rather than a bouncer. Much less drag from a three way in current. Plus you can adjust the dropper length to control # of snags.
A three-way will work much better in current then a bouncer. The bouncer has too much resistance to the current. The three way cuts better.