What more could you want?īouncers, however, can be used in slow, vertical drifting applications, too. It also allows bouncers to crawl over contours without your needing to change the line length provides enough stretch (cushion) in the line to avoid spooking fish on the strike spreads lines without tangling, and just plain maximizes the effectiveness of spinner presentations while covering water at modest trolling speeds. This angle and your line length provide enough distance for the fish not to be spooked. You don't need your line to be vertical in fact, you don't want it to be. When trolling spinners, typically let enough line out for the rig to trail at perhaps a 45-degree angle behind the boat. So, don't grab the rod out of the holder, when you see a strike - wait till the rod bends over. Either one bend more easily, allowing an extra second or two for the fish to work its way up the bait, hooking itself before feeling any resistance. Instead, use a rod with a softer rod tip or a lower-grade composite rod. A high-graphite rod placed in a holder won't bend enough on the strike a spooky walleye will feel resistance and spit the bait out. No need to reach around with the other hand and rotate the reel handle to re-engage the gears.įor bouncer fishing, avoid using a rod that's too stiff. They're not only lightweight to hold, but you can pop the button to let out line and then simply lift your thumb to have the reel re-engage. Small flippin' (casting) reels spooled with 10-poundmonofilament are ideal for this application. If you find yourself in darker waters, though, a brighter color like firetiger is undoubtedly more what you want, to catch an 'eye in the murk. Where fish may be larger or where more flag-waving is necessary, a size 5 or 6 blade might be the better choice. Or, you could try a forage pattern like perch, to imitate the local walleye diet. Clearer water may call for a smaller blade, a 1 or 2, in a silver smooth or hammered finish to imitate flashing minnows without overdoing it. But that's not to say this is always the best combo. Why? This combo attracts midsize walleyes in average conditions, at average trolling speed, and in the colors the walleye is best adapted to see. If you took a nationwide survey of the most popular spinner rig for average conditions, it would surely be size 3 or 4 Colorado blades in orange or yellow color patterns. In any case, avoid spinner snells longer than 36 to 40 inches when fishing bouncers: they drag on the bottom.ĭo bright yellow or orange bouncers attract fish in dingy water and along mudlines - and plain lead finishes better match clear-water conditions, where fish might be spooked by excessive brightness? You make the call, yourself - as always, by experimenting to see what works best. Longer legs hold spinners a few additional inches above bottom, helping to minimize snags. Fish much deeper, and you can beef up to 3 ounces in the extreme shallows, 1/2 ounce may be enough.Įxperts play with bouncer design and color: Stiffer wire transmits changes in bottom content up the line, either to a handheld presentation or a sensitive rod tip that betrays these subtle changes. As long as you keep the line tight and the rig moving ahead, it doesn't fall over and snag.īouncers in the 1- to 2-ounce range are most popular among walleye anglers, allowing them to troll 5- to 20-foot depths at modest speeds of 1 to 2 mph, ideal for walleye spinners dressed with livebait. The intriguing bent-wire design of the bouncer incorporates a weight to get the sinker down, a wire leg to let it crawl over obstructions without snagging, and the ability to self-adjust to depth changes without your changing line length every frustrating five minutes. Just pop it in a rod holder, and wait for it to bend. Why are bottom-bouncer presentations so popular? Because they're both effective and easy to use. Perhaps the ultimate combination of coverage, triggering and temptation for walleyes, the undisputed favorite with many reservoir anglers coast to coast. A ground ball to shortstop? Nope! A bottom bouncer propelled across the bottom of a reservoir, trailing a flashing, wobbling walleye spinner harness and usually dressed with livebait.
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