Bottom bouncing soft bottom

[SkunkedAgain]

Could anyone help me figure out how to tell when I have enough line out with my bottom bouncer on a soft bottom? On a hard rocky bottom it's easy to feel but I've been trying a soft bottom and I think it just cuts into the mud and I can't tell at all what is happening. Anyone have some tricks they wouldn't mind sharing? Thank you J
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[RockyRaab]

I'm no expert, but I'd switch to a heavier weight and a shorter drop-back using braid. Braid is not only thinner in diameter per test but is non-stretch.
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[runnoft]

While bouncing a mud bottom drop your rod back towards the transom. if you have the right amount of line out it will stick in the mud slightly. Having too much line out it will allow the line to go slack (because the bouncer is laying on the bottom). If you don't have enough line out it won't stick. Good Luck
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[WiperMac]

My first thought is you need to slow down. We had some really nice warm days that got the top layer of the water column up to temp, but below that it's still to cold to be washing worms at high speed. Slower should also help with sensitivity.
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[submoa]

I have the best results when my bouncer touches bottom occasionally not all the time. The line should be no more than a .45 degree angle and hitting bottom, your speed will determine that, I'm usually bouncing at .05 - .08 mph GPS speed. Very your weight of bouncer and boat speed to make that angle happen. Feeling the bottom should not be hard at all, different rods have different sensitivity obviously, that would be where I'd start to look if you can't feel the bottom. There is obvious exceptions but for the most part that's money for me.
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[mactuna]

You should be stright down, no angle. If you have too stop your boat and drop until you hit bottom
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[k2muskie]

As mentioned rod or off side or back with rod at a 45* angle. We drop line down till slack wind up 1/2 turn to pull bouncer vertically off bottom. Then start moving and bouncer should just slightly tic bottom and you'll note that on rod tip. Rule of thumb we go by is for every 10 FOW its an ounce of weight on bottom bouncer. Has proved successful for us on Willard. [][]
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[SkunkedAgain]

Good tips I'll try and see how it turns out. Thank you. J
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[SkunkedAgain]

This is a great tip when taken with some of the others I hope to figure it out. It sounds like it should work. Thank you. J
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[SkunkedAgain]

Thanks Trevor I'll use those tips with the others to hopefully feel what is happening. Thanks J
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[SkunkedAgain]

I appreciate the tips, I'll have to try my sensitive graphite rod. I'll bet that will help with all the other tips. Thank you. J
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[SkunkedAgain]

I'll use this with the others and I think I'll get there thank you J
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[SkunkedAgain]

Thanks for the tips, I've been using about 1 oz but been trying 18 ft down and may be going too fast. Thank you J
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[k2muskie]

Yep per our research on Walleye fishing not that we're any experts by anymeansf but ya want an ounce per 10'. for the depth of 18' we'd use 2 oz bouncers and early season with bow mount speed will be between .5 and .8 MPH on GPS sometimes just barely moving. Of course if there's a breeze its adjusting for that.

Later in season when we mark fish up say a 3-5' off bottom we'll use a 1.5 oz drop down to bottom get slack and crank reel up two cranks so bouncer doesn't tick bottom and will bump speed up to say 1-1.2 MPH and we slayed the Walleye later season. But again we're just learning Walleye fishing and have done lots of our own research and this is whats helped us out...good luck [][].
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[SkunkedAgain]

I think I was going too fast, my motor is still having issues slowing down after the winter gas gum up, so I've been giving it a little more juice to keep it running and have been about 1.4 mph. Plus the bouncers I have say 1 oz but I wonder if they are lighter... I think I've gotten lots of great tips from everyone and I know I need to go practice and see if I can put them into action... I haven't had a problem on hard bottom, but this soft stuff has really been trying my patience... Thanks for the advice... J
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[mactuna]

Frmo 1.2 to 1.5 max
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[SkunkedAgain]

Got it unless I'm after wiper. J
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[mactuna]

Believe it or not sometimes we catch Wipers and Sripers at a slower pace
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[k2muskie]

That be the truth...many Wipers including TD cookie cutter kitties C&R including Crappie and Bass on a bottom bouncer with harness setup going slow...several times multiple hook ups on the harness...now thats fun...[cool][cool]
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[PACKFAN]

The 45 degree angle is just a place to start, depending upon conditions. Some lakes I fish walleye in I use a 3 to 4 Oz. weight. Yuba was a good example I would use a heavy weight with line straight down and just tick the willow tops with my bouncer, when I could feel the tips ticking my bouncer a little too much I would raise my rod tip to clear the brush. The eyes loved hanging in or near the brush. There are several other places in Utah you can use this technique as well. I have people that don't believe that I catch walleye on Willard trolling a worm harness at 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 MPH on a down rigger, but that is later in the spring and early summer. That technique will produce wipers as well as channel cats. My partner and I won a wiper tourney last summer doing that.[fishin]
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