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If there are no dumb questions, this one may come pretty close. . .
Are bottom bouncers used exclusively with trolling, or have any of you used them to cast from a stationary object like a boat, tube, pier, shore, etc.?
The reason I ask is I think the concept of a bottom bouncer seems smart, and they seem to be pretty effective on the 'eyes. I plan on taking my boat to Starvation soon and targeting walleyes, but I don't have a trolling motor and was just planning on casting jigs. I'm sure I could always pull anchors and drift a bottom bouncer if the wind picks up.
Any thoughts?
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One more thing, if I used the finder to locate a submerged group of fish, what techniques may simulate a bottom bouncer-type setup if I began casting for them with jigs tipped with bait?
Would you recommend I just cast as normal, or would any of you recommend I use a bottom bouncer and cast and retrieive it? (Again, some potentially dumb thoughts here.)
After reading TubeDude's and Magnaman's reports, Magna had far better success using bottom bouncers for the Starvation 'eyes.
I'm just looking to fill my head with useful tidbits before I head to Starvation again and fish from my 14-foot tin can, instead of from TubeBabe's borrowed tube.
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YOU CAN DRIFT BOUNCERS. BUT ITS WAY HARDER TO STAY IN THE RIGHT DEPTH THE FISH ARE IN. REMMEBER DRIFTING YOUR AT THE MERCEY OF THE WIND.
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What would you suggest I use then from an ill-equipped 14-foot aluminum boat?
What I'll be taking with me, besides the boat, is a fish finder, lots of jigs in various colors and sizes, worms, perch meat, and just enough knowledge of the lake (Starvation) and walleye and perch and smallmouth species to be fairly dangerous.
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JIGS TIPPED WITH A WHOLE CRAWLER, NOT JUST A PEACE OF CRALWR OR PERCH MEAT. AND LINDY RIGS. OR TROLL DEEP DIVING PEARCH PATERNS AROUND ROCKY POINTS STAY IN CONTACT WITH THE BOTTOM. IF THE LURE ISNT TICKING THE BOTTOM IT WILL NOT WORK AS WELL. WHEN THE WIND PICKS UP MOVE CLOSER TO THE BANK THE WAIVES ARE HITTING. THATS WHERE THE FISH WILL BE FEADING.
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What size motor do you have on your boat? I have used a 16 foot aluminum with a 25 horse and been able to troll at idle with bottom bouncers for walleyes. You can always tie a bucket on a rope and drag it behind you to slow down. We have done this before when I was a kid to slow us enough with even bigger engines to slow down enough to troll. Not sure if you have used bottom bouncers much but if you try them just let out enough line to barely tick bottom once in a while. If you let out to much line the bottom bouncer falls over and just drags the crawler harness on the ground. If you plan on drifting it might help to locate the fish and then get up wind and try drifting over them with a Lindy rig and about a 4-6 foot leader with just a crawler on a hook. It helps if you get one of those worm blowers and inject some air into it to get it to float. Sometimes the same leader with a floating jig head or gumball floater with half a night crawler works pretty good. Let me know how you do. I am planning a camping trip up there labor day weekend.
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Thanks for all your help, Icing.
My motor is a 15-horse. I've never tried trolling with it, but I'm sure it would work, especially if I drug a bucket. It's often fun to experiment with new tactics and presentations, especially when one finds success.
If I follow through with my plans of hitting Starvation, I may make it an all-day or even a two-day event, so I'll like do a little experimenting.
I'll let you know how I do.
Thanks again.
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if your motor has reverse try whats called back trolling. if not take 3 bucketts. drop one and start to troll. if your line goes out moore than 45 degrees you moving to fast drop another. with bottom bouncers the moore vertical the better. have you evr fished one? if not pm me and ill fill ya in on something very important.
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You could try rigging up something like a drop shot rig. If you anchored over a group of walleye you see how close to the bottom they are. Put a small sinker on the bottom of your line and then come up the line at least the distance the fish are off the bottom and attach the hook to the line and then a little higher and put on a second hook. If it is calm I have even put a float on the top. It helps keep the line tight besides being a great strike indicator. The first time I tried this I was catching two pound rainbows at otter creek and you you could see the really light bites that you couldn't really feel. gshorthair
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]I took the wife to catch some perch and walleye. We caught alot of both and some smallmouth as well. We cleaned 27 perch between 10 and 11 inches, 15 walleye in the 16 to 17 inch range and 5 smallmouth with the biggest being a fat 15 incher all fish were caught using bottom bouncers fishing in 25 feet of water. We fished salratus and rabbit gulth.
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