02-21-2003, 12:34 PM
Hey AFDan, just a couple more things on bottom bouncers. Play the wind if you can. A nice steady breeze blowing into shore can stir up food and get the fishies in a feeding frenzy. I f you can pull a harness without running a motor, you can catch fish very shallow. I've caught Walleye in the clear waters of Deer Creek as shallow as 7' with a 3 oz. bouncer right under the boat. In the middle of the afternoon. Pay close attention when the water gets dirty.
Also, sometimes you want to stay just above bottom. On big mudflats, you can stir up so much mud with your bouncer that the fish can't find your bait. Thats where the lift drop that Dennis mentioned really helps out. Following fish will attack on the lift, as your bait comes up out of the murky stuff. If you just drag bottom, they will follow the mudline for a while and not hit. Extra long leaders can help a bit too. We found that a 48" or so lead caught more fish than a 36" lead while fishing the flats at Deer Creek last spring.
walleyebob
[signature]
Also, sometimes you want to stay just above bottom. On big mudflats, you can stir up so much mud with your bouncer that the fish can't find your bait. Thats where the lift drop that Dennis mentioned really helps out. Following fish will attack on the lift, as your bait comes up out of the murky stuff. If you just drag bottom, they will follow the mudline for a while and not hit. Extra long leaders can help a bit too. We found that a 48" or so lead caught more fish than a 36" lead while fishing the flats at Deer Creek last spring.
walleyebob
[signature]