Bottom bouncers have become a staple of the walleye fishing industry. The reason they are so popular is because they are easy to run, versatile, and just downright catch fish. This set up is so simple, yet can have so many alterations and different styles of fishing. Today I’m going to discuss the different types of systems we like to run when out bottom bouncing.
Rods/Reels
I like to use a stouter rod when bottom bouncing. This is because I like to run bigger bouncers and have a firm backbone when I set the hook. I favor a 6’6-7’0 medium-heavy rod with a fast or moderate action. The reason I favor these set ups is because I still have a good feel for what is happening with my line, but I have a firm backbone for setting the hook and fighting a fish.
For reels I favor a larger spool baitcasting reel. Line counters are not critical for bottom bouncing, but if you are fishing with someone that has not bottom bounced much it helps to make sure that the lines are set at the right depth. As far as line, I favor 8-12lb Berkley Fireline. This is because it has no-stretch properties. This allows me to feel every pebble that the bouncer ticks across and also even the slightest bites. It also is strong for reeling in larger fish especially with the heavy bouncer. I like the crystal color because it is easy to see so you always can tell the angle that your bait is running.
Mason Propst runs a slightly different system. He favors the heavier rods as well, but he prefers to have an 8ft rod and a 6ft rod. He also runs large spool baitcasting reels and Fireline for a mainline. He favors the brighter neon green color because it allows him to see the line easy, much like the crystal.
Chris Seylar likes to run the 6’6-7’0 rods, although he favors a little more sensitivity and prefers a medium fast set up. He runs both braid and mono for a mainline and sees the pros and cons to each. “Mono is less visible for when I am fishing clear water” he says. “Also, if I am fishing around a lot of snags when I do get snagged up it breaks easily. This allows me to spend less time fighting a snag and get re-rigged and back on the fish.” The braid also has its own benefits though. “Braid is much stronger and has better sensitivity, but it is more visible and I feel that when fish are finicky it can deter bites” he says.
Bottom Bouncer Size
All three of us like to run heavy bottom bouncers. When I am backtrolling, I like to run 1 ½ oz bouncers out the front and 3oz bouncers out the back. This allows me to have my front rods let a little more line out and the back rods stay right below the boat. This keeps my lines away from each other and avoids tangles. I have a perfect angle to bounce across all snags and I still get a firm hookset.
Mason has a different style of avoiding tangles. He runs 2-3oz bouncers on all of his rods, but as discussed above he runs a long and a short rod system. “I like to use the longer 8ft rod to get the bait further away from the boat, while the shorter 6ft rods keeps it tighter” Mason says. This system allows him to fish the same weight depending on depth, but still avoid tangling. When he’s fishing shallow he runs the 2oz, while deeper he will go up to 3oz.
Chris also prefers the 1 ½ to 2oz bottom bouncer. When he is fishing shallower or in thick cover he goes with the lighter bouncer. This allows it to bounce around easier and it is less likely to be snagged. When he is deeper or fishing a less thick area he goes with the heavier bouncer.
Blade Selection
While many anglers think of “pulling spinners” with bottom bouncers, there are actually a wide variety of baits that can be pulled behind a bottom bouncer.
I have a pair of tackle boxes for bottom bouncing. Just looking at the pictures you can tell a couple different of my thoughts on my blade selection. The first is that I have a wide selection of blades, but it is very easy to tell what my favorite blades are.
I prefer two types of blades. Early in the season I like to use smaller blades. I occasionally use a size 0 silver Colorado blade (bottom box), but the majority of damage I do when fishing with a smaller blade is with a Macks Lure Smile Blade (top box). I really like the .8 inch blades as these are a nice compact profile that adds a little flash and vibration to your bait. This makes it attractive, but doesn’t steal the show. I love fishing these blades at slow speeds, but they also are extremely versatile and do well at higher speeds as well.
How I like to approach the rig early in the season is to have a size #2-#4 Aberdeen or Octopus hook with a single 5mm bead. Usually either the plain set up like that is going to be the top option or simply sliding a .8 inch Smile blade onto it will be the ticket.
As the season moves on blades seem to be a bigger factor. Generally what I will do is just put a different colored blade on. If I have multiple anglers in the boat I will keep one plain hook out or possibly put out a size 2 Colorado blade. I will generally keep my Smile blades out, but as the summer progresses I will begin switching towards size 3 Colorado blades. I really like the metallic colors with these blades. Gold and silver are colors that I feel are pretty universal and baits I often have out when fishing a new body of water or I just do not know what to do. As far as Smile Blade colors my favorite are Pink Silver Tiger, Chartreuse Sparkle, Gold Sparkle and Silver Scale.
Towards fall I begin the transition to size 3-5 Colorado blades. This time of year the bigger blades resemble the bigger prey species and many walleye are going to be chowing on them. The larger baits are also going to give off more flash and vibration and be really appealing especially in dark and dingy conditions. Many anglers are switching to crankbaits at this point, but the large blades can also do some tremendous work.
Mason is also a huge believer in Smile blades. He also prefers the .8 inch blades as he feels that smaller blade is just enough to attract attention to your bait, yet still present naturally. His favorite colors are Purple Scale, Green Silver Tiger, Silver Mirror and Pink Silver Tiger. He also favors using Tru-Turns or Slow Death hooks to get more action out of his nightcrawler.
Chris prefers size 2-3 Colorado blades. He likes gold blades as well because they have a nice flash and pop when fishing clear water. He also likes firetiger and natural perch colors to emulate the yellow perch that are in the Iowa Great Lakes system. The Colorado blades produce a lot of flash and thump so they can attract fish from a great distance in the deep, clear bodies of water.
Bottom bouncing is a very simple concept. This article outlined the basic set up, but when walleye anglers get their minds to work a simple concept can become very complex. This article was all about laying the foundation for the basic bottom bouncing rig. In the next article we will outline the more advanced concepts such as speed, boat control and triggering mechanisms. Stayed tuned and good fishing!
Learn More
One of the most important parts of bottom bouncing is making sure your rig is at the perfect angle. In this video, I highlight how to make sure you’re running as snagless as possible and going to have the highest hooking percentage!
The most common mistake I’ve found anglers make when bottom bouncing is they unleash their inner-Kevin VanDam and try to bury the hook home on every little nibble. This is not the time to do this. In this video I highlight the way to make proper hooksets so you hook more fish throughout the day!
Want to learn more about the blades in this article? Check out my video showing the different types of blades anglers deploy.
Tying Your Own Snells
Bottom bouncing is a unique technique, because it gives the average angler the ability to completely customize their rig. While building or painting crankbaits or making jigs can be done by particularly crafty anglers, snells can be tied by any angler who can tie a knot. Learn about how you can customize your snells in Snell Tying Basics.
Related Articles
The second installment of our talk about bottom bouncers discusses speed and boat control! Find out everything you need to know in Bottom Bouncing II: Speed and Boat Control.
In the third and final article, we evaluate what to do when the bite becomes tough. In mid-summer, the most important factor in finding success is being attractive. Find out everything you need to know in Bottom Bouncing III: Being Attractive.
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great stuff thanks!