The basic rule: one ounce of weight for every 10 feet of depth. A 2-ounce bottom-bouncer is pretty versatile, but a 3-ouncer may be necessary to get your spinner down to the bottom when fishing around 30-feet deep. You want to keep your line at about a 45-degree angle for the best action and feel of your presentation.
How far off the bottom should I fish for walleye?
Baits can be set within 6 inches of the bottom, even half that, which is often where the bait should be when Walleyes are only slightly active.
How fast do you troll bottom bouncers for walleye?
The best trolling speed for bottom bouncers is 1 to 1.4 mph. This slow speed is necessary to make sure your bouncer maintains regular bottom contact. If you troll faster than 1.4 mph, the whole rig tends to be pulled up in the water, and your bait will be trolled too high in the water column.
How fast should a bottom bouncer be?
The reason bottom bouncers are so effective is the simple versatility. You can speed up to cover water at over two miles per hour with a bottom bouncer. You can also slow down at a mile per hour or less. You can fish deep water or shallow.
Why are walleyes so hard to catch?
You’re cranking weed edges too slowly.
Walleyes relating to weedbeds often school tightly. To find them, quickly work a crankbait along the edges until you get a strike. You can pick that area apart slowly after you find the fish with a fast-moving lure.
Can you use a bottom bouncer from shore?
You can also use a bottom bouncer from shore. Either way, as you drag, the bait or lure will bounce, raising puffs of sand or mud. It is also helpful to know how to make a bottom bouncer rig to keep your bait in the right position.
Are walleye at the bottom?
Walleyes are basically bottom feeders, but don’t ignore those fish that suspend over drop-offs in deep lakes.A great way to go after these fish is to troll for them . Vary your trolling speed and try fishing with several different colors until you hit on a successful combination.
What line do you use for walleye?
When making walleye rigs, the only real options you have are monofilament or fluorocarbon. You need a clear line, obviously, so you don’t spook the fish. Most guys I know lean towards fluorocarbon because it’s more clear and abrasion-resistant.
What line do you use to troll for walleye?
monofilament line
For most walleye trolling applications 10 to 14 pound test monofilament line is the ideal choice. Lines of this pound test rating are more than strong enough to handle even big walleye, yet thin enough to enable crankbaits and other popular trolling lures to reach substantial depths.
What is the best hook size for walleye?
The best all around hook size for walleye fishing is a size 2 to 6 single hook, or a size 8 to 10 treble hook. In some cases it’s better to use smaller hook sizes, since walleye can be shy biters in lakes with a lot of fishing pressure, and often respond better to smaller finesse presentations.
What’s the best time to fish for walleye?
The best times of day to fish for large walleye is around dawn and dusk. In particular, 30 minutes before and after sunset and sunrise are peak times. That said, walleye will continue to feed all night long. On cloudy or windy mornings, walleye may feed up to an hour and a half after sunrise.
What color lures do walleye like?
The most basic and most productive colors for targeting walleye are purple and green. These colors come in a variety of shades and can be used in a large range of depths. For sunny days, select bright or flashy purple or green, and for cloudy days try a solid, darker green or purple.
How do you target walleye?
Walleye Lures such as Crankbaits and Soft Plastics are a staple among the Walleye elite. I recommend starting out with Live Bait, either jigging or rigging, to get your hands on some fish first. If Live Bait is not readily available or you’re set on targeting trophies, then lures are the way to go.
Can you catch walleye with spoons?
I like to make a short cast followed by bouncing the spoon off the bottom of the lake. When using this technique, I find that casting out about 20 feet from the boat and allowing the hook to sink to the bottom with a very (very) slow retrieval, has proven successful to land some beautiful Walleye.
Can you use bottom bouncers with crankbaits?
Bottom Bouncer with Crankbaits – Another method for fishing bottom bouncers is to use a long leader and a crankbait behind it. I LOVE to use this presentation when fishing breaks or ledges, where my depth changes a lot. The key is to use a floating crankbait, like the Rapala Original Floater #13 or the Smithwick Rogue.
How do you fish walleye with crankbaits?
If walleyes are shallow, then crankbaits that run 6-8 feet deep with 100 feet of line out like 15A Bomber Long A and Cotton Cordell Ripplin’ Red Fin will run right into the fish. If you need to get shallower, you simply let out less line while trolling.
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