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Bottom Bouncer Fishing for Walleyes

Over the years, I’ve talked about the effectiveness of the worm harness. Now, meet it’s partner, the bottom bouncer. Together they become the Butch Cassidy and Sundance Kid of walleye fishing.

It’s a perfect rig for the type of fishing I do best, and that’s to drift over schools of fish to keep the bite going as long as I can. Other anglers prefer to troll but that produces boat noise which will scatter the skitterish walleye. By drifting they only see my shadow.

But there is a limitation on the bottom bouncer. It’s only effective when there is a strong enough wind to push the boat along at a 1-

2 mph clip. Not to worry, though. Lake Erie breezes are adequate for “bouncing” on most days, especially during the spring and fall.

Other than the rig itself, fishermen don’t need a special rod and reel. Just use the one you have but make sure the reel is spooled with plenty of line 10

-pound test or more to handle the drag weight.

On average, a one-ounce bottom bouncer is adequate. But it’s advisable to keep five or six of various weights on reserve. If I need more weight, I will slip a barrel sinker up on the bottom wire and bend over the end to hold the sinker in place.

What I haven’t mentioned yet about this method of walleye fishing is that you don’t have to cast it. Merely drop it into the water, let out enough line to drag it across the bottom (you’ll feel it) and hold on. It’s the perfect approach for novice anglers to nail a trophy walleye.

I’m not sure who invented the bottom bouncer but he or she must have been a fisherman who likes to keep it simple. After all, it’s just a piece of medium wire about 18 inches long, with a chunk of lead molded onto it. The top section is bent over at a 90-

degree angle.

Attach a snap swivel and it’s ready for action. Back in the day fishermen made bottom bouncers out of metal coat hangers that came from the local dry cleaner. Now they are widely available at discount stores and bait & tackle shops for around $1.50 and come in some provocative colors.

I’m a little particular when it comes to the worm harness that I use with a bouncer. Most of the ones I make are for casting and are only about 24 inches long. I like them to be around 30

-

36 inches behind a bouncer. Two reasons for this: to disassociate the bait from the weight and to keep the blade, hook and worm as close to the bottom as possible without catching a snag.

The lurching of the boat as it goes over waves will put plenty of action on the harness and the lower part of the wire will drag across the bottom to create a little noise that walleyes will want to investigate. When they do it’s going to be hard for them to resist the lure of that blade and nightcrawler.

When I purchase new bottom bouncers I usually tweak them a little. Most manufacturers only bend the wire together at the top where your line is attached. Sometimes the rig will become tangled when the line slips downward to the sinker. To cure this problem I’ll attach a metal collar (see photo). I wish the manufacturer would tackle this problem during production.

While it’s difficult to know how much line to let out when fishing with a bottom bouncer, you should be able to feel the wire scoring the bottom. But if you can’t here’s a tip: keep on hand a black felt

-tipped pen.

When you hook your first fish quickly mark the line at the reel. For the next fish let out the line to the black mark. Or you could spend more money on a line counter. But that’s your choice.

About the Author

Capt. Tony Denslow is a retired news journalist who now operates a sportfishing charter business on Lake Erie.

Patching the pour hole in a poured ceramic bead.

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