Bottom bouncer questions

Just curious whats a good set up with these and if anyone works better. Beads, float, spninner, plain hook, crawler, leech, minnow, lead length,etc,etc,etc???? Thanks

Bottom bouncing is “NOT” 3-way trolling.
It is a great presentation to work rocks, or even snaggy wood.
I prefer a 6’6″ to 7″ M to MH stick with high modulous graphite. Feeling every tick is critical to avoid snagging up.

Normally, with bottom bouncing, you are covering ground. A controlled structure troll is a good way to look at it, with speeds between 1-2 miles per hour. Generally a spinner rig (beads and a blade) or a floating rapala will score fish consistently.

However, there are times when a good floating bead will out peform a spinner, so a guy can’t get hung up on just a spinner or a #9 or #11 floating rapala.

Lead length can vary, pending also on the mood of the fish, but generally when fishing nasty, snaggy rock, 3′ of “STIFF” line is all a guy needs. Most of my spinner rigs are pre-tied to 6′ lengths for bottom bouncing rocks.
However, when pulling 3-ways on Mille Lacs Mud or gravel, that spinner rig may reach 10 feeet!!!!

As for leech, crawler, or chub? That is all dependent of the body of water, time of year, and the mood of the fish.

Lastly, a good, smooth “bass” reel is critical for a flippin switch, so you can easily deploy the bouncer when rolling off the reefs into deeper water. That way, you are not thumbing the spool.

You have an excellent grasp on what to use. The best advice is to try each one and let the fish tell you what is working best. All of the items you listed work well given a specific time, conditions, and lake. Good luck

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Just curious whats a good set up with these and if anyone works better. Beads, float, spninner, plain hook, crawler, leech, minnow, lead length,etc,etc,etc???? Thanks

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Here is a post about Mustad Slow Death hooks with very good explanations about the use of bottom bouncers. Bottom bouncers were developed in south west Nebraska by Bob Probst Sr. they are a means to find the active fish fast. You can cover a lot of acreage fast.
I learned to pull bouncers from
Dave Spaid on Lake Oahe, SD, the lake on the south end is flooded very steep bluffs that drop very very very fast. I like to use a bait caster with the spool free and my thumb on it. This method will help you a lot on fast breaks such as Oahe or like my home waters I pull close to flooded hedge rows, rock walls, rock piles, and brush piles. When you get hung up just release your thumb and your snag will come right out after you retrace your route. Joel Ballweg gives a good description on the use of the Slow Death hooks and how to use the bouncers. He too learned from Dave Spaid.
One main rule to keep in mind all of the time is to try to keep your line close to a 45 degree angle. And a rule of thumb for weight is 1 ounce of weight for every 10 feet of water to maintain good bottom contact.
I do from time to time use a clevis and blade on my harness but keep in mind to check your line where the clevis rides on your line.
I almost forgot to mention the first thing I do when I buy new bouncers is to take the swivel snap off and replace with good quality ball bearing swivel snaps.
A guy could write a chapter about pulling bouncers so if you have any specific questions please ask away…

Great advice

Thanks for the info