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Best way to avoid being snagged is to run your cranks 2-3 feet off the bottom. Especially in a river system. 
On the river I don’t have the most experience, but man 2-3′ off bottom seems to be a lot, all of the fish I have got have been within 18″ of bottom. I’ll be fishing and worried about snags and won’t get nothing, then yell myself to purposely get snagged just so I know I’m on bottom and more times than not only then I connect with some fish.
Watch a few of BKs walleye vids, and others on youtube. Walleye dont typically lay on the bottom like some people think. They swim 8″-3 feet off the bottom, in layers. Some on the bottom, some above. Walleye will rarely be loners in the river, most are schooled up in small groups. Walleye, like crappie, ALWAYS look up. Their eyes are positioned on top of their heads so they cannot look down, they have to point their head down to look down. Walleye especially like to ambush up. They will take a shad above them over a shad in front of them. So if you run the cranks above the fish they will snap up and grab the crank as a reaction strike when it goes above them. Depending on your water clarity that is why I said 2-3 feet. In clear water, get that bait up there 3′ off the bottom in 10-15 feet and you will see magic. Few catfish and lots of walleye. In muddy water try 2′ off the bottom. In really muddy water dig those SOBs into the muck bottoms, the sediment being stirred up will help fish find the bait.
A lot of people troll below the fish all day and then wonder why they keep catching leaves and no walleye.
How I start (long lining) is to let the bait back until I see it digging bottom, then keep cranking up line 2′ at a time until it stops ticking bottom. Then I reel up 10′ of line and go about it. If I’m not getting hit after a few passes I’ll reel up another 10′ of line. If I’m trolling sand I’ll start by digging the bottom for the first pass.
Lakes are totally different. The fish could be on the bottom or 3′ under the surface over 20′ of water. But with the river eyes I’ve found them to be in the bottom 3′ of the water.
