Walleye on Rocks

I was out trolling the other night and fished one of my usual spots. This is a major current break with a rip rap shore line and rip on the bottom as far as I can tell. When you make a pass you can almost predict when you will catch a fish. The fish hang pretty tight to the current break. My question is this: How do I present live bait to these fish? Every time I have tried I end up snagged on the bottom. I know there are some nice fish down there. Or should I stick to trolling and take what I get?

when you have the fish pinpointed so closely its perfect for anchoring… you might be able to anchor just above them and drop the bait off the back of the boat, with the currents help drift it right into them.. deadly way to go…..
if conditions dont allow you right above them. then anchor off to the side… and cast into them.. its trickier… but with bright colored line and the right amout of weight (and lots of practice!).. you can put it right into them everytime…. and really pound them!! either way anchoring is great when you have them pinpointed on a spot that they utilize consistantly….. you can use many of the same techniques that are used for wingdams

Another suggestion would be to stick to the upstream troll using heavy, and I do mean HEAVY, wire legged bottom bouncers. Trolling in rocks, nasty stuff, is about the only time I opt for a bouncer over a 3-way and bell sinker set-up and the scenario you describe is tailor-made to this application.

How to go about doing this….

Get some serious bouncers since you want to remain nearly vertical when working through this area. Allow your bouncer to wash out behind the boat due to insufficient weight and you’ll be snagged in no time flat. Keep it below the boat and things should be relatively trouble-free.

Now, off the business end you’ll be able to run a spinner rig, worm harness, floating jigheads, various snells and aberdeen or live bait hooks with leeches, my favorite for this application, crawlers, or minnows. Keep the leader lenghts down to 3′ – 4′ feet at first and experiment from there.

Slowly troll this into the current. Look for speeds less than 0.5 mph to produce best. If you already know where the fish are holding, put this offering on their noses and hover. Slide from side to side slightly as you keep your bouncer just inches above the bottom. No bite? Pull ahead slightly and kick your kicker out of gear and float back into them. Then engage the kicker and pull back through. Sooner or later they’ll feed. No doubt about it. Since you’ll be working overhead, or close to it, keep the banging etc., down to a minimum to avoid spoking thee fish. If you don’t spoke them, chances are you’ll be able to catch them with a little patience.

Awesome question. I wish more folks would ask more questions like this. I hope this helps some…

James….With the water level as high as it is from all the rain and the current running at a fast pace as it is, what weight bouncer will work Best Or…Is it just a case of try different weight bouncers. The largest size I have now is 1.5 and I’ll be trying the wingies tomorrow (SAT) morning and if I need more weight I best get my butt out and get them.

Thanks for the info. You guys are Awesome! James, I fished with you earlier this summer (June) and learned a lot (Mike and Mark from Winona- just testing your memory). I have been using some of the same techniques we used that day with some great success. Can’t wait to try the bottom bouncer technique. Lookin’ for the “Piggies” that I know are down there. Good luck and tight lines!

BT-EYE

I have them from itty-bitty up to 3 ounces. I was talking more on the 3 ounce + range. No worries about having to run out and find heavier bouncers. Take your 3 ouncers or whatever you have and squash a 1 ounce egg sinker around the shaft below the weight that is molded in place. Presto…. 4 ounce bouncer. Add weight as needed. Now, those added weights will affect the balance a bit, no big deal, and will slide off the shaft when they snag up… which isn’t all bad. But in a pinch, that fix works well.

Sure, I remember you guys! I believe we set a new personal best walleye for one of you guys with that dandy we got in the afternoon and had some other nice 20″+ fish for release to go with a couple limits of eaters.

Good day. Those trips are hard to forget. Didn’t I see you out on the flats a couple weeks after that. Big Lund? Alaskan I believe.

Anyway, good to hear from you.

Sounds good to me. Need more weight slip on an egg or two.
Thanks Much.

Fantastic question and AWESOME responses! I have been trying to catch fish in a very similar area and have lost a dozen Shad Raps, countless 3 way rigs and jigs. The fish are there but I have not been able to keep a bait in front of them long enough to catch them. I believe both anchoring and bouncer rigging will work for me there also! Thanks guys for the excellant tips!
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