Barely 40 feet of line registered on my line counter reel when I felt the straight model DepthRaider begin to tick hard bottom at 12 feet. Immediately, I engaged my reel and began a trolling pass along one of my favorite rock walls. Keeping my boat as tight to the wall as safely possible, I tried to follow the rock wall’s contour toward the large prominent point ahead. Adding a bit of a challenge to this whole situation was a strong wind pounding large waves inward.
I was a bit concerned with going too fast, especially since it was late October with water temperatures in the low 40's, but I had to gun my 60 horsepower Mercury in order to avoid crashing the boat into the rock wall itself. This made the firetiger DepthRaider vibrate my rod tip like a jack hammer as it cleared the high spot in the rocks. Temporarily, I lost interest on the crankbait’s performance as I instead turned my focus to revving the outboard and steering the boat clear of the rock wall. All the while gripping tightly to my rod.
It was a good thing that I was indeed “gripping tightly” since the rod was nearly ripped from my grip with an explosive strike that doubled my 8 ½ foot rod making the reel’s drag scream out line. Feeling excited, but at the same time a bit helpless, I simply held on to the rod and continued steering the boat clear of the dangerous rocks and pounding waves. The big fish bull dogged deep and continued to pull drag coupled with a series of heavy head thrashes that literally shook every inch of the rod. My only option was to keep pulling the fish out away from the rock wall until it was in open water for safe landing.
Eventually I accomplished just that – and had a chance to enjoy the final portion of this battle uninhibited by the torque of the outboard, but still plagued by the strong waves and high winds. This made it difficult still to actually net the wildly aggressive cold water musky, but nonetheless, I eventually got the job done. After a few quick photos for my scrapbook, I released a fat 46 incher, the first of four nice muskies that would fall victim to this incredibly effective tactic on that late October day.
This was yet another page in a very successful book of bottom bouncing with crankbaits that established its roots with me sometime back in the late 1960's. It was during this time that I began reading about the legendary Buck Perry and his success with bottom bounce trolling. It didn’t take me long to start testing some of Buck’s bottom bouncing principles on the bass from our local lakes. My early successes spawned a whole new way of fishing, a whole new prospective of what the underwater topography on my lake’s looked like, and a whole new understanding of how to make lures run at the right depths.
I credit Buck Perry for many of my successes today since it was his initial road of knowledge that opened my eyes to how fish relate to bottom. It was Buck Perry, by the way, who initially coined most of the structure fishing terminology that we now consider standard dialog. It was also Buck Perry who pioneered many of the bottom bouncing concepts that are used by hundreds of anglers today. His original book on “Spoon Plugging” described in detail the steps needed to make crankbaits run the desired depth, and how to effectively fish them over a variety of bottoms. In fact, Buck Perry even coined the term “bottom bouncing”.
In my opinion, it’s important to note Buck Perry’s contributions to the entire sport of understanding how fish relate to structure as well as his developments with crankbait trolling and casting. He was the first to describe “structure” and how fish relate to it. He was the first to decipher how much the depth of crankbaits varied with the amount of line out and the diameter of the line used. He was the first to recognize the importance of controlling depth as well as controlling speed. He was, indeed, the grand master of bottom bouncing, structure fishing, and trolling.
Incidentally, the term “bottom bouncing” does not apply strictly to trolling and should never be intended in this way. Whether an angler casts or trolls a crankbait over a spot strictly depends upon the situation at hand. In general, casting works best over depths of less than 12 feet and bottom topographies that contain a lot of trashy cover such as weeds or wood. Trolling excels in most deeper water applications including bouncing clean, hard bottom areas. I suggest you take the time to understand the limitations and applications of both casting and trolling crankbaits over hard bottoms, and then make it your goal to master both techniques. This technique of bottom bouncing, both in a casting and trolling application, is truly one of the best ways to improve your angling skills and learn the water more intimately. The knowledge you’ll obtain from even one single day of serious bottom bouncing is sure to pay big dividends down the road.
I’ve always placed a high degree of emphasis on making a crankbait collide with something. It matters little whether this “something” is weeds, wood, rocks, gravel, sand, or silt until fish contact is made. Once a fish is caught off a specific type of cover or bottom substrate, more emphasis should then be placed on making your crankbait collide with that cover or bottom type as much as possible. This philosophy of constantly trying to run the crankbait into things has paid big dividends for me, as well as most of the other well known crankbait specialists in this country. My braggin’ board of big fish taken bottom bouncing crankbaits includes hundreds of big bass, several giant pike, a load of trophy walleyes, and some of my largest muskies. Needless to say, this has been one fantastic tactic for me.
I know I’ve been a bit emphatic about knowing the limits of your lures and the tackle you’re using, but it truly is essential and it plays right into being effective at bottom bouncing, as well as any other crankbait tactic. You simply must know what it takes to make a certain lure run a specific depth in order to bounce bottom. In a basic sense, this first means choosing the right lure and tackle matchups for each given situation. That’s why it’s also important to have a variety of crankbaits as well as several outfits for bottom bouncing. In particular, you should realize that casting tackle varies somewhat from trolling setups for this tactic.
My favorite tackle setup for serious bottom bounce casting also varies a bit with the species, but for the most part it’s a extra long medium to medium-light action baitcasting rod, a quality baitcasting reel with a semi-slow gear ratio of 4 to 1, and a responsive low-stretch line of varying diameter depending upon how deep I need the crankbait to run. I like the longer rod for bombing baits a long distance, which is usually a key part of this technique. The long rod also helps me keep big fish hooked on crankbaits that hit from long distances or great depths. But most of all, I like the longer rod for this style of fishing because it substantially lowers the pivot point from which your retrieve begins. In other words, your rod tip will be at a much lower position with a longer rod than with a short one. This adds more running depth to the lure.
Ideally, when I approach a hard bottom area I want to cast, I like to have a floating marker buoy out on the spot as a reference. Then, I’ll initiate a fancasting procedure that thoroughly probes the entire surrounding area. The basic system on each and every cast goes something like this – First, make a long cast in a specific direction noting where the lure lands in reference to the marker so you can adjust your cast placement on the next pitch. Next, point your rod tip low and begin cranking hard in order to drive the lure quickly toward the bottom. Once the lure hits bottom, immediately back off on the retrieve speed. The ideal speed here is one that allows the lure to continue to tick bottom, but under a slower controlled speed.
The slower controlled speed usually results in far less hangups than a faster one. Excessively high speed bottom bouncing tends to jam a lure in rock crevices or under logs and brush. It doesn’t allow the lure a chance to back itself out of any snag up before it’s driven hopelessly head-on into a snag. Too much speed on a bottom bouncing crankbait has the same effect as an automobile that’s driven too fast on a narrow winding road with heavily wooded surroundings. There’s simply no room for error and not enough recovery time. Understanding what a “controlled speed” is in this instance is critical.
This doesn’t necessarily mean “slow”, as much as it means “controlled”. The right speed enables the angler to control the bump & rise action of the lure better as it careens off of various obstructions. Far less crevice jamming occurs as a result. This slightly slower bottom bouncing approach usually triggers more fish, as well. Perhaps excessive speeds here are simply unnecessary as a triggering mechanism when the lure is bouncing and ticking bottom. In any case, the fish definitely has more time to check the bait out when it’s traveling slow.
Concentrating on crankbait vibration is always an essential part of this tactic, too. The best crankbait fishermen I know constantly study the “vibe” of their lure as it walks along bottom. That optimum vibe is a feel that experienced anglers develop as they study their rod tip and sense the characteristic vibration of that individual crankbait. If it appears to have lost its “vibe”, it probably has collected a few “clinger” weeds, leaves, sticks, or some other bottom debris around the diving lip area. Simply letting the bait float up a bit with a touch of slack line followed by a sharp rip forward on the rod tip usually cleans the bait and returns that vibe.
Always allow the bait a chance to back out of the debris on its own, and follow it up with a rip. This not only cleans your lure, which prevents any wasted casts, but also provides a great fish triggering opportunity. In fact, you’ll find that the majority of your strikes occur either when the lure is ticking bottom or when you’re ripping it to clean. A good number of strikes also seem to occur just as the lure clears bouncing bottom, and starts traveling over a deeper section of open water. Very few strikes will occur when the lure is freely traveling over open water.
Preferred length of cast for different styles of crankbait fishing obviously varies a lot. As you now know by reading previous chapters, I’m generally in favor of a shorter cast whenever there’s cover present such as weeds or wood. The heavier the cover, the shorter the cast. On the other hand, I usually prefer a longer cast over clean hard bottom areas. This is especially true when the hard bottom area is situated in deeper water, and the water is ultra clear. As much as I have emphasized the short cast for many crankin’ applications, the long cast is usually the way to go when bottom bouncing clean, hard substrates.
The same could also be said about the importance of a long cast in establishing contact with the bottom. Short casts with most deep divers simply do not allow the lure to reach maximum depth. The deeper the hard bottom area that you’re attempting to fish, the more important the long cast becomes. In fact, if you want to bounce bottom at depths of eight feet or more with a crankbait, a long cast becomes essential. So does a thin gauge line and a large billed diver.
Your choice of crankbait for bottom bouncing is often essential. While both sinking, suspending, and floating crankbaits can be used to bounce bottom, I still prefer the floating diver for this style of fishing whenever its feasible. The floating diver, traveling with its tail up/nose down, bounces over various bottoms almost effortlessly with a minimum of hangups. The diving lip on a floating diver receives the majority of the contact and abuse. The diving lip also collects the majority of any bottom trash when a floating diver is used. The buoyant nature of the floating diver then becomes a major asset in releasing the debris, by simply releasing line tension allowing the lure to rise up a bit. This suggested choice of a floating deep diver for bottom bouncing is steadfast whether it’s casting or trolling.
I’m a particularly big fan of large triangular shaped lips on crankbaits for bottom bouncing. This fanfare has been developed through over twenty years of fishing various models and styles of crankbaits. To say “I’ve tried ‘em all” would be an understatement. I still continue to “try ‘em all”. But, by and large, floating divers with a large triangular shaped lip get my vote time and time again. They’re simply superior for this style of fishing. On top of that, I also like straight model floaters over jointed versions for this style of fishing, especially when the bottom content contains large jagged and broken rock. The straight model floater has far less tendency to wedge in between rocks and crevices, and its superior buoyancy allows it to back out of any such trouble spots.
To me bottom bounce trolling is both a science as well as an art form. It is truly one of the top techniques in all of fishing because it is so effective at covering depths as well as teaching the angler about the lake’s topography. On top of that, it accomplishes both of these tasks with speed. Few other methods can rival its efficiency as a total package. Plainly put, if you want to really learn water as well as fish at depths beneath the level of the norm, then take the time to master bottom bounce trolling. It’s a truly awesome technique.
While your favorite casting outfit will suffice as a trolling setup, The ultimate rod & reel matchup for bottom bounce trolling is an extra long rod of at least 8 feet in length, coupled with a metered line-counter reel. The extra long rod has many trolling advantages. For one, it is far more forgiving on the strike, absorbing the power of a violent short line hit without fear of breaking a line or bending out hooks.
Longer rods are also superior for manipulating a lure through snags. I always like to point my rod high, near the twelve o’clock position, when trolling. This makes the rod tip transmit every vibration in that crankbait as well as let me know when it is making bottom contact. With the high rod, I can quickly drop the rod tip down to nine o’clock whenever a snag is encountered. Providing this quick slack line gives the lure a chance to back itself out of the snag.
I also like the way a long rod fights big fish. I can easily steer a big fish clear of dangerous line-cutting edges around the boat. The long rod also keeps such a deep bend during battle, it makes it nearly impossible for a big fish to tear out hooks and shake loose. You’ll loose a lot less fish with the longer rod; especially if it has a parabolic action.
The metered line-counter reel is also a superb trolling tool. As we already know, line distance from rod tip to crankbait can greatly influence running depth. With a metered line-counter reel you can easily make adjustments on your reel to hit precise depths. As you feed line out in 5 to 10 foot increments, watch your rod tip respond. As soon as the crankbait starts to tick bottom note the depth number on your line-counter. Anytime a fish hits make certain to note that depth number, even more so. This makes it easy to get that lure right back to precisely the right depth again.
Having the metered reel also enables you to quickly readjust the running depth of your crankbait as you troll over various bottom depths. This can really come in handy any time a big fish mark appears on your sonar unit over a deeper piece of structure. I have taken advantage of this on many occasions and it has paid off a lot. For example, just this past fall, my friend Tom Gelb and I were trolling over a newly discovered deep hard bottom hole that was situated in a shallow narrows with a massive school of baitfish. As we passed over the deepest section of the hole, a big hook suddenly appeared on the sonar over a boulder. Tom yelled “big fish at 28 feet – right over that rock!” I quickly pulled off another 20 feet of line from my metered reel in order to drive that DepthRaider right to that precise depth. A few moments later, I felt the crankbait hit the rock and within seconds I had a tremendous strike and a fantastic battle ensued. A few minutes later our first musky of the day was posing for photographs before being released.
Knowing how much line you have out is, of course, essential in coordinating correct running depth. Without the knowledge of line length, the whole process becomes guess work. If you don’t own a line-counter reel, you can accomplish the same thing by stripping line off your reel in two foot increments or by simply counting levelwind passes. Marking the productive line length with a permanent magic marker somewhere near the reel is also a good idea. This makes it a “no brainer” to set out the precise amount of line again, and get your lure right back into the hot fish zone.
Anyone who’s spent anytime trolling like this knows it takes a great deal of concentration. You not only need to worry about precision boat control, but you also need to be in constant study of your lure. While trolling open water admittedly can be monotonous, bottom bouncing is never boring. It simply takes too much concentration and effort. Working the boat correctly is only one part of the equation. Making sure your lure is performing properly at all times is yet another. This is precision trolling in every sense. A fish catching system that began with the legendary Buck Perry, yet is only practiced by a select few today. If you truly want to learn more about the underwater topography in your favorite lakes, plus catch more big fish from deep water, take the time to master deep bottom bouncing. It’s one deadly way to catch big fish.
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