Bottom bouncers have become a staple of the walleye fishing industry. The reason they are so popular is because they are easy to run, versatile, and just downright catch fish. This setup is so simple, yet can have so many alterations and difference styles of fishing. In this month’s issue of the Mack Attack Magazine, I’m going to discuss the different types of systems we like to run.

RODS & REELS

I like to use a stouter rod when bottom bouncing. This is because I like to run bigger bouncers and have a firm backbone when I set the hook. I favor a 6’6-7’0 medium-heavy rod with a fast or moderate action. The reason I favor these setups is because I still have a good feel for what is happening with

my line, but I have a firm backbone for setting the hook and fighting a fish.

For reels, I favor a larger spool baitcasting reel. Line counters are not critical for bottom bouncing, but if you are fishing with someone that has not bottom bounced much, it helps to make sure that the lines are set at the right depth. As far as line, I favor 8-12 lb. Berkley Fireline. This is because it has no-stretch properties. This allows me to feel every pebble that the bouncer ticks across and also even the slightest bites. It also is strong for reeling in larger fish, especially with the heavy bottom bouncer. I like the crystal color because it is easy to see so you always can tell the angle that your bait is running.

Mack’s Lure Pro Staff Mason Propst (pictured left, above) runs a slightly difference system. He favors the heavier rods as well, but he prefers to have an 8 ft. rod and a 6 ft. rod. He also runs large spool baitcasting reels and Fireline for a mainline. He favors the brighter neon green color because it allows him to see the line easy — much like the crystal.

Chris Seylar likes to run the 6’0-7’0 rods, although he favors a little more sensitivity and prefers a medium-fast setup. He runs both braid and mono for

a mainline and sees the pros and cons to each.

“Mono is less visible for when I am fishing clear water,” Seylar says. “Also, if I am fishing around a lot of snags, when I do get snagged up, it breaks easily. This allows me to spend less time fighting a snag and get re-rigged and back on the fish.”

The braid also has it’s own benefits because, Seylar says, “it is much stronger and has better sensitivity, but it is more visible and I feel that when fish are finicky, it can deter bites.”

BOTTOM BOUNCER SIZE

All three of us like to run heavy bottom bouncers. When I am backtrolling, I like to run 1.5 oz. bouncers out the front and 3 oz. bouncers out the back. This allows me to have my front rods let a little more line out and the back rods stay right below the boat. This keeps my lines away from eachother and avoids tangles. I have a perfect angle to bounce across all snags and I still get a firm hookset.

Mason has a different style of avoiding tangles. He runs 2 to 3 oz. bouncers on all of his rods, but as discussed above, he runs a long and short rod system.

“I like to use the 8 ft. rod to get the bait further away from the boat, while the shorter 6 ft. rods keep it tigher,” he says.

BOTTOM BOUNCING BASICS BOTTOM BOUNCING IS A STAPLE IN THE WALLEYE INDUSTRY, AS MACK’S LURE’S NICK HARRINGTON EXPLAINS

BY NICK HARRINGTON

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Bottom bouncers are easy to run, versatile and just downright catch fish.NICK HARRINGTON | PRO STAFF | MACK’S LURE

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This system allows him to fish the same weight, depending on depth, but still avoid tangling. When he’s fishing shallow, he runs to 2 oz., while deeper he will go up to 3 oz.

Chris also prefers 1.5 to 2 oz. bottom bouncers. When he is fishing shallower or in thick cover he goes with the lighter bouncer. This allows it to bounce around easier and it is less likely to be snagged. When he is deeper or fishing a less thick area, he goes with the heavier bouncer.

BLADE SELECTION

I prefer two types of blades. Early in the season I like to use smaller blades. I occasionally use a size 0 silver Colorado blade, but the majority of damage I do when fishing with a smaller blade is with a Mack’s Lure Smile Blade®. I really like the Smile Blade® 0.8, as these are a nice, compact profile that adds a little flash and vibration to your bait. This makes it attractive, but doesn’t steal the show. I love fishing these blades at slow speeds, but they are also extremely versatile at higher speeds, as well.

How I like to approach the rig early in the season is to have a size #2-#4 Aberdeen or Octopus hook with a single 5 mm. bead. Usually, either the plain setup like that is going to be the top option or simply sliding a Smile Blade® 0.8 onto it will be the ticket (see above).

As the season moves on, blades seem to be a bigger factor. Generally, when I will do is just put a different colored blade on. If I have multiple anglers in the boat, I will keep one plain hook out or possibly put out a size #2 Colorado blade. I will generally keep my Smile Blades® out, but as the summer progresses, I will be switching towards size #3 Colorado blades. I really like the metallic colors with these blades. Gold and silver are colors that I feel are pretty universal and baits I often have out when fishing a new body of water or I just do not know what to do. As far as Smile Blade® colors go, my favorites are Pink Silver Tiger, Chartreuse Sparkle, Gold Sparkle and Silver Scale.

Towards fall, I begin the transition to size #3 and #5 Colorado blades. This time of year the bigger blades resemble the bigger prey species and many walleye are going to be chowing on them. The larger baits are also going to give off more flash and vibration and be really appealing, especially in dark and dingy conditions. Many anglers are switching to crankbaits, but the large blades do some tremendous work.

Mason is also a huge believer in Smile Blades®. He also prefers the Smile Blade® 0.8 as he feels that smaller blades are just enough to attract attention to your bait, yet still present naturally. His favorite colors are Purple Scale, Green Silver Tiger, Silver Mirror and Pink Silver Tiger. He also favors using Tru-Turns or Slow Death hooks to get more action out of his nightcrawler.

Chris prefers size #2 and #3 Colorado blades. He likes gold blades as well because they have a nice flash and pop when fishing clear water. He also likes Fire Tiger and natural perch colors to emulate the yellow perch that are in the Iowa Great Lakes system. The Colorado blades produce a lot of flash and thump so they can attract fish from a greater distance in the deep, clear bodies of water.

Bottom bouncing is a very simple concept. This article outlined the basic setup, but when walleye anglers get their minds to work a simple concept can become very complex. This was all about laying the foundation for the basic bottom bouncing rig. In the next Mack Attack Magazine I will outline the more advanced ccncepts, such as speed, boat control and triggering mechanisms.

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VIDEO: BOTTOM BOUNCING SET UP

One of the most important parts of bottom bouncing is making sure your rig is at the perfect angle. In this video, Mack’s Lure Pro Staff Nick Harrington highlights how to make sure you’re running as snagless as possible and going to have the highest hooking percentage.

Jerry Wright is the owner of Jerry’s Bait & Tackle in Port Angeles, Wash. Jerry loves casting smaller (1/10, 1/6 and 1/4-oz.) Sonic BaitFish™, especially the Fire Tiger finish. Whether wading or fishing out of his river boat, late summer and early fall is prime time for fishing low and clear water.

Jerry sight-fishes deep holes where salmon, steelhead and trout congregate. The slower the water flow, the smaller the lure size used. As long as rivers remain low and clear, Jerry states his amazing success will continue until heavy fall rain occurs.

Prior to the removal of the two dams on the Elwha River eight years ago, I shoreline cast 1/6 oz. Sonic BaitFish™ for bull trout (Dolly Varden). Since the river bottom was filled with rocky snags, my technique was to slow-retrieve as soon as my cast lure hit the water near the opposite shore. My alternate casting and retrieval technique is to bottom bounce the Sonic BaitFish™ back to me when snags are not a problem. The advantage to fishing the Sonic BaitFish™ is its swimming and darting action combined with sonic vibration.

These are my two primary casting

and retrieval techniques wherever I fish across the country, whether on a lake or river. It’s equally effective whether cast or jigged. Please remember that the top-of-the-back attachment is an option exclusively for vertical jigging. Attach to the nose, or tail, connection for casting and trolling. It’s also the the main option for vertical jigging.

Thank you for subscribing to the Mack Attack. Stay well and so long until next month. - Capt. Pete

TECH GUIDE

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SHOP MACK’S LURE UV SCENTS

SONIC BAITFISH™ (SBF)TIPS & TECHNIQUES

FISHING PACIFIC RIVERS FOR SALMON, TROUT & STEELHEAD

BY PETE ROSKO SBF TECH GUIDE

The slower the water flow, the smaller the lure size needed.CAPT. PETE ROSKO | SONIC BAITFISH™ INVENTOR

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BALL TROLL™ ATTRACTOR

DEADLY TROUT & KOKANEE LURE

Mack’s Lure Pro Staff Marc Christophel of Christophel’s Guide Service (Truckee, Calif.) provides tips on how to effectively fish the Hum Dinger® 1/8 oz. for Kokanee, as well as tips on how to use the Hum Dinger® 1/2 oz. for various trout species. An informative watch about a great trout lure.

Mack’s Lure Pro Staff Mike Roth is joined by President Bob Schmidt at Vernita for some fall salmon fishing on Angler West TV. ScentFlash Paddles & Salmon Tech 3.5.

Is there anything better than witnessing a kid catch his or her first fish? Here’s Brendon, who caught his first trout casting a Mack’s Lure Cripplure™ UV Tiger.

Follow Mack’s Lure on Facebook and Instagram and tag us with #MacksLure.

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To submit your catch, send us an email at media@mackslure.com or tag us on

social media using #MacksLure.

QUESTIONOF THE MONTHHave a questions you want answered? Send your inquiry to us and yours may be featured! Simply send an email to media@mackslure.com or reach out to us on Facebook, Instagram or YouTube. Just search @MacksLure and you’ll find us!

Q: I recently purchased a ScentFlash™ Paddle Flasher and have had a ton of success with it. However, it keeps opening up after hooking up. Is this normal?

A: This is a great question. And we’re glad you’ve been able to find success with the new ScentFlash™ UV Paddle Flasher. While it’s not designed to open up at all, we’ve found that sometimes it will. Some remedies you can use to fix this are: using a rubber band to hold the lid shut. There are rivets in the flasher that are designed for bands.

We’ve also been getting a ton of great feedback from anglers who are using a release on their Paddle Flashers. One we recommend is the GDF Release from GoodDayFishing.com. When a fish hooks up, your flasher releases, removing the drag when pulling the fish in and ensuring that your Paddle will not open up, risking the loss of your removable paddle fin.

Quick tip: check out the movement of the ScentFlash™ UV Paddle Flasher with the fin removed. It gives off an incredible dodger action that has been slaying the Coho.

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