How to get bottom huggers to bite?

[Black_Blade]

The last couple of outings I have marked fish about a foot off the bottom, of course no way of knowing what type of fish it is but I have tried jig worming, a bottom bouncer with a spinner harness, an original Rapala on the bottom bouncer as well...if its walleye down there...not sure how else to get their attention.

 

These fish are in anywhere from 25 to 40 FOW, marking a foot off the bottom. Usually at a spot where the bottom has just taken a dive from 8-10 FOW down.

 

If they are walleye, would sure like to be able to catch my first one! BTW...all I am used to is either bass or pike taking a lure...how do walleye usually hit a lure or bait? Who knows maybe they could have nibbled at some time and I didn't realize it as a bite...

[FlyGuy5]

2 words Drop Shot!

[OhioFisherman]

Always great to be marking fish and not be able to get a bite, it leaves you guessing. Walleye can be just as aggressive or finicky as bass, I have caught a lot of them casting lures for bass, and also just light nibbles on a worm harness, perch seem to hit harder at times.

 

Take a single hook on a wire leader or Snell, slide a worm weight on your line, 1/4-3/8 ounce tie on a snap or swivel snap, attach the leader and hook with a decent size shiner or chub and see what happens? Caught a number of different species in deeper water, some were something of interest and some just interesting.

 

Buddy got a 31 inch walleye doing that, the next day a bowfin pushing 20 pounds, but a mix of fish from the same area, smallies, largemouth, crappie, and pike. If they won`t hit you won`t know.

 

Some times a minnow struggling in front of them can trigger a strike even if the bite is tough.

[Cudz]

drop shot.

[alexcba]

drop shot.

 

+1

[sauce]

Huh. Suspended a foot off bottom in 25 feet? Sounds like they're cruising and active. You need to match the hatch. I bet they're chasing some specific type of bait fish. Match the size and shape and you should be able to catch fish. Just gotta get your bait close.

[Guest Johnny Bass]

First find the color that works.Then see what mood they are in. Slowly twitch it for lethargic fish, drag tubes/grubs on bottom for roamers, or snap/hop jig for those aggressive fish.

[curlrap]

Maybe those fish are below the thermocline and are simply not active. I recently fished a lake for a week on my holidays where i was marking plenty of fish in 30 fow but was unable to catch any. I started fishing to top of the reef in about 10-15 fow and started catching them.

[SudburyAngler]

as some of the other members said just try everything, ya never know.

 

 

[smally21]

i think everybody has gone thru this many times, marking lots of fish a foot from the bottom and being unable to catch them.

ive come up with 2 ideas, the first being inactive fish, not feeding, just hanging out. the second is they're not there at all, and adjusting the settings on the fishfinder (or throwing the damn thing overboard) solves the problem.

[fish-miester]

i think everybody has gone thru this many times, marking lots of fish a foot from the bottom and being unable to catch them.

ive come up with 2 ideas, the first being inactive fish, not feeding, just hanging out. the second is they're not there at all, and adjusting the settings on the fishfinder (or throwing the damn thing overboard) solves the problem.

 

 

 

I was thinking the same thing. possible log or sumthing.. but who knows could be one of those annoying fish that just wont bite!