Bottom Bouncing Questions

[Familyfisherman]

I'm fairly new to bottom bouncing for stealhead...in fact I've been out, ah, once

 

I noticed I seemed to be missing bites. I'm just wondering if it had something to do with my set up or my technique?

 

I'm using a 10'6 graphite rod, a Pflueger reel with 8lb braid and 6lb flouro leader. I had a #10 hook and roe bag, and was adding enough small BB weights to get to bottom about 10 inches above the hook...I think I may not have had enough weight, as I wasn't consistently feeling bottom...I think I had 4 very small bb's?

 

I wondered if the line on top was getting ahead of my bait since the flow is slightly faster on top?

 

I was waiting for the double taps before setting with a sweep hookset, but it didn't seem to be happening much...

 

Anyways, glad for some advice on line, technique, etc...I'm not experienced at steelheading...

 

Thanks! I did enjoy the day anyways, and didn't get blanked, so that's a good start

[DRIFTER_016]

I tend to hold my rod tip low and swing with the current and find I get more fish this way than running my tip high. I will only run the tip high when trying to steer my offering through pocket water.

I run 15# Power Pro with 8# flouro leader and my weights are 3/16" or 1/4" pencil lead in a rubber dropper rig.

 

See HERE

 

I find this weight setup really enables you to tell the difference between rocks and fish hits.

[denisk]

I always tell ppl to cast at a 2 oclock angle and they should be feeling bottom at 12 oclock and usually start letting line out at around 11. It may sound stupid but if you fish and you can figure out the proper weight required for the flow you are fishing then trust me this technique will work. I would also jump up to a #6 or #8 gammy octopus hook and then only use the best bait you can get if that's what you are using. Try about a 3 foot leader and keep it clean no corkies or anything else just the hook and bait. Once you get the basics it's a deadly technique and it's not just for live bait, corkies and streamers kwikfish and many other artificials all have a time and place. They biggest key is NO SLACK LINE!!! Once you cast and the bait hits start to pick up slack and when you feed line to extend the drift do it with a few quick snaps and you will CATCH FISH.

[Familyfisherman]

Good advice thanks guys.

 

I'll try again next week and hopefully have something worth posting

[ecmilley]

i go old school and stagger my weights down the line no two weight the same size with the last one no closer to the hook than 18 inches up to 36 inches, but i don't do that kind of fishing anymore only place I'll stand shoulder to shoulder is the beer store

[SirCranksalot]

FF,

Im fairly new to steelheading as well. The technique you are describing sounds like float fishing. Were you using a float? I thought with bottom bouncing most people used 1 bigger sinker rather than several smaller ones to minimize the number of tangles and hitches as the sinkers bounce along the bottom.

[canadadude]

for bottom bouncing the smaller tribs I've had good success using drop shot weights, I also run 17lb-20lb droper line so I'm not constantly pullin off my weight. I run 10lb powerpro, 8lb-6lb fluor leaders.I fish mostly the Niagara and Port Dalhousie which are stronger flows so I run 1oz to 1 1/2oz weight on these rivers.The drop shot weights normally used for bass fishing work great for bottom bouncing smaller flows I get them 1/4oz, 1/2oz & 3/8oz, I also run a minimum 6' leader and ussually 8' or more when I'm bottom bouncing.