BOTTOM BOUNCER...TOO EARLY??

[BADFISH]

I WAS JUST THINKING, ABOUT DEER CREEK...UTAH...STARVATION AND ALL...IS IT TOO EARLY TO BOUNCE A SPINNIN WORM RIGG PAST THE FISH....I KNOW YOU HAVE TO GO SLOW...BUT I MEAN I WILL BE MOVING MY FLOAT TUBE WITH FINS ON MY FEET......LAZILY I MAY ADD...DONT WANNA DISTURB MY BEER UNTILL ITS READY TO SHOOT DOWN THE GULLET.LOL. ANYHOW..IS IT TOO EARLY TO SART BOUNCIN WITH A CRAWLER OR A PLASTIC SUMPTHIN OR OTHER?
[signature]

[Coldfooter]

I've been toying with that exact same idier today, and can wait to put it to use from a float tube..
[signature]

[icehole69]

I dont think your too early for a bottom bouncer as long as you keep it light and slow, just enough speed to turn the blade where it almost stalls on the up swing, I have had some success early doing just that, but have another pole handy loaded with a jig so when you get one to hit or hooked you can throw a jig at the same location, remember where there is one there are more.[]
[signature]

[BADFISH]

ILL HAVE TO RIGG SOMETHING UP THEN, I GOTTA BE READY IF IT COMES TO HITTIN THE WATER.....NOW WHERE DID I PUT THAT CONATINER WITH THE BOUNCERS IN IT....LOL....GOTTA GO FIND MY JUNK!!! []

LATERS,
[signature]

[icehole69]

[]lol I know all about finding all my junk... [laugh]
[signature]

[Lundman]

Why do I get this sense of Walleye despiration in the air - the best bet on ice off is trout - big browns, big rainbows, and big cuts.

Target these and wait for the spawn to kick in in a month or so. [ul] [li]Jordenelle - troll crank baits deep for big browns to 10 lbs.[/li] [li]Starvation - big jigs off rock structure for BIG browns to 20 lbs.[/li] [li]Deer Creek - troll crank bait 10' - 15' for rainbows to 20".[/li] [li]East Canyon - troll standand rigs for planters to 17"[/li][/ul]

I don't fish Utah lake or Willard (low water conditions) but these will be a good bet for your earliest eyes.

Once you start getting your focus on the eyes then you can stay with them till hard water. Target your focus on the best opportunity and catching a trophy Trout. Just my opinion.

Keep it SAFE out there - remember last year the two guys in the canoe up at Jordenelle Reservoir - USE YOUR PFD and have your throwable at the ready.
[signature]

[TubeDude]

[cool][blue][size 1]Hey, BadMan, I have taken a lot of prespawn wallies on both crawlers and cut bait this time of year. In shallower water, don't use any weight. Tie a tandem hook (with stinger) rig directly to good 6# mono. Cast it out about thirty or forty feet and let it settle. Move slow and give the bait a bit of extra action with the rod tip now and then. Let it settle after each wiggle lift.[/size][/blue]

[#0000ff][size 1]I discovered that this could be deadly for 'eyes while fishing for early channels that way. Sometimes I had funny cat bites that turned out to be toothy critters. Works both in Utah Lake and Willard. Each early spring I caught several big females before most folks began hooking the spawning males.[/size][/#0000ff]

[#0000ff][size 1]It works well with crawlers, but if you have a small white bass to filet, you can tandem hook rig a whole small fillet and it works great too. The key is the motion, while kicking around slowly in the tube. Let it sit on the bottom and you will catch only whiskerfish. Give it some occasional motion and the walleyes will smack it too.[/size][/#0000ff]

[#0000ff][size 1]I fish with the bail open on my spinning reel. As soon as I feel a munch, I release the line and watch it. In the cold water, the fish do not move fast or far. If you have a good stinger hook, you can set the hook almost as soon as you feel the hit. Letting them have it a minute is extra insurance. Flip the bail and reel the slack out of your line. If you feel weight, cross their eyes. [/size][/#0000ff]

[#0000ff][size 1]Use sharp hooks. With light tackle, a fine wire hook is better than a big meat hook. Use a hook size large enough to get penetration through the size bait you are using, but not so large it keeps snagging. Take an assortment and change as needed.[/size][/#0000ff]

[#0000ff][size 1]Another option is to fish a crawler like a plastic worm. I use a 1/16 oz. jighead on a size 2 - 2/0 hook. That is enough weight to keep the crawler down, without plowing the bottom. This rig is good for casting and retrieving too.[/size][/#0000ff]

[#0000ff][size 1]Save the bottom bouncer rig for the more aggressive post spawn fish, when the water is warmer and you have to go deeper...like at Deer Creek. Even then, when they are up in the wind churned muddy water of the flats, a sinkerless crawler is often a good ticket to a tubed walleye. It is harder to fish like that from a boat, because you need more weight to maintain touch.[/size][/#0000ff]

[#0000ff][size 1]Everybody has their own opinion. Anybody who has ever caught a walleye is an expert. The foregoing is my opinion based upon the satisfactory successes I have enjoyed.[/size][/#0000ff]
[signature]