"bottom bouncing" question

E

essyoo

Member
I'm curious what everyone's process for finding the right depth to troll with a downrigger close to bottom.

Do you use a chart or calculator? (or do the math in your head?)
Do you find your speed/line angle then lower until you're literally bouncing bottom then back it off X amount? (if so, how much do you back off. Do you lose any balls or gear with this method?)
Stop the boat, drop it to the bottom, then put it in gear and get up to speed? (saw a guide do this once but doing the math it seems like it would be too far off bottom?)
Are you so close to the bottom that any fluctuation in depth you need to constantly be attending the DR depth?

apologies if this is a super noobie question, but I've been told to "drag it in the mud" so many times that I'd love to know what people are doing when they say that.
 
Soft bottom (mud or sand): let it out til you hit and bring it up a few feet. Works when the bait is tight to the bottom especially sand lance

Hard bottom where you might hang up watch the sounder and adjust as needed. You will get an idea of what your blow back is if you try touching a few times ...................... be carful as the rocky stuff can be hungry !!
 
essyoo said:
I'm curious what everyone's process for finding the right depth to troll with a downrigger close to bottom.

Do you use a chart or calculator? (or do the math in your head?)
Do you find your speed/line angle then lower until you're literally bouncing bottom then back it off X amount? (if so, how much do you back off. Do you lose any balls or gear with this method?)
Stop the boat, drop it to the bottom, then put it in gear and get up to speed? (saw a guide do this once but doing the math it seems like it would be too far off bottom?)
Are you so close to the bottom that any fluctuation in depth you need to constantly be attending the DR depth?

apologies if this is a super noobie question, but I've been told to "drag it in the mud" so many times that I'd love to know what people are doing when they say that.
Click to expand...
Guys love saying drag in the mud but most do not do it I think. It is more important to find the fish and figure out what lure is working. Just try to get close to the bottom.
 
Your fishfinder will indicate the bottom conditions, M for mud etc, so you generally can bounce in that area. If your rod tip taps steadily, you are dragging the bottom, time to come up a few feet. Look for bottom depths that stay the same, follow a contour line etc. so you can leave the cannonball alone for awhile. There are a few articles around too, Island Fishermen does one almost yearly I believe. Many posts on here with the same topic, a quick search will bring some up.
 
On a known forgiving bottom I'll bump and then bring it up a few, otherwise I'll set my rigger depth to the same vertical depth as my sounder and let the blow back take care of giving a bit of clearance + or - depending on depth. Pretty sure a salmon feeding near the bottom will come up 10 or more feet for a good offering.
 
totally different on banks.. the current can be running in a different direction or speed 200' down.
trolling speed by SOG can always look different as well as the angle of the cable. i try to get to 3.5 mph SOG, tap bottom and slow the boat down. every second swell the ball touches bottom, bump it up 5', then slow the boat more. there can be as much as 285' of cable out just to touch bottom in 200'. as you get slowing down the bite seems to come. Whether it be a hali, spring, or a coho with its nose worn down from digging up lance.
 
I adjust my speed to what i am going to troll at. Let one ball down til it momentarily hits-note the sounder depth verses the rigger depth so if the rigger says 130 and sounder says 100-gives you a good baseline. So I come up 4 ft or 126 on the rigger-if the sounder goes to 110 I let the rigger down to 136 . I play with pinnacles all the time using this method-helps to have hi speed riggers and a sounder close to the rigger. Keeping your finger on the green button is sometimes advisable. Make sure your rigger brake is adjusted properly-so line will pay out if a hang-up occurs. Always have a Knife(braid) or cutters-should the sh$t hit the fan!! Remember if you get a fish on start both riggers up cause if you stop the boat the balls will ground!
 
spring fever said:
I adjust my speed to what i am going to troll at. Let one ball down til it momentarily hits-note the sounder depth verses the rigger depth so if the rigger says 130 and sounder says 100-gives you a good baseline. So I come up 4 ft or 126 on the rigger-if the sounder goes to 110 I let the rigger down to 136 . I play with pinnacles all the time using this method-helps to have hi speed riggers and a sounder close to the rigger. Keeping your finger on the green button is sometimes advisable. Make sure your rigger brake is adjusted properly-so line will pay out if a hang-up occurs. Always have a Knife(braid) or cutters-should the sh$t hit the fan!! Remember if you get a fish on start both riggers up cause if you stop the boat the balls will ground!
Click to expand...
This is a good post. Lots of good info.

I had an expensive outing a couple years back. When dropping the cannon ball down I hit the bottom at same time as my boat settled into the bottom of a swell. My braid went slack and with out noticing it took a wrap around the bottom of the drum. While trying to get that rigger sorted out my other rigger hooks up on a rock pile. By the end of it both cannonballs were anchored out line paying out of the riggers and wind and swell on my stern. 300 buck later I was back in business. I just had to laugh and learn from that going show.
My advice would be to start with one line in a area that you knows has mud sand bottom and do everything that Spring Fever says.
 
I bring the boat up to trolling speed. I drop the balls at a regular dropping speed. As soon as the ball hits the ground I stop the rigger. Because the ball was dropping faster then the boat goes it blows back after I stop the rigger. That blow back puts you right off the bottom. I bounce frequently and if I bounce I come up two feet.. my rigger balls start to look like brain eventually with all the dents20220116_123252.jpg
 
This is all great info, thanks everyone. Where I fish (Nanaimo area) is mostly all rock bottom it seems so I've been a little hesitant to lower that much money down to those hungry rocks. Will be giving some of these tips a try next time out.
 
essyoo said:
This is all great info, thanks everyone. Where I fish (Nanaimo area) is mostly all rock bottom it seems so I've been a little hesitant to lower that much money down to those hungry rocks. Will be giving some of these tips a try next time out.
Click to expand...
Tuna cord
Snubber
Properly adjusted brake
These three things will save your balls, even in rock.
 
essyoo said:
This is all great info, thanks everyone. Where I fish (Nanaimo area) is mostly all rock bottom it seems so I've been a little hesitant to lower that much money down to those hungry rocks. Will be giving some of these tips a try next time out.
Click to expand...
Agreed, your location is key to getting tips. Vancouver Harbour is really set up well for bottom bouncing, long runs of mud and sand bottom with no real depth change. Also a bonus for the freighters anchoring there.
 
essyoo said:
This is all great info, thanks everyone. Where I fish (Nanaimo area) is mostly all rock bottom it seems so I've been a little hesitant to lower that much money down to those hungry rocks. Will be giving some of these tips a try next time out.
Click to expand...
I sure don’t bounce the bottom in the Nanaimo area…..on purpose. 😂
 
goodness… how deep are y’all bottom bouncing? i can think of two spots where i feel comfortable doing this in cr. waaaay too deep and tidal here
 
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