My BIL kills them with bouncers and slow deaths in SD. He doesn’t run a smiley blade or beads, nothing but a hook and a worm. I think I remember him saying he sets his trolling motor to run a little under .5 mph.
He likes to fish right off weed edges in 4 to 10 feet of water. And I’m talking right on the weeds, <2ft from the vegetation.
My boat doesn’t have a trolling motor but I do well drifting in light winds with worms and bouncers. I use the gas motor to position myself upwind of rock piles or ledges and let the wind do the rest. I find that fishing one rod held in my hand results in more hookups than using the rod holders. That way when you feel a bite you can feed him some slack before gently setting the hook when you feel him gulp it down.
