Bottom bouncers? Lots to tell, feel free to ask questions. I've only used them successfully for 35 years.
Hints: Generally speaking one oz per 10' of water. More weight necessary as speeds increase. Keep them tight to the boat, lines at a 45 degree angle. If you drag them, you defeat the purpose. I generally use 1-1/2oz bouncers to about 30' but most people are not as experienced with them as I am. If you're trolling, have the people in the front use heavier and the people in the back lighter, helps with tangles.
I catch most of my fish on a bare hook and half a crawler. No need ever to use the whole worm. Pinch it in half and put it on there, use the other half when you rebait. Slow death is great. 3-4' is good but 2' or 6' can be game changing. Two and three hook harnesses are unnecessary and just provide more snags and tangles.
Sometimes a bead, sometimes a blade. Experiment that day, each day, with blades, beads and snell length. More wind and waves generally = bigger flashier blades but not always. Flatter water = smaller or no blade at all. Lately I've used painted bouncers with success, I think they make a difference over plain lead.
From this, I’m already picking up on some mistakes I made. The lake I was on had no wind with visibility down to 25 feet. We used 2oz and 3oz bouncers down to 50 feet. I don’t think we were dragging, just a tick on the bottom ever few seconds. I should have gone with something more subtle or deconstructed some of the rigs to make then less bulky/flashy.
