| Whenever you wet a line in a river in an | | | | not getting snagged, you're not fishing in |
| attempt to catch any fish, whether it's a | | | | the right place." |
| trout, a small mouth, a walleye, or whatever | | | | |
| kind of fish you're attempting to catch, the | | | | This is exactly why I say the bottom is your |
| bottom is your friend. This fact is often | | | | friend. Although in reality, the bottom is |
| overlooked by anglers, and it shouldn't be. | | | | not only your friend, but also your worst |
| My mentor used to say, "If you're not getting | | | | enemy. Because when you go through those |
| snagged, you're not fishing in the right | | | | stretches when you've gotten snagged and had |
| place." I have found this point to be true | | | | to break off and retie six times in a row, |
| in almost all river fishing situations. When | | | | the bottom seems like anything but your |
| I say river fishing situations, I'm referring | | | | friend. |
| to wading in a river attempting to fool a | | | | |
| fish into biting your offering. I'm not | | | | The important thing to remember is that like |
| referring to sitting in a boat trolling, | | | | most things in life, nothing remedies getting |
| although that fact was probably self | | | | snagged like practice. The more 'bottom |
| explanatory. | | | | bouncing' you do the better you will get at |
| | | | it. And the better you get at it, you will |
| When you are wading in a river doing what I | | | | not only get snagged less, but you will also |
| described above, the goal is to have your | | | | catch more fish. Once you figure out the |
| bait bounce off of the bottom as it flows | | | | little nuances of 'bottom bouncing' you wont |
| naturally downstream. And too accomplish | | | | believe how effective the technique really |
| this; the angler must adjust the amount of | | | | is. |
| weight that is used. Too much weight and the | | | | |
| offering will get snagged on the bottom. Too | | | | Bouncing the bait off of the bottom in a |
| little weight and the offering will simply | | | | river or stream fishing situation is as good |
| float over the bottom as it flows downstream, | | | | a technique as I've ever seen. If you really |
| and look anything but natural. In the second | | | | sit and think about it, it's as natural a |
| case the angler never gets snagged, but | | | | presentation as there is. I've been using |
| catches very few fish as well. This is the | | | | this technique for years and it flat out |
| reason that my mentor would say, "If you're | | | | works! |