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