Get your bottom bounce on!

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Float_down

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Aug 26, 2011
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567
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Muskoka
Alright, so after reading some posts the other day, I saw a lot of you boys calling sitting on bottom with an egg sinker and a floating bag flossing. I would like to state (for the record of course) that I have seen this method work wonders on all species of salmonoids.
I'm not talking about the guys who put there hook in front of the sinker or the guys who use those MAGICAL garlic mellows and ciggy butts (I hears marlboro's are the best) I'm talking about the guys who use floating spawn sacs, or blown up dewys.
My buddies dad basically taught us this method when we first started off, on the big walls of Georgian bay. basically, you have the same set up as a float, lead line, swivel, sensitive rod, egg sinker with a small split shot in front of it, then your hook about 12" up from that.
Now, lining a fish is quite simple, but when you're line is in 20 feet of water and is on a 45 degree or greater angle, I find it hard to believe that all my childhood salmon and rainbows (and still some bows) were flossed lol. Any one who has ever driven by colingwood in the fall in spring has seen all those guys on the beach with there rods stationary and way up in the air. That's what we call bottom bouncing.

On a side note. I can see where it can definatley be flossing or snagging when there are hundreds of fish confined to a small area in shallow water. But I also know how easy it is to snag and floss while float fishing when they're moving up like that.

In the winter and late fall, before all our chromers head up stream, go to your favorite creek mouth and huck a floating bag out in big water, see what happens, it may surprise you!

Float
 
Oh boy, whether you like it or not you have just confirmed that you are a flosser to some people :lol:
 
Everyone should floss at least once a day at a bare minimum, preferably three times a day or more.

I think the technique described by Float Down is also used in raging rivers where proper drifting would be difficult.
 
When I told my Dad I started to salmon fish (years ago), he told me to use Marshmellows cause thats what they used growing up and apparently slammed fish all season.

Then I went to the rivers and witnessed what marshmellows actually do. lol.


Truthfully, I think there is only one, MAYBE 2 legit ways of hitting a salmon.

1. Off the piers with spoons/lures.

2. Floating something BESIDE them that irratates them and you can watch them strike.

Otherwise it would drift into their mouth. I dunno how many times I watched my roe bag drift right into an open mouth of a salmon. And my buddies are like IT'S IN THE MOUTH.

sigh... lol...
 
FD,
I don't want to argue the semantics, but my understanding of 'bottom bouncing' is the technique whereby a relatively small weight(or series of weights) is used and the current drags the weight plus bait(roe or worms) downstream.
 
When I told my Dad I started to salmon fish (years ago), he told me to use Marshmellows cause thats what they used growing up and apparently slammed fish all season.

Then I went to the rivers and witnessed what marshmellows actually do. lol.


Truthfully, I think there is only one, MAYBE 2 legit ways of hitting a salmon.

1. Off the piers with spoons/lures.

2. Floating something BESIDE them that irratates them and you can watch them strike.

Otherwise it would drift into their mouth. I dunno how many times I watched my roe bag drift right into an open mouth of a salmon. And my buddies are like IT'S IN THE MOUTH.

sigh... lol...

What do marshmellows actually do??
 
What do marshmellows actually do??

They float the hook off bottom, right where the salmon are swimming by and opening their mouths.

Salmon never actually bite marshmallows. lol.

Though everyone who sits on bottom tells me otherwise. And I laugh.
 
No way!!
Marshmallows are white, salmons are Silver. They bite out of rage ;) totally makes sense

One time my buddy was telling me to use yellow and I had none... So I switched to using yellow sponge and caught a few fish !
 
About the Marshmellows...I haven't fished them in years but I have seen salmon just slammin them...when they're on them I've found the hit to be immediate and vicious...one time I tossed a mellow bag out on the other side of a pool and went to tighten my line and set the rod in the holder and watched a big silver hen dart up outta the pool and gulp the bag...she had the hook right down the throat...other times absolutely no hits on different combinations and sizes of roe bags, switched to mellows...and wham! right away, fish on, in da mouf, land or lose fish, mellows on, and repeat...Wham!...Same rig, fish not gettin lined on roe but all of a sudden gettin lined on mellows? all in the mouth? I don't think so...and on that slip rig, if a fish gets the line in the mouth above the sinker, generally it's gonna spit the sinker on the hook set....now on Tuesday I had this whole bottom bounce discusssion with a local guy that thinks he's better than everybody else because he occassionally catches a fish on a jig he tied hisself...now I do fish the sinker on bottom, foot and a half off bottom, right in the strike zone, which is what you want with any setup right? in this particular place 1/4oz rolls nicely but slowly in the current and the line is straight down which is the worst possible angle if the intent is to line a fish, flouro lead and tag to sinker, same size hook and roebag as under a float...why a guy believes a fish will hit that same roebag and hook and flouro under a float but not rollin around on bottom is beyond me...all I know is I catch alot of fish in the mouth right where the hook would be as if the hit it under a float...that's good enough for me
 
About the Marshmellows...I haven't fished them in years but I have seen salmon just slammin them...when they're on them I've found the hit to be immediate and vicious...one time I tossed a mellow bag out on the other side of a pool and went to tighten my line and set the rod in the holder and watched a big silver hen dart up outta the pool and gulp the bag...she had the hook right down the throat...other times absolutely no hits on different combinations and sizes of roe bags, switched to mellows...and wham! right away, fish on, in da mouf, land or lose fish, mellows on, and repeat...Wham!...Same rig, fish not gettin lined on roe but all of a sudden gettin lined on mellows? all in the mouth? I don't think so...and on that slip rig, if a fish gets the line in the mouth above the sinker, generally it's gonna spit the sinker on the hook set....now on Tuesday I had this whole bottom bounce discusssion with a local guy that thinks he's better than everybody else because he occassionally catches a fish on a jig he tied hisself...now I do fish the sinker on bottom, foot and a half off bottom, right in the strike zone, which is what you want with any setup right? in this particular place 1/4oz rolls nicely but slowly in the current and the line is straight down which is the worst possible angle if the intent is to line a fish, flouro lead and tag to sinker, same size hook and roebag as under a float...why a guy believes a fish will hit that same roebag and hook and flouro under a float but not rollin around on bottom is beyond me...all I know is I catch alot of fish in the mouth right where the hook would be as if the hit it under a float...that's good enough for me

Yah I was going to leave my own topic alone because I know our slip rig works, almost vertically up and down and in massive water, I can only make the assumption it's near impossible to "floss" a fish in 20 + feet of water, at the mouth of a river which is easy 200 yards across, and dead slow, down there throat everytime. salmon bows browns whiteys and lakers are all taken this way in "the sound" this time of year as well as meaford. Go check it out for yourselves. Although I've almost perfected my float methods, it still pays off in deep water, next time I'm In an area where guys are doing it, I'll take a picture of a fish (probably a bow) where the hook is and how they set up.
 
They get flossed in the lake as well, even though the water is hardly running. They are constantly swimming around with their mouths open.
 
I always gotta lol when somebody says the fish swim with their mouths open...and many times it's a guy who should know better...they swim with their mouths closed because this is more streamlined and uses less energy...watch the fish cam as long as you want and count how many you see swim by with their mouths open...it will be zero... http://www.lssu.edu/arl/fishcam.php
 
Salmon never actually bite marshmallows. lol.
So in one post you say that fish will hit something drifting BESIDE them. What if that "something" is a marshmellow and a fish bites it? I personally have not used a marshmellow. Just wondering, not saying your wrong just brining up a point for educational purposes. If fish agressivly hit something that intrudes there personal space, wouldnt anything within reason just about work?
 
They float the hook off bottom, right where the salmon are swimming by and opening their mouths.

Salmon never actually bite marshmallows. lol.

Though everyone who sits on bottom tells me otherwise. And I laugh.

Thanks for the reply.
 
About the Marshmellows...I haven't fished them in years but I have seen salmon just slammin them...when they're on them I've found the hit to be immediate and vicious...one time I tossed a mellow bag out on the other side of a pool and went to tighten my line and set the rod in the holder and watched a big silver hen dart up outta the pool and gulp the bag...she had the hook right down the throat...other times absolutely no hits on different combinations and sizes of roe bags, switched to mellows...and wham! right away, fish on, in da mouf, land or lose fish, mellows on, and repeat...Wham!...Same rig, fish not gettin lined on roe but all of a sudden gettin lined on mellows? all in the mouth? I don't think so...and on that slip rig, if a fish gets the line in the mouth above the sinker, generally it's gonna spit the sinker on the hook set....now on Tuesday I had this whole bottom bounce discusssion with a local guy that thinks he's better than everybody else because he occassionally catches a fish on a jig he tied hisself...now I do fish the sinker on bottom, foot and a half off bottom, right in the strike zone, which is what you want with any setup right? in this particular place 1/4oz rolls nicely but slowly in the current and the line is straight down which is the worst possible angle if the intent is to line a fish, flouro lead and tag to sinker, same size hook and roebag as under a float...why a guy believes a fish will hit that same roebag and hook and flouro under a float but not rollin around on bottom is beyond me...all I know is I catch alot of fish in the mouth right where the hook would be as if the hit it under a float...that's good enough for me

Thanks for the reply.
 
brass chronomids are deadly on lake o tribs



Most "Bait" is on the bottom. "Funny how that is...."

Mother nature always KNOWS MORE than we do!

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