Rigging setup

[Lowrance Fishburn]

Just curious what everyone's favourite setup is for trolling spinning rigs/lindy rigs specifically for walleye. I prefer a spinning reel set up but am not opposed to baitcasting setup either. Any particular specs? Currently using a 6'6" fenwick HMG medium fast as my rigging rod, but thinking of getting something in the 7' range and moderate-fast action to allow for some more bites without the fish feeling the tip of the rod too soon. What are you preferecens? I will be buying a new rod/reel this afternoon and want to know what I should get. Cheer.s

[mlee]

I went away from my normal brands and picked up a few new rods and reels this winter. A 7'6" quantum vapor medium fast rod paired with a 2500 series daiwa big game reel. I pulled some drop shots, cranks and swim baits with it on the weekend as well as casting rippin raps and jigs... and so far super happy. No issues picking up light bites.....casts great and wasnt at all choppy on the tip while trolling. Even fought a couple 8-10lb pike with it. I think I was right around $250 all in with a roll of 15lb power pro.

[Lowrance Fishburn]

Thanks for the reply! Sounds like a good multi-use rod. I've already got several other rods, this one I am looking for would be specifically for slow trolling bottom bouncers and lindy rigs. So no casting etc. The fast action tip is something im considering switching away from on this rod just because you want a good amount of rod bend when bottom bouncing so a fish can grab hold and not feel the rod and spit the hook. What is everyones favourite bottom bouncing set up?

[cube]

Originally Posted by Lowrance Fishburn

Thanks for the reply! Sounds like a good multi-use rod. I've already got several other rods, this one I am looking for would be specifically for slow trolling bottom bouncers and lindy rigs. So no casting etc. The fast action tip is something im considering switching away from on this rod just because you want a good amount of rod bend when bottom bouncing so a fish can grab hold and not feel the rod and spit the hook. What is everyones favourite bottom bouncing set up?

Personally I use different rods for bottom bouncing vs lindy rigging. The best bottom bouncing rods I found are my musky rods. So they would be classified as heavy and fast. I was finding that the normal medium rods were bending so much with the bouncers on that they were at the backbone already, so effectively just like the muskey rods. I find I catch just as many walleye and the musky rod is much easier to hold and control.

As I find lindy rigging and bottom bouncing not finesse presentations I use long 7 to 8.5 foot rods. Even for lindy rigging I usually use heavy to med heavy rods with raiser sharp hooks. I prefer bait casters if I am hand holding because that way with one hand I can let out some line while driving the boat.

[old dog]

I like using a quantum bait cast reel with the flippin switch on it as it allows for ease of dropping a little more line without recocking it. I use a Med Heavy rod for bottom bouncing and medium for lighter weight rigs.

[oilngas]

I follow what Cube said for bouncing and cranks. Because i'm mostly the driver / unpaid Grand kids and others (very poor) guide, I leave the rod and bouncer in the holder. That way the kids can fish their own gear and watch Grandpa's rig. I find the bait caster convenient as i can let the braid out slowly etc. as i drive the boat. I also find the longer the rod and therefore the further away from the boat, I can make tighter turns following contours.

[Garlicmarshmellow]

I have a browning three rivers M/L 8'6" paired with a abu Garcia 4301 reel. Baitcasters are the way to go as you have more control when you are release line. The long rod is the bomb to because you can use the handle for more leverage especially when you are steering the boat and using one hand/arm to set the hook. This rig is just for bottom bouncing only. I carry other rods for jigging and casting

[Walleyedude]

I don't think you can buy a single rod for lindy rigging and bottom bouncing. That's like a putter vs a driver.

Lindy rigging is the pinnacle of finesse fishing, you need ultimate sensitivity to be able to sense the fish before it senses you. I'd look for something 7' at a minimum, 7'6" is better. You need the length for taking up line when setting the hook, especially in deeper water, and for dealing with long snells when it comes time to land the fish. I prefer a ML power and a really soft F or XF action tip for sensing the bites and fighting fish on light line, but you also need the back bone to be able to set a hook with a lot of line out there. The pinnacle of rigging rods is the G Loomis GLX 9000S. It's a LXF, but it fishes like a MLF. The same blank taper is available in the IMX Walleye and E6X lines too, and Shimano makes the Compre in a 76MXF.

https://thefishinhole.com/index.cfm?...RODS/&se=27970

https://www.cabelas.ca/product/13242...e-spinning-rod

You definitely don't need GLX sensitivity in a bouncer rod, but I think it's a misconception that you can use a 2X4 and be fine lol. You want to be able to feel your bouncer touch bottom and know the composition, feel your spinner vibrating, and feel the subtle bumps, pauses and lack of vibration that signal you've got a fish following or biting (or a foul). I prefer a baitcasting rod, at least 7', in a MH power to handle 1-3 oz bouncers, and in a F or Mod F action so it loads up nicely when you get a bite, but you also need serious backbone to set the hook when you're dragging larger bouncers in deeper water. The E6X 853 WBBR is an awesome bouncing rod, but you don't need to spend that kinda money, a good quality rod with similar specs will work just fine. Pair it up with a baitcasting reel with the flippin switch and you're in business.

https://www.cabelas.ca/product/13243...ye-casting-rod

[Lowrance Fishburn]

Originally Posted by Walleyedude

I don't think you can buy a single rod for lindy rigging and bottom bouncing. That's like a putter vs a driver.

Lindy rigging is the pinnacle of finesse fishing, you need ultimate sensitivity to be able to sense the fish before it senses you. I'd look for something 7' at a minimum, 7'6" is better. You need the length for taking up line when setting the hook, especially in deeper water, and for dealing with long snells when it comes time to land the fish. I prefer a ML power and a really soft F or XF action tip for sensing the bites and fighting fish on light line, but you also need the back bone to be able to set a hook with a lot of line out there. The pinnacle of rigging rods is the G Loomis GLX 9000S. It's a LXF, but it fishes like a MLF. The same blank taper is available in the IMX Walleye and E6X lines too, and Shimano makes the Compre in a 76MXF.

https://thefishinhole.com/index.cfm?...RODS/&se=27970

https://www.cabelas.ca/product/13242...e-spinning-rod

You definitely don't need GLX sensitivity in a bouncer rod, but I think it's a misconception that you can use a 2X4 and be fine lol. You want to be able to feel your bouncer touch bottom and know the composition, feel your spinner vibrating, and feel the subtle bumps, pauses and lack of vibration that signal you've got a fish following or biting (or a foul). I prefer a baitcasting rod, at least 7', in a MH power to handle 1-3 oz bouncers, and in a F or Mod F action so it loads up nicely when you get a bite, but you also need serious backbone to set the hook when you're dragging larger bouncers in deeper water. The E6X 853 WBBR is an awesome bouncing rod, but you don't need to spend that kinda money, a good quality rod with similar specs will work just fine. Pair it up with a baitcasting reel with the flippin switch and you're in business.

https://www.cabelas.ca/product/13243...ye-casting-rod

so firstly, yes, this would be a strictly bottom bouncing/lindy rigging rod only. I've already got too many rods for jigging, casting, trolling cranks etc. On a few of my favourite lakes I have been doing a lot more of the rigging style so have been looking for something specifically for that. I agree with the second paragraph, as I am looking for ideally something 7;6" medium heavy with moderate fast action. I was confused by your first paragraph when you said something with a M or ML fast or x-fast action tip. Would your A) have enough backbone with sucha light power rod? And B) wouldn't the F or XF tip be stiffer and therefore have the fish feel the rod before it gets to chew on the bait long enough?


I was at Cabellas yesterday and no luck. Their rod selection sucks for this style as they cater more to the general public of fishermen and have a wide selection of Fast and Xfast tip rods.

Going to head ot fishin hole this afternoon and see what they have. As of now my rigging rod has been a 6'8" Ugly stick G2X. Its tip is so soft it loads up pretty nicely but id like something a little longer for more sweeping hook sets as well as a baitcaster for the reasons mentioned.

I appreciate the input - Wish me luck.

[Walleyedude]

Originally Posted by Lowrance Fishburn

so firstly, yes, this would be a strictly bottom bouncing/lindy rigging rod only. I've already got too many rods for jigging, casting, trolling cranks etc. On a few of my favourite lakes I have been doing a lot more of the rigging style so have been looking for something specifically for that. I agree with the second paragraph, as I am looking for ideally something 7;6" medium heavy with moderate fast action. I was confused by your first paragraph when you said something with a M or ML fast or x-fast action tip. Would your A) have enough backbone with sucha light power rod? And B) wouldn't the F or XF tip be stiffer and therefore have the fish feel the rod before it gets to chew on the bait long enough?


I was at Cabellas yesterday and no luck. Their rod selection sucks for this style as they cater more to the general public of fishermen and have a wide selection of Fast and Xfast tip rods.

Going to head ot fishin hole this afternoon and see what they have. As of now my rigging rod has been a 6'8" Ugly stick G2X. Its tip is so soft it loads up pretty nicely but id like something a little longer for more sweeping hook sets as well as a baitcaster for the reasons mentioned.

I appreciate the input - Wish me luck.

I think maybe our definition of "rigging" is different.

I would call lindy rigging or "rigging", using a very small sliding sinker, 1/8-1/4 oz on average, but up to 1/2 oz in deeper water, attached to long snell (4-12') with a single small hook and a leech. The idea is to allow the leech to swim freely at the end of the line while moving very slowly, 0.4-0.6 mph. Using a spinning setup is best because you hold the line in your finger with the bail open, when you feel a bite, you release the line and allow the fish to take the bait and swallow it before closing the bail, reeling down, and setting the hook. The idea is to feel/see the subtle bite and allow the fish to swim off with the bait, if they feel you before you feel them, they'll often spit the leech and be gone. The action when "rigging" happens in a split second, it doesn't load up at all during the bite, in fact, you're trying really hard to avoid having that happen.

The amount of force needed to bend the rod, and the tip in particular, is the power - ML, M, MH. The action of the rod Mod F, F, XF, describes at what point the rod will bend for a given force (deepest to shortest bend). The F or XF rods will only bend right at the tip, leaving the rest of the blank to be stiffer and provide the backbone for hook sets and fighting fish. Rigging requires a soft and sensitive rod, ML is ideal IMHO, and the F or XF action allows for a very soft tip while still having plenty of backbone, especially in the longer rods that have a lot of blank to work with.

Bottom bouncing is dragging around a fixed weight or bottom bouncer, usually 1-3 oz, with a 3-5' snell and a spinner blade of some kind or possibly a slow death setup. This is a trolling setup, and generally works best at 1-1.5 mph, a little slower for slow death. In this case, you need to match the power to the weight of the bouncer, and the you do want a slower action with a deeper bend to help with hookups. A crankbait rod would be a good substitute for this technique.

As I would define them, they are two VERY different techniques.

TFH should have a good selection of rods for both techniques.

[Bushleague]

I don't really care what type of reel I use, but I do like a flexible rod with a fairly slow action. IMO it lets the fish take the bait and turn before the rod loads up too much, and I get a better hooking percentage over heavy/ fast rods which tighten up on the fish much faster. One could probably find a pricier substitute, but I like my old 1st gen Ugly Sticks for trolling blades and slow death rigs.

[Lowrance Fishburn]

Originally Posted by Walleyedude

I think maybe our definition of "rigging" is different.

I would call lindy rigging or "rigging", using a very small sliding sinker, 1/8-1/4 oz on average, but up to 1/2 oz in deeper water, attached to long snell (4-12') with a single small hook and a leech. The idea is to allow the leech to swim freely at the end of the line while moving very slowly, 0.4-0.6 mph. Using a spinning setup is best because you hold the line in your finger with the bail open, when you feel a bite, you release the line and allow the fish to take the bait and swallow it before closing the bail, reeling down, and setting the hook. The idea is to feel/see the subtle bite and allow the fish to swim off with the bait, if they feel you before you feel them, they'll often spit the leech and be gone. The action when "rigging" happens in a split second, it doesn't load up at all during the bite, in fact, you're trying really hard to avoid having that happen.



The amount of force needed to bend the rod, and the tip in particular, is the power - ML, M, MH. The action of the rod Mod F, F, XF, describes at what point the rod will bend for a given force (deepest to shortest bend). The F or XF rods will only bend right at the tip, leaving the rest of the blank to be stiffer and provide the backbone for hook sets and fighting fish. Rigging requires a soft and sensitive rod, ML is ideal IMHO, and the F or XF action allows for a very soft tip while still having plenty of backbone, especially in the longer rods that have a lot of blank to work with.

Bottom bouncing is dragging around a fixed weight or bottom bouncer, usually 1-3 oz, with a 3-5' snell and a spinner blade of some kind or possibly a slow death setup. This is a trolling setup, and generally works best at 1-1.5 mph, a little slower for slow death. In this case, you need to match the power to the weight of the bouncer, and the you do want a slower action with a deeper bend to help with hookups. A crankbait rod would be a good substitute for this technique.

As I would define them, they are two VERY different techniques.

TFH should have a good selection of rods for both techniques.

So there is no confusion at all over the deffinition. I both Lindy rig, as you described and pull blades/spinners using a bottom bouncer, depending on where and how im fishing. Both set-ups I always felt were best suited to a moderate-fast (slow action) tip. I am also very well aware of the nomenclature behind rod power and action. I am curious how the fast action is beneficial as fast action is a stiffer tip... Perhaps the longer rods with fast action have more play than the shorter rods? I think I understand what you're saying but perhaps not. So for Lindy rigging you prefer a fast tip and for bottom bouncing you prefer the moderate slow action, yes? That's actually interesting as I was considering a moderate slow tip for Lindy rigging as well as bouncing. Great info though, cheers.

[Lowrance Fishburn]

Originally Posted by Bushleague

I don't really care what type of reel I use, but I do like a flexible rod with a fairly slow action. IMO it lets the fish take the bait and turn before the rod loads up too much, and I get a better hooking percentage over heavy/ fast rods which tighten up on the fish much faster. One could probably find a pricier substitute, but I like my old 1st gen Ugly Sticks for trolling blades and slow death rigs.

Basically exactly how I feel as well. I dont use my ugly stick for anything else really either but it doesnt load up quite as well as a longer rod just being 6'8" and id prefer 7'6". So thats pretty much all im looking for I think.

[Walleyedude]

Originally Posted by Lowrance Fishburn

So there is no confusion at all over the deffinition. I both Lindy rig, as you described and pull blades/spinners using a bottom bouncer, depending on where and how im fishing. Both set-ups I always felt were best suited to a moderate-fast (slow action) tip. I am also very well aware of the nomenclature behind rod power and action. I am curious how the fast action is beneficial as fast action is a stiffer tip... Perhaps the longer rods with fast action have more play than the shorter rods? I think I understand what you're saying but perhaps not. So for Lindy rigging you prefer a fast tip and for bottom bouncing you prefer the moderate slow action, yes? That's actually interesting as I was considering a moderate slow tip for Lindy rigging as well as bouncing. Great info though, cheers.

Fast action is not a "stiffer tip", but I get what you're saying, the mod F will move more than the XF for a given force applied, that's definitely true.

Just as a hypothetical, if you take a ML rod in three actions, Mod F, F, and XF, and apply an even force of say 3 oz, the mod fast rod will flex to a point 12" down from the tip, the F 8", and XF 4". The bend of the rod tip from horizontal will also correspond to roughly those numbers. Of course it doesn't work exactly like that in the real world (there's way too many other factors) but that's the theory. So if you're trying to set the hook quickly, the XF will take up 2-3X as much line as the Mod F. That can be a huge difference with longer rods and actually transferring that hook set power to the fish, especially if you're using mono. That's why jigging rods are generally F or XF actions. The down side is, because you transition to a stiffer part of the blank much faster with a F or XF action, the fish will feel your presence faster. That's a two way street though, you'll be able to better feel the bite too.

The benefit of the fast action is that added line movement at the hookset, and having a longer section of the rod available to be stiffer, so more backbone.

for Lindy rigging I prefer a F action, or even an XF depending on the rod, for the reason's above, and I just prefer the feel. I find a Mod F action too "mushy" for finesse fishing. I don't like the wet noodle feel, I want it to be crisp.

I definitely prefer the Mod F action for a bouncing rod. Again, for the same reasons. You give that fish a lot more line and room to play before the rod gets too stiff, and I'm not setting the hook, I'm generally just sweeping forward to ensure a good hookup on a fish that's already hooked up.