How about something completely different.
Traditional bounce balling was done with boats where they could keep things moving by keeping the motors in gear, and a lot of gear or drag in the water wasn't an issue since they weren't paddling. Those methods work with a kayak but they are a big workout when kayaking and you can only effectively fish one rod at a time.
I think there are better ways to do this. Personally for Kayaking I use much lighter gear then I would use on a boat and single plugs vrs hoochies and flashers, and I only like to bounce ball on clean open sand like in SMB almost always in 40 to 75 feet of water.
There are two main reasons I use these rigs. Small floating plugs get bit well but unlike hoochies rapalas and plugs float up and do not snag up when you stop. Lighter line gear and smaller weights pull through the water with less effort, so I don't have to paddle as hard. This way I can fish two rods instead of one and fish longer without wearing myself out.
Gear wise I use 20 pound spectra on a conventional level wind like a ABU6500C. I put these on a light tipped six to seven foot parabolic rod (I use Kencor 10-30s)
I splice in ten feet of 20 or 15 pound fluorocarbon leader at the end of the spectra, and tie that to a 3 way swivel.
One the weight side of the three way I tie 2 feet of fluorocarbon with a snap at the end, so I can change out weights quickly. Weight wise I fish 4 to 12 ounces but usually 4, 6, and 8 ounce torpedo sinkers.
On the lure side I add three feet of the same the same test fluorocarbon leader. Lure wise I've tried dozens of things but narrowed it down to three baits.
Floating Rapalas:
Rapala X Raps
CD9 Cordell Redfins
So how does this all work?
First off I like to bounce ball perpendicular to the wind or going down wind. If I'm going upwind for an extended period of I usually only fish one rod, but I prefer two because it's way more effective.
I set up my yak so I can fish two rods that are always in front of me with rod holders pointed to either side. I want them in reach so I can quickly adjust them letting out more line or changing the drag.
On one I put on a lighter say four ounce weight on the other I use a heavier sinker like a eight ounce weight. and I fish them staggered with the heavy one in closer to the yak and the lighter one further back.
I first put out the lighter rig on the upwind side and I leave the reel in gear with a light slipping drag and paddle while it drops down. I then paddle forward maybe thirty or more feet letting line slip off the reel while it the weight drags on the bottom. When it's the correct distance back I tighten up to a strike setting. Tight enough to set the hook with the spectra but too lose to break the line if a fish runs hard. Put the clicker on, put it in the holder and that's the long rod.
I then put the heavy weighted one out using the same technique paddling as it goes down and letting it go back a bit. The big deal here is you want the light one far enough back that you do not tangle it when you drop the heavy one. You also want at least twenty feet between the baits once they are both on the bottom. The long one follows the short one with the heaviest weight closest to the yak, and you want them far enough back that both stay on the bottom almost all the time at about 1.2 knots.
Once they are both out on the bottom I then paddle forward with steady strokes watching the rod tips as both weights bounce steadily increasing speed until they are both off the bottom. I then stop paddling and watch them settle. The deal is you want both weights to come off the bottom at the same time and then hit the bottom at the same time.
Once you have that worked out you just paddle a few strokes forward, stop and wait till they hit bottom then paddle forward again. Some fish hit when you speed up some when the baits are settling. Always watch the rod tips, they can tell you about your speed, the bottom conditions, whether you have junk on your lures, etc. Not every fish slams these baits though some do. Some of the bites are just little taps so don't depend on the clicker, you want to always watch the rod tips to keep up with what's going on.
When you get a strike you don't stop or set the hook. Instead paddle forward hard picking up speed to get the yak and holder to hook the fish. With spectra you don't have to set the hook, you'll know when it's hooked because it'll start taking drag. If the fish is not hooked let it settle down again, then paddle forward again keep working the baits after a bite.
If the fish hooks up paddle forward and keep paddling for a while letting the line slip off the drag with the rod still in the holder. This is important. The deal is you want to keep that line tight while the butt does it's first big head shakes right after you hook it, because that's when it's most likely to spit the hook. Paddling forward keeps the line tight and the hook well set. Watch the rod tip bounce and lunges, you can tell what the fish is doing, and you want to wait till it starts to settle down before taking the rod out of the holder. It's just like trolling for tuna or Marlin in this respect. I essentially keep paddling hard until the rod loads up solid and the fish starts taking drag steady and smoothly. I then pick up the rod and reel it in.
Once you have a fish on you don't really have to clear the other rod. I like to turn the yak so that rod is on the upwind side and reel in the fish. If you let it sit the lure floats up it and stays off the bottom, on clean sand the sinker just drags and does not hang up. That's the real beauty of these rigs, is that they are pretty much hassle free and when it's windy you can even drift them just like bait. Often while I'm on one fish I'll hook another on on this dead stick but I leave it in the holder and work the first fish first.
If you get a strike and it misses on the first rod pay special attention to the second one as it's likely to get hit as well. Two strikes means a major concentration of fish or a hungry fish, be sure and hit that spot again. Personally I mark every strike I get on the GPS and after a while if you mark them you'll have a pattern that will tell you where to fish.
Color wise you want to match the bait and water clarity. Silver blue, blue white, black silver, black white, mackerel, sardine, even rainbow trout patterns all work. Whites for dirty water silver for clear is a good general rule. Size wise think Anchovies and Sardines. Anchovie size baits generally get bit the most but sometimes they really are into the bigger lures.
So that's the basic technique but a few extra things. The hooks on these lures rust fast, and are weak to begin with. I replace all mine with stainless hooks. Also when using deeper divers like the CD9 Redfin you want to shorten the leader to keep it from digging in the sand when your paddling.
Another thing that's important is you do not want to use heavy tackle. These lures are not made to be fished on heavy tackle, if you fish more then twenty pound you'll get less then half as many strikes, and fifteen will outperform twenty. Also on heavier gear the hooks will straighten and the lures can even break (especially CD9s) if you put too much pressure on them.
CD9s are really kind of crappy lures construction wise but they are especially good on rough days as the motion of the yak transfers to them and makes them dodge and lunge in a way that really get's bit. It's a better lure bite wise just poorly constructed, so keep an eye on them because they will break.
This technique in general is really really effective.
I've been using it for over two decades, and though I came up with it for fishing skiffs my first trip in a kayak I caught three halibut doing it. Often I don't buy bait and only fish plugs and I've caught more then I can count with the technique.
Honestly there are times it will out fish bait and you'll catch everything from Butts to Blacks to an occasional white seabass using it. I've caught soupfins but no threshers, but I'd suggest a reel that holds a lot of line just in case you hook something huge.
I've caught a lot of butts over ten pounds doing this and my largest is in the high twenties, but I have a friend that caught a nice thirty plus pound fish the first time he tried it so if you try it be ready for large fish.
At any rate that's how I bounce ball and it works fro me.
Jim
12-11-2013, 08:15 AM
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