Lead, Line, Leaders, Hooks, Components

Bottom bouncers are synonymous with spinner rigging, but they also make excellent livebait rigs in snaggy conditions. The safety pin wire shape keeps livebait slightly off bottom, while the wire leg skips across snags and follows contours. Perfect for slow rigging as long as you maintain tension and don’t let the bouncer fall on its side. Bait Rigs, Northland, Quick Change, Lindy, Gapen, and hordes of basement manufacturers offer bouncers in various configurations and colors. Bullet Weights’ Ultra Sound Bouncer design features a swiveling upper arm to minimize fouling of the line as the bouncer is dropped to bottom. And it rattles. Bouncers from 1 to 3 ounces typically cover a wide range of walleye fishing conditions.

Bouncers also can be sliprigged, much like a walking sinker. This generally requires the addition of a snap swivel at the eye attachment point. Then the main line is threaded through two swivels. Straight bouncers (no wire bend) like the Quick Change Lite Bite come ready to use as slip bouncers, and they feature a snap clevis for easy weight change.

Bell and pencil sinkers are classic heavy weights used by river anglers for casting or trolling. They come in a wide array of sizes from tiny 1/16-ouncers to 5 or 6 ounces and more. Walleye anglers typically use them with three-way rigs, to cast from a river bank, slowly troll or anchor in rivers, or troll a bit more quickly with spinners or minnow-imitating crankbaits in lakes and reservoirs. Sinkers from about 1 to 3 ounces provide a versatile range of rigging options.

Walleye anglers use a lot of lead in various forms. While lead-free options are available from companies like Bullet Weights and Dinsmores, they likely won’t be popular with walleye fishermen, due to their increased cost, unless lead substitutes are legally mandated.

Line—Minimizing Water Resistance While Maximizing Strength

For livebait rigging, your main line doesn’t necessarily have to be invisible. That’s the function of the snell. Your main line, however, should be thin enough to minimize water resistance while maintaining adequate strength and sense of feel, enabling you to fish effectively in deep water. You should also be able to sweepset small hooks, maintain tension, and fight walleyes in fairly open water, away from cover like wood or weeds. Livebait rigging lines are selected for their finesse, not power.

Thin 6- or 8-pound-test monofilament line offers the correct balance of characteristics for most livebait rigging conditions, and as a bonus, minimizes visibility due to its thin diameter. Clear or green lines tend to be most popular with walleye anglers, though some line watchers may use high-vis lines, which many walleye anglers fear will spook walleyes in clear water. For slow trolling or drifting, limp lines like Trilene XL are not necessary; you might be better off with more durable XT for its increased abrasion resistance around rocks. Softer (less memory) XL or a thin superline might be better for casting lightweight split shot rigs, for adding distance to your cast.

Good monofilament candidates for livebait rigging include Trilene XT, Stren, Stren Sensor, PRADCO Super Silver Thread, Ande Premium, Maxima Ultra Green, Spiderline Super Mono, P-Line PXS, and Sufix Magic Touch.