Snow_Dog wrote on Jun 1^st, 2011 at 1:07am:

You could also just run a snap-weight a few feet up the line from a shallow diver if you want it to run deeper. Personally I have no interest in fooling with all the rigging a bottom bouncer setup or 3-way rig entails.  If I want to bang bottom, then a deep running crank will do it.  If it's deeper than I can reach with a crank, I'll just have to jig.

I'm kinda with SD on this one. One of the problems you are going to encounter is the physics it takes to set the hook..........follow me on this one.

With the description you gave in relation to the area you are going to fish it sounds to me that you want to maintain contact with a constantly changing bottom without the advantage of a depth finder and a nice chunk of lead might just do it. The disadvantage you will have is being able to keep enough forward momentum while you are adjusting your depth all the time. That forward speed is crucial if the hooks are going to sink in should a fish decide to strike.

The only time I would consider a bottom bouncer is if I was fishing a large flat where the depth stays fairly constant.

My advice, especially without a depth finder is to get a deep deep diver with a beefy bill, remove the front hook, upsize the rear and stop worrying about wether your lure is ticking the rocks. If it does get hung give it some slack and more often than not it will float out of trouble. Bouncing around on the rocks isn't going to hurt your rod one bit. It might stress your line a bit though and I would certainly be keeping a close eye on that.

If you are intent on giving it a try I prefer something in-line. The snap weight suggestion is solid as is an in line weight. I think I ran a tip of the month with an in line weight which I am very high on.

good luck