by letting your lure fall to the bottom, watching your line all the way. Don't be surprised if it stops dead or starts peeling off rapidly. Fish on! I like to open the reel's bail and let the line slip through my fingers just fast enough to give the bait some action. If a fish hits on the way down, I pinch the line tight and close the bail all in one motion for a solid hook-set.
Ringing the dinner bell' is a technique that takes a lot of lake trout-walleye, too. Always begin by lifting and dropping the spoon on the rocks or sand. Sound and vibration is a major triggering element for these deep-dwelling fish. Allowing the bait to lay on bottom for up to 5 minutes is also very effective. Lakers will either suck it up and move off, or blast it the second you resume your jigging stroke. Work the water from top to bottom. I'll usually crank the reel handle 4 times for every 50 jigs. I've caught as many lakers half way down as I have on the bottom. It really depends on what depth the baitfish are occupying. Working the lure up to 30 feet off the bottom and letting it fall all the way back down can work wonders when the fish are really scattered. The intense vibration sent out by a ten or fifteen second free-fall seems to attract fish from all directions.
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