Should I be adding sinkers to my line

[heineken8119]

I was wondering should I add Weight to my lines or just the weight on jigs. I always see people state to set your bait example 12 inches from the bottom. What is best method to figure out how deep water is?

[Wenger]

Just use the lead head jigs or small lures and try different levels for tout. They don't always hug the bottom especially when feeding. Just find a depth with fish and go for it.

You can try the pond right west of the mall as well, lots of small trout and bluegills.

[lookinforpanfish]

I was wondering should I add Weight to my lines or just the weight on jigs. I always see people state to set your bait example 12 inches from the bottom. What is best method to figure out how deep water is?

If you don't want to buy an electronic fish finder, which also gives you the depth of water, go buy a 50 cents clamp on weight.  Attach to your line and drop to bottom.  Walk backwards until your wt pops back up on the ice.. pace the distance back to the hole. To get a ft off the bottom, pull your wt up a ft and attach a bobber. Bring the line up by hand, remove the clamp on wt and start fishing. I've done this a lot in 50 ft of water.

[Wenger]

Old school! Still have a bunch of those in the tackle box.

You know you are good when you can find fish by feeling the weight bonk one of the school and tell what species and size.

[Idahogator]

Dang, Wenger, you really are good at this.     

[Wenger]

You know when you are REALLY good when you can bonk the biggest one in the school between the eyes and have it float up into the hole head first out cold.

I can only do this with walleyes under 10 pounds.

[Idahogator]

Hm, float into the hole ~ is that with 'miner's' sonar, aka, 1/4 stick. BOOM.     

Oh, wait, that's just too nasty.   

[NordicJigger]

I use a small weight 1' up from a jig. Easy to tell when you're on bottom and just come up 1' for your jig to be on bottom.

[fishin7]

If you don't have a flasher just take a permanent marker with you.  Drop your lure/jig down the hole and once it settles on the bottom and doesn't take line out anymore take your marker and color your line where it meets the water.  That way when you go back to jigging you will always know where the bottom is and how far up you are jigging your lure/jig.  Back in my early years before I had all the fancy equipment I use to actually bring 2 or three colors so I could put different color marks on my line so I always knew what depth I was at while jigging.