I've had better luck sticking with the crawler harness

 

Same here but this year when we are into them good and hot, I'm going to run some to see the difference

 

I made a few like this to try

 

I've not heard of the "slow death rig" but your picture looks similar to what I use when I fish the lower Ausable for smallies and eyes.
I use a long shank bait hook, a little orange bead and a very tiny little hook between the bead and the long hook. Pull a crawler in half and thread it up the shank and hook it to the tiny hook to keep it from sliding down. Shoeman showed me the tiny hook trick quite a few years ago and I been using it ever since. Thanks Ralf. See I do pay attention

You can bottom bounce it, drift it, or my favorite method is just letting it drag behind me while my boat slowly drifts along in the current.
The water is usually pretty clean there and I've found you have to go light/stealth to get bites.
Works for me anyway.

 

My brother loves the "slow death" rigs. When we first started playing the game there in the SCR, he fished them hard and I would try them occasionally. They did catch fish, but the harnesses out fished the slow death rigs SUBSTANTIALLY. I like the slow death for heavy pressured/clear in-land lakes, but the SCR Eyes LOVE the harnesses!!! Seems like often it's the flashier the better.

 

We tried when they 1st came out. Went back to regular harnesses

 

They would be worth a shot along the weed edges in 25 feet of water or less when the water is clear. There's much less color or vibration that with a harness, so focus on the locations & conditions where the walleye can at least see it. Most places where guys use the slow death rigs aren't 40 or 50 feet deep.

 

Don't know about there but they work great on sag bay. Witnessed a few days last year around the bug hatches and they way outfished harnesses. Makes sense smaller presentations when they are feeding on the hatches.

Sent from my SM-A716U using Tapatalk

 

they work here, I've never used the bare just hook style ones though. All mine have beads and blades like a normal crawler harness. As far as hit rate I don't really notice a difference between the standard two hook harnesses and the slow death ones. Normally when my two hook harnesses snag up and loose the back hook I'll cut the other hook off and tie on a slow death hook.

 

Unless you can figure out a way to get a second hook or stinger into a slow death presentation, you're gonna be reeling in a lot of crawler nubs. If I'm not mistaken, the slow death presentation is designed such that you can feed the fish when you get bit.

In no way would I consider a slow death rig as an alternative to trolling spinners.

Sent from my SM-G998U using Michigan Sportsman mobile app

 

Unless you can figure out a way to get a second hook or stinger into a slow death presentation, you're gonna be reeling in a lot of crawler nubs. If I'm not mistaken, the slow death presentation is designed such that you can feed the fish when you get bit.

In no way would I consider a slow death rig as an alternative to trolling spinners.

Sent from my SM-G998U using Michigan Sportsman mobile app

You purposely pinch off excess crawler on a slow death set up so the worm will spin, you already are using a "nub" pretty much. In theory you should have more hook ups than a traditional 2 hook harness.

 

I don't use a Slow Death hook, but when it comes a crawler harness, I use only a single hook type that I tie myself. 50+ years ago my grandfather taught me this technique of tying a spinner for the SCR and I have been using it ever since.

 

I find that I sometimes catch more fish on a one hook harness rather than a double or three hook harness. I sometimes cut the bottom two hooks off and leave just a single hook under the spinner. Gets more bites "at times" than the regular harnesses for me in Lake St. Clair. Trial & error to determine what will work on certain days. I like 2 or 3 hooks in the river.

 

I only use slow death hooks. It’s all bout how you thread the worm and how much meat you leave before you pinch off the tail end. They have to have a nice slow roll to them. Not sure if they are any better than standard hooks but I have confidence in them and confidence catches more fish.

 

Dude you are so right. Confidence is everything. My brother and I would say, "fish hard" and that means pay attention 100% and have total confidence that a fish would hit any second.

 

As others have said, I won't be switching to SD over harnesses in the river. However, shallow water trolling the lake I'd give it serious consideration.

 

I agree I use. #4 or #5 willow leaf blade. For speedy summer trolling The smile blades have not done me well nor has the spin n glows..Colorado blades with some thump are good in dirtier water.

 

You ever find conditions where the spin n glos work well enough to run them instead of something else? Every year I always say I need to try them, I've got a whole bunch of them. But I never get around to it.

 

How heavy of a bottom bouncer do you guys use in the river? I seen quit a few trolling them last year.

 

I use 2-3 oz...usually 3.

 

Is it’s best to go with current or against? The guys I was watching while jigging were going both ways.

 

I am by no means an expert...only get over there a few times a year because it's such a long drive...but have always done quite well. We have always fished down stream and everyone I have noticed was doing the same. Honestly if it is calm or if you have a north breeze at all, you don't even have to "troll". Just drop your bottom bouncer down till it's barely ticking the bottom and drift down the river. As long as you feel that vibration in your rod tip, you should be moving fast enough for the blades to be spinning. If it doesn't feel like you are moving fast enough, then point your boat down stream and use your trolling motor to go just a little faster than the current. Some of our best days, I just used the TM to keep the boat sideways to the current and we had rods out all along the side of the boat. Last year on all my trips I had a bit of a south wind so had to do a slow troll downstream. Guys in the back of the boat can use a little lighter BB and let out a little more line than the guys in front...helps avoid tangles. I suppose you could catch fish trolling up stream, but would be burning a lot of electricity or gas and tougher boat control. Give it a shot once the water warms up...it's a blast!!!

 

Thanks appreciate it. Good luck I’ll be doing some jigging there this weekend.