Guides jigging for springers?

[Waterfish]

I was fishing in the Kalama area on Saturday, and there was a guide boat anchored in a small hog line just upstream from me. The clients were jigging! Too far from me to see what they were jigging, but we saw them land at least three springers. Could they have been jigging eggs? Or Buzz Bombs?

This is my first springer season, and through Ifish and several springer clinics, I've learned about Kwikfish, prawn-spinners, and cut-plug herring. So far I have caught two springers, both on Kwikfish, and I am thankful for the tips the guides have given at their clinics on Kwikfish.

But now we hear that the guides who won the Ifish springer challenge were using eggs... Is this a guide secret that they don't cover in their clinics? Last fall my brother fished Drano Lake with a guide. While everyone else was trolling in circles using orange Mag Warts, my brother and the guide's other clients were limiting out on eggs.

Now if I want to catch more springers I better learn about using eggs and jigging!

[Thumper]

Backbouncing eggs and shrimp used to be a deadly technique for springers. Perhaps they were doing that from anchor.

[Bendman]

Eggs are the flavor of the month right now. Usually all everyone is talking about is QF. No big secret That’s just what’s working right now.

[Twitchs_Tackle]

I think what you saw them doing is called back bouncing. It looks like jigging, and I guess it kind of is in a way, but its where you start your bait close to a boat, then with your reel on free spool, you slowly lift your rod, let out a little bit of line, and let the current take your bait a little farther back from the boat each time. The "jigging" is actually the angler feeling his/her lead (or bouncing bettys) hitting the bottom, letting them know that the bait is in the strike zone each bounce. It allows you to slowly work your bait back through a section of water, keeping it right in front of any fish holding in that stretch.

The only thing that many of us have trouble with is being patient enough to let the fish take the bait. You can feel them mouthing it, and you just have to wait, and feed it back to them, and then hit'em!

[Waterfish]

I am pretty sure they were not walking their Kwikfish back or back bouncing. In fact, I walk my Kwikfish back, and I know what that looks like. These guys were giving short little jig type moves that look just like what you see when people jig Nordics or Buzz Bombs for Kokanee...