Nehalem Bay report 10-13

This may sound crazy but I'm not sure what the best way is to insure you are on (or within 2 ft) the bottom. The depth there seems to be 12 to 15 ft. I use a baitcaster with a line counter. The method I use most is to release the line and keep my thumb on the spinning line to avoid tangles. I do all this while moving at trolling speed (1.8 -2.2 kn). When I feel the weight hit bottom, I reel in 2 or 3 times around and maintain trolling speed.
I've heard others say drop the weight to the bottom then start trolling which pulls the weight up. with this method you need more weight to maintain a pretty steep angle.
My guess is you use the first method. Any other tips to insure I'm near the bottom would be great. This is great advice. If the rain doesnt muddy up the rivers I think I'll try Nehalem again this weekend.

The channel to the south of the boat ramp is about 20 feet deep in places. I still fished it with about 24 feet of line out at about a 45 degree angle so my spinner should have been roughly 12 feet down.  I caught fish.

 When I fished the shallower water across the bay where fish were jumping, I pedaled into the tide at about 2+ mph with 24 feet of line out. I landed 7 fish in about an hour (all wild). This same day, one of the HOW guys caught a monster chinook and a monster coho, not with 24 feet on a line counter, but with 12 pulls of line.  Ndogg limited out early that morning, and being the first one that caught fish we asked him, "How deep?" Guess what he told us? When I went back that next week, fish were jumping and I caught them with about 24 feet of line out.  It wasn't as fast and furious, but I caught fish.

The first time I was there this year, I caught one across from Wheeler in 14 feet of water with about 24 feet of line out. So what I am saying is that I caught a lot of fish (for me) in three trips there all with about 24 feet of line out, and others I have fished there with all had success at about 24 feet.  That doesn't mean other depths won't work, but it gets you close to the bottom, but not so close you are constantly pulling weeds off your gear.  However, what worked last month and earlier this month may not be what is working now.  If I was heading there tomorrow, you can bet I would start trolling at 24 feet for the first little while at least.  But, there is one other factor, we were all using Nolken spinners (pat. pending ).  Fish seem to love those things.