Does anybody ever use this technique anymore ?

sometimes I will dang near work a spinner bait like a Texas Rig. It works

Yes. Especially at night.

Down a chunk rock dam can really produce

also along a bluff wall

At night year round and 3/4 to 1 oz in drains leading to spawning areas in pre spawn.

It is a great technique for all levels of fishing from shallow to deep. This is an article I wrote on strolling deep water a month or so back.

The technique of strolling allows a spinner bait to achieve depths unattainable with a long cast and retrieve.

�Long lining spinner baits works on every lake; in fact, it�s really productive on lakes with a lot of standing timber. �Water clarity is not that important because I am getting my spinner bait down to depths of 25 feet deep and keeping it in the strike zone for long periods of time just drifting with the wind.

Locating the bass is the key to success when strolling. Use the outboard engine to drive the boat around watching the sonar unit for schools of bass. I recommend a GPS map chip containing depth contours. The key is finding schools of bass, not schools of bait fish. Even though there may not be any bait fish present, bass will eat a spinner bait when you drag by them in deep water. After finding a school, I use the trolling motor to set up my long cast and drag. We notice in Mexico that the fish on any given day are attached to all points at a specific depth. We keep the boat on contour at the depth we are seeing the most fish and follow that contour out and around deep water points as close to the river channel as possible.

For me it all starts with using the right spinner bait. Bass will really key in on shape and size. My 3/4oz and 1oz not only have the right shape and size, but the down sized blades will stay at extremely deep depths when strolling. The magic depth on our last trip was 25 ft. off the ends of rock islands along the river channel.
Strolling proves to be a great way to catch bass deep on wooded and rock lakes where reaction baits seldom go. The technique involves dragging bottom going with the wind and using the TM to stay on contour. Strolling speeds typically vary on the depth. You want the bait to just be occasionally ticking the bottom. Let the spinner settle on the bottom, strip some line as the boat is moving forward then hop it up and get it moving again.

There are several advantages to dragging spinner baits for Bass. Many of which are because strolling differs from casting.

Long lines offer deeper runs - Strolling a spinner bait 150 feet behind the boat on 20-pound Floro. allows the bait to stay deeper for a long period of time over a casting retrieve. Once the bait touches bottom it stays there for the entire strolling run. This keeps the spinner bait near deep structures and in the strike zone.

Long-line strolling puts lot of distance between the boat and the bait. This provides beneficial stealth in clear and shallow water.

A strolled bait mixes the right amount of action for attracting lethargic Bass with slow enough speed to elicit strikes, especially in cold water.

Electronics allow for necessary accuracy. Sonar determines the Bass�s depth and the terrain, which then helps choose the best way to target them.

Few lures stroll better than a spinner bait. Its swimming motion appeals to deep water Bass. Rod snaps add an erratic action for triggering followers to bite as well as letting the bait rest then slowly getting it moving again.

This is just like strolling a Crig.. On tough bites with conditioned bass, I find this Technique to be an asset because it�s not commonly used for Bass. Hydralla flats, deep flats, underwater islands, rocky points and the crown of a structure are prime areas for this set-up.