milo is telling the truth about the slinky weights. yes, super short leader. 1.0z to 1.5 oz generally. its easy to cut precise weights on shore. all you need is a lighter and use snap swivels.
you can feel the progressive 'bounce'... if you want to call it that, of the bottom... as the weight drags itself on the bottom. using a pencil weight for this technique is possible, but like he said you miss alot of subtle takes. and you snag less fish and you dont lose many to snage either.
I wasn't able to use bait for the salmon season where I came from, so this was the most common technique you would see on the river.