Walleyes Forever |
If I could only fish with one lure, what would it be?
PWT pro from Ulm Frankly today, there is so many choices as to how, where, what, and when to fish walleyes that it is easy to get confused and frustrated. Where do you start? There are so many types of baits to use, so many different colors and sizes -- what is a person to do? How many tackle boxes can you carry in your boat or lug with you when you go fishing? And realistically, would you ever be able to try all that stuff in the box in a day --probably not. (Just don't tell my wife that). Can you imagine going walleye fishing and only taking one lure? What would it be? Captain Catch'em of the Montana Outdoor Radio Show asked me that question last spring and I decided that would cause me a lot of stress - but the answer is obvious, a jig. If you read many fishing magazines or watch fishing shows on TV, you will notice that it seems like walleyes can be caught by almost everything. The truth is that at certain times, almost anything can catch walleyes. Sometimes all you have to do is be in the right spot at the right time and the walleyes are suicidal, everything and anything with a hook will catch a fish. However, if I had to hang my hat on one thing, day in and day out, it would be definitely be a jig. The primary reason for picking a jig is that it is the only lure that I can tie on my line where I can effectively fish in anywhere from 1 foot of water to 30 foot of water or deeper and present the bait with some precision. I can pitch the jig into the foot of water and work it back out to whatever depth I may be holding the boat. No other lure can do the same thing very well. Most crank baits can be cast into shallow water and worked back to the boat, but all have a limit on the maximum depth they will reach on a cast. And for any of you have never tried to cast a lindy rig or bottom bouncer/spinner rig…I would advise you to not. It doesn't work very well. Another reason why I think the jig is so versatil is that you can tip the jig with various live baits such as a night crawler, leech, minnow, or you can tip the jig with plastic tails. Some tails have a scent like the Berkley Power Baits or Kalin's Salty Grubs - sometimes they make a difference. A jig with a minnow in the spring or fall is probably my favorite way to fish. When the water warms up in the summer I really like to tip the jig with a piece of night crawler hooked the same as I would a plastic tail. Leeches can also work really well in the summer and at times even better than the minnow or crawler. It pays to try them all until the fish let you know which one they prefer. In addition, the actual presentation of the jig can be varied to suit the mood of the fish easier than any other type of lure. For example, you can cast the jig and literally crawl it back, you can swim it back, you can snap jig it back - all simply varied actions that at times will trigger the fish. The jig can be fished vertical and again, with a subtle lift and drop action, lift- drop and hold, hold, or snap jig, etc. - all very different triggering actions. And last but not least, the jig can be trolled, much the same as you would fish a bottom bouncer/spinner or crank bait. Most spinners or cranks will work at certain speeds and above to a point. However, most spinners or cranks that are fished too slowly just won't work as intended. With the jig, you have a more leeway in the speed. Although, I would rarely troll a jig at more than 1 mile per hour, it can work pretty well at almost the same speed as a slow spinner rig is fished. If the jig is tipped with a plastic tail, the tail gives the jig some swimming action. Even if not tipped with a tail, I will often snap the jig forward and then let it fall by letting my rod follow the line back on a semi-tight line so I can still feel the hits. If you do this with totally slack line on the drop, you won't feel the pickup until you start to sweep the rod forward for another snap. Then you will feel the weight of the fish and hopefully have one for the net. A lot of times, this snapping action will trigger a fish to bite, that otherwise wouldn't. Sometimes, I will troll a jig and just drag the jig. Sometimes, that is what the fish seem to prefer.
My particular preferences for jigs are for the Wazp -Perfection Jigs and Northlands- Fireball, Fire Eye, Eye Ball, Whistler and Weed Weasels. Use jigs with a large hook gap and Lazor Sharp hooks. I like the large gap between the head of the jig and the hook because it seems easier to get the hook into a fish. The Weed Weasel is a weed less jig that works well if fishing in weeds or other flooded vegetation. The Wazp - Perfection Jig is a stand up jig and has 3 small barbs on the collar on the hook shank, which seems to work well when fishing a half night crawler. For most situations, depending on the depth and wind, I like to fish with the lightest jig possible and still be able to feel or see what is going on. On an overall average, the 1/8 to ¼ ounce jigs are a good place to start. Sometimes a 1/16 ounce jig is better because you have to fish it slower to keep it working on the bottom. The hang time, the time it takes the jig to fall is much longer so it gives the fish more time to zero in on it. Sometimes this is a key to catching more fish. In all cases, the hooks need to be razor sharp. This alone will make a big difference in what you will catch on jigs. With the razor sharp hook when a walleye sucks it in, it isn't as easy for the walleye to spit it out before you have a chance to set the hook. When the point of the hook hangs catches up on anything, the fish can't just blow it out. The final choice is the color. For me that depends primarily on the color of the water I am fishing. If the water is fairly clear and the visibility is good, I like to stick to the more natural colors like the silver and black Perfection Jig. Or chartreuse/lime green if I the major forage is a perch base. If the water is stained or a little dirty then I like to use darker colors like the orange, red and black. And as a last little tip, consider a rattling jig if the water is dirty - fish seem to be able to zero in on the bait a little easier sometimes because of the noise. In conclusion, the jig is by far my choice of walleye lures. Oddly enough, it is probably about the cheapest lure you can buy short of a bare hook. But that's good since to be effective with the jig, you need to fish it on or near the bottom and if you aren't loosing a few to snags, you probably aren't getting it where you need to be. And finally jigs have been a part of winning all but one tournament I have ever won, maybe because I fish them a lot and maybe because they are the most versatile walleye bait ever made. Give them a try next time your out - you might surprise yourself. | |||||||
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