Walleye Jig Fishing Tips

Jig fishing for walleye is my favorite way to catch them and spring is my favorite time of year to do it.

I like to find a spot where a river or decent sized stream is flowing into a proven walleye lake.

A fish finder helps put the location on good structure and helps locate the walleye. You want to get fairly close to the river mouth but not so close you can't set anchor.

You also want to get close to the drop off but not so close you can’t cast a few feet. Weeds should be growing in the shallows before the drop off. This gives walleye a place to hide so they can easily ambush their prey and hopefully your jig or bait.

Usually walleye feed right off the bottom but sometimes they suspend above this area. This is another good reason to use a graph. You don't want to waste time trying to figure out what depth the walleye suspending.

Once anchored up I like to cast toward the shallow side of the drop off and slowly reel in until my line falls directly down beside the boat.

Then I let my line drop to the bottom and reel up to the depth the walleye are suspending.

It's a good idea to see how much line one 360 degree crank on the reel draws up before you get in the boat.  If it brings in 1 foot of per crank line and the fish are 3 feet off the bottom you slowly reel 3 times around and there you go.

You have to slowly jig or lift your rod tip up and down to display proper presentation as walleye are real finicky about it.

If the walleye are 3 feet off the bottom I set my rig about 1.5 feet off the bottom. I lift my rod tip up about 2 feet then lower it back down. I keep doing this until I get a hit.

You will find you usually feel the hit when you are bringing your rod tip back up. The walleye are actually hitting the jig on its way down. When you lift the rod tip up is when you usually notice the fish is on the bite.

As soon as you feel the slightest bit of resistance you must set the hook, and I mean quickly. If you don't set the hook immediately you are likely going to miss your walleye.

There are all kinds of jigs on the market. Most work well but color does matter from day to day and even hour to hour.

The jig head color isn't extremely important but the tail color is. I like to use twister tails on a normal jig head and a little walleye scent don't hurt.

I find a 3/8 oz jig head works well in a fair current but if the current is somewhat swift I go with a 1/2 oz jig head.

I often attach a spinner to the jig head. It seems to induce more strikes than a plain jig. But you never know if it's the daily special or not so you just have to try it and see.

Another jig that works great is Northlands’ Mimic Minnow. They come in different sizes.

There is more information about mimic minnows at the main website on this page: Fly In Fishing Gear Checklist.