March Madness
by Keith Segar

It's that time of year when the long winter has worn away at your soul and cabin fever has set in so bad that begin to go a little stir crazy. Spring can't get here fast enough for you and the Sport shows are coming to an end. Just about the time you start to hear the little voices in your head the weather starts to warm slightly, usually just enough to break away the shelf ice on area rivers, and allow the use of some boat ramps.

Walleye start moving towards rivers and Great Lakes tributaries in greater numbers during the month of March. Remember they've had a long winter also and are looking forward to the warmer water temperatures that will signal the beginning of the spawn for them. Keep in mind that these are no ordinary walleye's, not by a long shot. This is the time of year when a chance at a true record breaking fish is within a short cast of any angler willing to brave the elements, and fish amongst the iceberg's! Few anglers are willing to put up with the hardships of fishing in March like snow, hail or strong winds, which can leave icicles hanging from your nose. Proper clothing is a must, and most died in the wool river rat's opt for Carhart's or similar attire. One-piece suits are typically warmer than their two piece counterparts, but there are tradeoffs to each. This is largely a matter of personal preference just make sure to layer underneath with warm clothing as well.

Most rivers will already have decent numbers of fish in them by the time March rolls around. Rivers or other tributaries that are connected to the Great Lakes will see massive influxes of Walleye at this time. This works out very well for the anglers in my home state of Michigan as we usually will fish smaller rivers such as the Saginaw, or Tittabawassee until the season closes on March 15th, then we'll switch over and fish the Detroit River which also happens to be the first stop on the RCL Tournament trail this year.

On smaller rivers look for areas where the river is necked down by bridge abutments or other geographical features to create "skinny" areas where walleye must pass on their journey upstream to the spawning grounds. Normally a deep scour hole will immediately drop away from the bridge area, and gently rise back up into a sandy, or gravelly run with small ripples we call "dunes" where the fish will rest from the current while watching for any wayward baitfish that happens by. For this reason vertical jigging is by far the most preferred method for taking these monsters of March.

Vertical jigging requires a sensitive rod with a stiff tip. No one rod can do the work for all of the water you will encounter. I prefer a shorter six-foot medium light rod, with a fast taper such as the G. Loomis WJR741S for jigs in the 1/16 to ½ oz. range. Coupled with either 4# or 6# Fireline I can cover anything in the 5' to 20' water column well. For deeper water, or heavier jigs like those in the ½ to 1 oz. size which we use on the Detroit River I prefer a G. Loomis SJR782 in the GLX material to help me discern those bites when fishing depths up to forty feet. Most any good quality jig will work as long as you place a lively minnow behind it. I tend to prefer the regular ball head jig, but as of late have become quite impressed with the Wedge Head jig offered by Gopher Tackle. The wedge design allows me to use a lighter jig than I normally would, as there is less water resistance on it. Standard colors and fluorescent's both have an equal chance of catching fish depending on the water clarity for the day. Remember in spring that runoff can dirty up a river overnight making fishing great one day, and horrible the next.

So don't go crazy, March is just around the corner and with it the chance to once again ply the open waters for another year in search of the elusive walleye!