vertical jigging

[Gilbert]

I'm sure most walleye fisherpersons are familiar with this, but I'm wondering how exactly do you "vertical jig"? For example, if you're fishing a reef at about 30 feet, do you move the boat as slow as possible and keep the jig on the bottom? Or, do you move the jig up and down activally? Or, do you more or less just "drag" it? Also, what about the size of the jig, and type?

Thanks!

[bregall]

Move the boat only to keep your line vertical or change location. Use a jig size that is just heavy enough to get your bait down, not anchored. Try jigging different ways until the fish react to it, they will let you know what they want if your listening. tightlines.

[Bob Jensen]

Vertical jigging is a great technique for a wide variety of fish, especially when they are in deep water. When vertical jigging, use your sonar to make sure fish are directly below the boat, just like in ice-fishing. I have employed a vertical jigging presentation in many situations, but have had the most success in water more than 20 feet deep.

You can use jigs, but jigging spoons work well also. Usually a simple lift/drop technique will be best, although sometimes they will respond best to a jig or spoon that is ripped off the bottom. Let the jig fall on a fairly tight line. Watch the line for strikes, but also expect to detect many strikes as you start to lift the jig again. Much of the time there will just be a fish there as you start to lift.

If you can see fish on the sonar, experiment with colors, action, etc., until the fish show you what they want.

In this deep water, FireLine can be a big help in detecting strikes and setting the hook.

Good luck, keep us posted as to how you do.

[s.f.]

my dad told me one day many waves ago, that walleyes "aren't acrobats".so....i keep my jig as steady as i can as well as the boat. of course, i would not fish this way if the fish weren't under the boat. walleyes definately, unlike bass, muskies, northerns etc., prefer to eat things at eye level, not having to do somersaults to eat. bet on it....

[perchjerker]

In the Detroit River, the conditions are tough. There is an 8 mph current and the bottom is covered with huge snags, from old chunks of cement from building roads, among other things (you might hook Hoffa's body once in a while!). But the eyes like to hide in the nooks and crannies waiting for a tidbit to come floating by. The trick is to use your bow mount or kicker to hover as still as you can to keep your line vertical and use as small a jig as you can to detect light bites. We mostly use a lift and drop method, and the time to set the hook is when you feel no weight on your line. It takes concentration. The water is mighty dirty, so you have to about hit them on the nose to get them to bite. And bring lots of jigs, beacuse you will get lots of snags. The bottom must be just coated with jigs there! I make my own jigs, as lots of us do.

-Thats how we do it in motown

but sometimes I get tired of watching the handliners clean up all day!!! (wink)

[Jason]

I like to walleye fish and sometimes I'm real successful but a lot of the time i'm not. I want to learn more about it, things like during certain times of the year what depth should I be fishing and what kind of lures and bait should I be using. I like to jig but in how deep of water should I be jigging in.

[Bob Jensen]

Jason:

There is no one depth that jigs will be productive. I've taken walleyes on jigs in two feet of water and forty feet of water. To be successful at walleye fishing,or anything else, you need to put in your time and try lots of different things.

With that said, I would suspect most walleyes are caught on jigs from eight to twenty feet in most lakes throughout the Midwest. There will be exceptions in many bodies of water, but eight to twenty feet is a good range summer through fall, shallower in the spring.

Keep experimenting, and let us know how you do.

Best Fishes,

Bob Jensen