Vertical Jigging
Jigs catch fish...all kinds of fish under all kinds of conditions. But the most popular application for a jig is for early season river walleyes.
Anglers from New York to Michigan to Washington have learned that a slowly drifted, minnow-tipped jig is by far the most effective method for catching pre-spawn, spawning and post-spawn walleyes.
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Some anglers insist that while vertical jigging works in other places, it's not practical for their rivers. A common complaint is, "Our river is too deep," or "The current here is too strong."
In their coast-to-coast travels, the experts on the Lindy Little Joe Fishing Team have determined that 'a walleye is a walleye" and "a river is a river." The same tactics that produce fish on the Mississippi, Wisconsin and Missouri rivers work equally well on the Detroit, Maumee, Niagara, Columbia or any of the popular walleye rivers.
In deep rivers with strong current, jig fishermen often find it necessary to go with over-sized jigs in order to maintain contact with the bottom. Half, three-quarters and even one-ounce jigs are the popular choices on these rivers. But large jigs reduce success. Because they have so much resistance to water, big jigs are difficult for lethargic walleyes to inhale.
Boat control is the key to fishing tiny jigs. With proper boat control, it's possible to fish three-eights, quarter or even eight-ounce jigs in strong current. Here's how it works:
Using a bow-mount electric trolling motor, point the boat into the current and lower the jig into the water. With no wind, boat and jig will move at the same speed as the current, which means the jig should be trailing directly under the boat.
If there's a downstream wind, the boat will move faster than the jig, and the angler will quickly lose contact with the bottom. With a wind blowing against the current, the boat will slow down but the jig will continue to move at the speed of the current. Once they lose their feel of the bottom, most jiggers go to a heavier jig.
Veteran jig fishermen use the electric to compensate for wind, slowing the boat until it's moving at the same speed as the current. As long as the boat is moving at the same speed as the current, even a tiny jig will remain vertical and on the bottom.
A few years ago, this tactic enabled Lindy pros to fish the Detroit River using quarter-ounce Fuzz-E-Grub jigs in 35 feet of moving water. in the even stronger Columbia River current, Lindy's experts hauled huge walleyes from 25 feet of water with three-eights ounce Fuzz-E-Grubs.
Fuzz-E-Grubs have been America's best selling premium jig for years, and with good reason. The patented soft plastic body feels natural to finicky fish, encouraging them to hang on a split second longer...and that split second often is the difference between a hit and a miss. The marabou tail pulsates gently in the water, providing a subtle attractant for cold-water fish not yet active enough to chase a swirl-tail. And Fuzz-E-Grubs come in a wide range of proven fish-catching color combinations.
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