Tournament-tested tackle tip #1

One of my absolute favorite presentations is to fish walleyes in shallow water on light jigs. If you've seen our summer jig dragging episode on IDO-TV, or are the first on your block to own a copy of our instructional DVD, then you know that jig dragging is one way to approach these shallow fish. Another way is to pitch jigs, and that's the topic of this tournament-tested tackle tip.

On Storm Lake, IA this past weekend, my tournament partner and I were working a shallow rip-rap shoreline that held scattered male walleyes of the perfect size class (16-17") for the tournament we were fishing. One successful approach to catching these fish was to fish plastics on light jigs in the upper part of the water column, where visibility was good and fish tended to be more aggressive. That approach was the topic of tournament-tested tackle tip #1. However, that approach didn't provide the numbers of fish that we needed. Knowing that fish were still in the area (by witnessing other anglers catching them), I switched to a much more subtle presentation to try to tempt neutral or negative fish. That presentation is the "old faithful" standby of my guide trips once the water starts to warm: the jig and half-crawler combo.

There are several important equipment components to this presentation. First is the jig itself. I typically use only 1/16 oz jigs for pitching bait, perhaps up to 1/8 only if I'm fishing in a stiff breeze or in a current-influenced area. I key attribute of the jig, especially when fishing crawlers, is a wire "bait keeper" to help keep the crawler snug to the head of the jig during the cast, and when the offering is hopping among the rocks. We used two such jigs this weekend: the Precision Head and the Draggin Jig from B-Fish-N tackle. Storm Lake's water is relatively clear on top and then quite turbid about 18" below the surface, so we focused on jigs that had a splash of color, like chartreuse/orange and green tiger/glow eyes.

Rigging the crawler on the jig is an important attribute of the presentation, and certainly worth the time required to do it correctly. Start with a whole crawler, and give the head a good squeeze to get the crawlers mouth to open. Stick the hook right into that opening, and thread the crawler onto the hook, emerging through the tough, dark tissue forward of the ring. Push the crawler up the hook shank to engage the wire bait keeper, and then ensure that the crawler is hanging straight down the shank.....no turns, twists, kinks, or bends. Now, pinch off the tail of the crawler, leaving ~ 2" of meat below the bend of the hook. The pinched-off crawler now exudes plenty of walleye-attracting juices, and it has just the right length to mimic the profile of a small baitfish down among the rocks.

The next important equipment attribute to this pitching presentation is the rod. I use long, sensitive St. Croix rods for all of my jigging applications. When pitching light jigs to shallow water, two rods fit the bill: the TWS76MLF and the TWS80MLF. These are walleye tournament series spinning rods, in 7'6" and 8' lengths, with medium light power and fast action. The long length and fast action of these rods helps to provide the power and torque to cast a tiny bait a long way...and long casts are needed in this shallow water where fish easily spook.

After the cast, engage the reel and get that rod tip up in the air....to the 11 o'clock position. I keep the rod tip very high when pitching shallow rocks, so that movement of my bait tend to be "upwards" instead of "forwards". Upward movement of the bait (with a return to the bottom that is mostly down, with only a touch of forward) helps to keep the bait from constantly getting wedged between two rocks, or between a rock and the bottom.

There are two methods used to work the bait back to the boat. I view these jig retrieves as being appropriate for different fish moods. The first retrieve works well for neutral fish that tend towards being negative...I call this the "death crawl". I want very little upwards movement of the bait....I use the rod tip to scoot the jig right along the bottom. Three to four scoots (by moving the rod tip back and forth between 11 and 12 o'clock) followed by a long pause. Then, I let the bait rest on the bottom on a mostly slack line. Before the next set of scoots, I reel up tight but don't move the bait. I just want to feel if something has picked up the bait during the pause...and fish do so quite regularly. If I feel something "different"....I immediately drop the rod tip to horizontal, giving the fish a bunch of slack like to work on getting that hook into its mouth. Then, I'll use the rod tip to pick up the slack line. If the fish is still there, I'll drop the tip again, reel up the slack and drill 'em. Fish on!

The second jig retrieve works better for neutral fish that are tending to be a bit more aggressive. This retrieve is the "hop 'n' pop". I'll still keep the rod tip very high, but now I'll move the jig with a series of short hops by popping the rod tip between 10 and 11 o'clock...again followed by a long pause. You want the jig to pop off the bottom by a few inches, then fall right back down. After the pause, go back and feel that jig again....if a fish grabbed the bait on the pause, feed 'em before you drill 'em. However, if you feel a distinct tick or thunk while hopping and popping, there is normally no reason to wait. That's a more aggressive fish that you can hook as soon as you're ready to do so.

Slinging bait on light jigs is one of my favorite presentations. We use it heavily for walleyes and smallies on lakes and rivers. Give it a try during your next trip, and I'll bet that you like the results.

For more information on the St. Croix Tournament Series rods, check out this link.

For more information on the B-Fish-N tackle Precision Jig, check out this link.

Be sure to visit Dean at Everts Resort (715-792-2333) for all your St. Croix rod and jig needs.