Give Tradition a update on Spring Walleyes
Make no mistake of it, the ice season is now a memory and spring is here. For some it’s a bittersweet day when the ice vanishes off rivers and lakes, and for others it’s nothing short of a dream come true. The jigging rods get new line and the boats again see the light of day from their long winter tucked away in storage. Parts of the Fox and Wolf river systems fill with boats full of smiles and laughter from us that are so thankful to be back on the open water again. More importantly is when that water temperature hits that magic number and the walleye’s say, “IT’S GO TIME”.
The spring walleye run can be nothing short of amazing some days with limits of eating size walleyes that seem to fill the boat so fast you haven’t had enough time to have your coffee. But the next day is filled with frustrations and causes you to resort back to your childhood and start singing, “here fishy, fishy.” We have all had those days where we have been watching the river cameras, we see the reports, maybe even watch the boat next to us bringing fish after fish over the side rail so we know right well the walleyes are there. But why can’t you seem to get that limit you were shooting for? Well folks lets go over a few simple techniques that we can do to help turn a slow day into the day you won’t soon forget.
For most during the spring run life revolves around one thing and one thing only when it comes to what’s on the end of your line. The traditional Jig head and a minnow is basically what we all start the year with. We bounce that jig along the bottom of rocks or sand flats and hope for the elusive walleye to swim by and be enticed by our presentation enough to take a bite. Some days this simple technique is all you need. But others it can be such a simple change that puts more fish in the boat. I personally had this happen yesterday when I stood at the front of the boat with my jig and minnow and had a 0 fish day while my good friend stood next to me with the exact same jig and minnow and brought them in one after another. The one small difference was he had added about 15, thin inch long yellow treads to his jig that day, and boy did it matter. Additions to your presentation can vary from a stinger hook, hair jigs, plastics rather than minnows, style of jig, or the speed it is fished.
There are 2 styles of walleye jigs that most will use in the river system. The traditional round jig head, or a stand up jig that is designed to be top heavy so the hook stands up off of the bottom rather than just fall to the side as a traditional round jig will do. This presentation itself can be a game changer depending on the bottom you are fishing. I personally think when vertical jigging over rocks in the river it is my job to keep that jig from dragging bottom and snagging up so what’s the difference. I know many will disagree with me but like I said, my opinion. On a sand flat however I will prefer a stand up jig, such as a Northland fireball or a Knuckle Ball jig. This allows me to drag the bottom briefly prior to my next raise and keeps my bait up in the water for an easier target for the fish. Here is where your first addition to your jigging presentation will come into play. The stinger hook is hated by some and loved by others. For me when the walleye’s are on their way up river I always have a stinger hook running. Do stinger hooks matter? Absolutely a stinger hook can make or break your day. How many times have you asked a fellow angler how they did and you heard this, “I never caught a fish today, they would bite the minnow off right at the head the sneaky buggers.” Well just imagine how his day would of gone if his minnow had a #10 stinger hook waiting for that sneaky walleye that was short biting all day. I’m guessing his day would have gone a little different. If a stinger hook is not part of your tackle bag, don’t be afraid to spend a couple dollars on a pack and try this simple add on. Many times early spring walleyes are notorious for hitting short on the minnow. This past week for example we have boated many walleyes and I can honestly say 2 or 3 had the jig in their mouth and the rest were all caught from the stinger hook.
Next we have those days when our classic jig and minnow presentation just isn’t doing the trick for whatever reason. Time to play folks. Those things you see sitting on the shelves that look like a jig with a beard. Well those beards are there for a reason and at times will add a whole new degree to your bag of tricks. It may be that it’s helping the profile of your presentation stand out that much more, it may be the added color, or it may be that it’s adding a touch more movement. But one thing for sure is those jigs with hair on them can make a big difference in your day on the water. I personally like pitching hair jigs into shallow current breaks on a rivers bend and working them back to the boat. I have had great success using this presentation on the wolf river on bends or even behind fallen timber that are creating a swirl of current and slowing things down a bit. I like to get mine tied with longer hair so I can cut it back to fit the profile of whatever I am tipping my jig with.
Wait what did that just say? What do I mean, “whatever I am tipping my jig with?” That right guys they make these crazy things out of plastic now that come in hundreds of colors, sizes, and shapes. Plastics are something that many of us (including myself) need to pay more attention to and give a change. Plastics have slowly worked their way into the walleye world over the years. Many of us look at them as a tool for those other guys. You know the ones that fish weeds and under docks for those green things with the big mouths. Bass anglers have used these baits for years with great success, so why not us walleye guys? Let me tell you how I was introduced to plastics for walleyes. I had heard about guys up on the bay that used them here and there, but never around me on Lake Winnebago. Well one day I was out with my very best friend fishing those green things with the big mouths and we decided to go try and catch some smallmouth bass on the rocks out on the main lake. Well, here I am standing on the bow of a bass boat, casting a big white tube with a weighted hook inside. I make my second cast and jig the tube, I feel a familiar thump and instantly set the hook. After a pretty good fight my friend yells walleye. Wait, what? Sure enough here comes a 25” walleye to the boat. Of course he says to me, “dang it thought you had a big small mouth.” Well guess who ended up going home with 5 eater walleyes that day all caught on those, “bass plastics.” That is the day I realized I was behind the times and needed to explore other options. My absolute favorite plastics to use are the Berkley Rib Worm and the Northland Ringworm. Both are very similar but offer slight differences. I prefer rigging the ringworm onto a knuckleball jig so it is weedless to prevent snags and pitch into areas with fallen timber that has created current breaks in the current. Another great way to fish the ringworm in the river is to rig it onto a smaller stand up style jig and drift the sandflats allowing the jig to skip along the bottom while you add movement to the tail by shaking the tip of your rod. Another early spring popular plastic is the Gulp Minnow. This plastic comes in different sizes but many prefer the 4 inch Gulp for walleyes. Often when the bite is hot you can save money on live bait and just throw one of these lifelike plastics on and have a field day. The best thing about this is when you run into a fast moving school of fish there is no wasted time rigging up a fresh minnow.
So there it is folks. Just a few simple ways that can take a slow day of fishing and turn it into something to remember. I wish you all a wonderful open water season and hope these tips help.
