The optimum tackle for jig fishing begins with a sensitive rod of 6 o 7 feet, light to medium in action. You don’t want too much flex in the rod because it will rob some of the lure action you try to impart to the offering and make it harder to sense strikes. A soft rod also makes it more difficult to set the hook.

Line test can be anywhere from 4 to 10 pounds. Jigs can vary in weight from 1/16 to 3/8 ounce, or even heavier in swift tailwaters. You can catch plenty of fish with just a plain round leadhead jig and plastic curlytail, marabou or bucktail dressing. Many innovative specialty walleye jigs are available and they’ll draw plenty of strikes.

Suspended fish can be taken with jigs, but the majority of strikes often come from walleyes hanging close to the bottom. If you’re not scraping rocks or gravel occasionally, slow down your retrieve.

If you make contact with the lake or river floor, lift the jig slightly with a sharp hop. Move it just a few inches, and then let it drop back down again.

A trick too many anglers overlook is tipping the jig with bait. Often you’ll catch more fish with the plain jig. But if you know that you’re showing your lure to fish that aren’t cooperating, consider tipping it with a leech, a piece of a night crawler, a minnow or another natural offering.

VERTICAL JIGGING
Instead of casting your lure and retrieving it or pulling it along behind a moving boat, sometimes the best way to score on walleyes is to fish a lure in one of the most primitive ways of all: simply bounce it up and down underneath the boat.

Vertical jigging is a tactic that’s often overlooked, but it can be deadly. It’s especially effective when you have walleyes located on the sonar or are fishing a specific piece of structure and know you are likely working your lure right in front of the quarry’s face.

Winter and summer are especially good times for vertical jigging. Not only are the fish often concentrated at these times, they’re generally in deep water. That’s where vertical jigging shines because you can get right over the quarry without spooking it.

One of the best lures for vertical jigging is a slab spoon such as the Hopkins. A good weight is l/2 to 1 ounce. Other offerings that can be used are specialty walleye jigs, lipless crankbaits and blade lures.

Once you are on top of a defined piece of structure or have fish located on the sonar, lower the lure down until it hits the bottom and then reel it up a foot or two. If the walleyes are suspended, lower the lure to the depth at which you’ve pinpointed them.

Lift the rod up sharply 6 to 24 inches, and then lower it down just fast enough so the lure falls freely but no slack forms in the line. Strikes typically come when the lure is falling, so you don’t want to lower the rod too quickly or you’ll miss the delicate takes.

Sometimes you may feel a slight tap or knock. At other times the line may simply stop falling or veer sideways. Then again, you may simply feel an odd weight. If anything like this takes place, set the hook with a sharp snap of the rod.

Fish an area thoroughly at several depth levels. If nothing strikes, move to a fresh location.

DRIFT-FISHING
WITH LIVE BAIT
One of my favorite tactics for catching walleyes in lakes is drift-fishing with live bait. Use this tactic on points, reefs, flats, bars and sunken islands. It can pay off handsomely in slow sections of rivers as well.

The Lindy rig is a time-proven live-bait setup. It consists of a specially designed sinker that slips on the main line ahead of a swivel, followed by a leader and a small hook with bait on it. That can mean a leech, night crawler or minnow. The leader can vary from 3 feet to 8 feet, depending on how spooky the fish are.