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Art Lander’s Outdoors: Vertical jigging for walleye, sauger, saugeye — Spring’s overlooked presentation


Vertical jigging may be the most overlooked presentation for catching walleye, sauger and saugeye in Kentucky’s lakes and rivers during the spring.

In March and April these fish stack up below dams in rivers and lake tailwaters, and move into the headwaters of reservoirs, drawn by the current from feeder creeks and rivers. They school by size and concentrate around bottom structure, facing into the current.

Vertically jigging is effective because walleye, sauger and saugeye are in an active feeding mode, so a jig tipped with a minnow or scented plastic bait moving up and down right in front of their noses is hard to resist.

Southern anglers may not be that familiar with vertical jigging for walleye, sauger and saugeye, but it’s the go-to spring technique perfected by anglers in the Great Lakes states. (Photo courtesy of Mark Romanack)

Southern anglers may not be that familiar with vertical jigging, but it’s the go-to spring technique perfected by anglers in the Great Lakes states, at such classic walleye destinations as the Upper Mississippi River in Minnesota and Wisconsin, or the Detroit River, in Michigan, on the border with Ontario, Canada.

But vertical jigging is not restricted to northern waters, it will work anytime, anywhere, walleye, sauger and saugeye school up during seasonal migrations.

The Tackle

The tackle used, and the details of the presentation, are very specific. Anglers use light 6 1/2-foot graphite spinning rods, with a fast tip. Reels are spooled in 10-pound braided line which has no stretch, making it easy to detect even the lightest bite, and aiding in hook setting.

A 24 to 40-inch leader of 8-pound test clear, low-visibility fluorocarbon line is tied to the braided line. The leader is typically joined to the braided line with an albright knot, or by the use of a swivel.

A palomar knot is a good choice for tying the braided line to the swivel and an improved clinch knot is recommended for tying the fluorocarbon leader to the swivel.

The Jigs

The jigs used for this vertical presentation are simple in design and “undressed” — just a bare hook and painted lead head — with no craft hair, maribou, buck tail or tinsel tied onto the jig. Two of the best walleye jigs on the market are the Odd’Ball Jig, by Bait Rigs Tackle Company LLC, of Madison, Wisconsin, and the Fire-Ball Jig, by Northland Tackle, of Bemidji, Minnesota.

Both jigs are in wide use across the Great Lake states and Canada, where the walleye is the number one gamefish sought by anglers.

The Odd’Ball Jig stands up, and when jigged vertically, has a strike-triggering teeter-toter action. Available in 1/8, 1/4, 3/8 and 5/8-ounces sizes, the Odd’Ball Jig has a long shank, and a thin wire Mustad hook for better penetration.

The Fire-Ball Jig has a short, wide gap hook, and a second eyelet so that a stinger hook can be attached. The stinger hook is inserted into the minnow, or scented plastic bait, to get a better hook set on fish that “hit short.” (Photo Provided)

Two-packs of jigs range in price from $2.49 to $2.79, and 6-packs, 10-packs and 20-packs are available. A 30-piece Lakes and Rivers Jig n’ Kit is $26.99.

Jig colors include florescent, metallic and glow-in-the-dark (night fishing), for all water conditions that may be encountered, from clear to heavily stained.

Visit their website at: http://www.ebait.com/baitrigs/product/oddjig.html.

The Fire-Ball Jig has a short, wide gap hook, and a second eyelet so that a stinger hook can be attached. The stinger hook, either a small treble hook or single hook, is inserted into the minnow, or scented plastic bait, to get a better hook set on fish that “hit short.”

The Fire-Ball Jig is available in 10 colors (and assortment) and five weights: 1/16-ounce, with a #1/0 hook; 1/8-ounce, with a #1/0 hook; 1/4-ounce, with a #2/0 hook; 3/8-ounce, with a #2/0 hook, and 1/2-ounce, with a #3/0 hook. Jig colors include glow and luminescent, for night fishing, and heavily-stained water conditions.

Prices vary by weight, and 3-packs, 4-packs, 5-packs, 6-packs and bags of 25 are available. For example, a 4-pack of 1/4-ounce jigs is $3.29, and a bag of 25 3/8-ounce jigs is $23.29.

For more outdoors news and information, see Art Lander’s Outdoors on KyForward.

Also, a stand up version is available. The Stand-Up Fire-Ball Jig comes in seven colors (and assortment), and two weights.

Visit their website at: https://shop.northlandtackle.com/featured-tackle/fire-ball-jig/.

The Presentation

The weight of the jig used depends on the depth being fished. The jig should be heavy enough to maintain contact with the bottom. Using the electric trolling motor against the current, keep the boat in a controlled drift so that the line can be kept vertical.

Ease the bait to the bottom, and maintain contact with the bottom, moving the rod tip up and down.

Jigging cadence, or the rhythm at which the angler moves the jig, is a personal choice. But some days the fish seem to want it a certain way, so anglers need to be observant and make changes to the cadence when necessary.

One cadence that seems to work well is to lift the jig off the bottom about six inches, hold it there for a couple of seconds, then let it down to the contact the bottom again.

The bite typically comes on the pause, when the bait is suspended at eye level to the fish. Walleye, sauger and saugeye are found in rivers and lakes across Kentucky.

Anglers can catch these tasty fish at various times of the year using a number of techniques including casting/trolling crankbaits and drifting spinner rigs baited with nightcrawlers.

Add vertical jigging to your bag of tricks and you’ll cash in on spring fishing.

1Art-Lander-Jr.

Art Lander Jr. is outdoors editor for NKyTribune and KyForward. He is a native Kentuckian, a graduate of Western Kentucky University and a life-long hunter, angler, gardener and nature enthusiast. He has worked as a newspaper columnist, magazine journalist and author and is a former staff writer for Kentucky Afield Magazine, editor of the annual Kentucky Hunting & Trapping Guide and Kentucky Spring Hunting Guide, and co-writer of the Kentucky Afield Outdoors newspaper column.


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