snapjigging walleye

[Walleye #1]

Looking at doing some snap jigging this spring and summer. Never really done much with it. Any suggestions on the best presentation? Type of rod you like to use when doing it? Things to focus on when doing it?

Walleye #1

[gregg52]

by no means am i expert on this

i just started doing it last yr myself

i was anchor on a rock pile casting a fireball w/shiner

i run the hook in the mouth out the top of the head but i think staight up from the bottom would work to just try to get it dead center in the head so its stays on

i was just casting and realing back in caught a couple

thought i would try a more aggresive retieve and smack...smack..smack

every cast all most it wa a riot...just giving that jig a quick snap really seemed to trigger those fish

i think a guy needs to get lucky like that once then you have confidence in doing it

i improved my jiggin big time last yr summer..i was an ole rigger from mille lacs but winnie seems to be a jiggin lake not that you cant catch fish riggin but i've been out fished big time by a jig and minnow

and i dont like that lol

[Jim Almquist]

Greg you need to quit letting out the secrets of Winne

Like Greg I am no expert and each lake has its own style. I find that I can backtroll with a jig and move along at a decent pace and I rip the jig forward and slowly drop it back. My speed is a little faster than what you would want to Lindy rig at but slow enough to get my jig back to the bottom. Most bites will come on the drop but there will be a few that will strike on the pull forward. When I say rip it I don't mean like 20 MPH but pull it forward quicker than your trolling speed. It is a great way to cover ground and catch a bunch of fish. I use both minnows and leeches this way. The rod I use is a 6' 6" with 6lb test.

If you are working a big shoreline and it seems like you are getting bites only trolling one direction and good move is to zig-zag back on the direction were you have the slow bite. Some days it will make a difference. Other days you might want to drive back and start another pass.

[Dark Cloud]

I do alot of jigging and a good chunk of it is what I'd consider "snap" jigging.

Most of the time im achored and casting to the "spot on the spot". But at times when fish are spread out along a weed-line, a subtle break, or a flat - drifting and casting ahead of the boat can work well.

Usually im chucking a bucktail jig in a 1/4 or 3/8th oz weight. Untill recently we always tipped the jig with a half crawler. Now I have completly switched over to 2.5 and 3 inch Gulp minnows for tipping. My dad still has the crawlers along with us. I know when the fish are really chompin tipping the jig is not neccessary. Your looking for a reaction strike but the bait/gulp gives you some more time to set the hook plus helps with confidence.

Sometimes I'll fish paddletails or a plain gulp minnow if ime looking to speed up my presentation. The bucktail slows down your bait on the drop, which is key at times.

I like a 7ft fast action med-lite rod and a 30/300 series sized reel. I also think braid is a huge advantage as it helps detect hits and set the hook on fish that hit at the end of a cast. I like 6/2 fireline for a mainline then most of the time I add a small swivel and a 2ft piece of 8# mono or flourcarbon.

As for presentation, you really have to let the fish tell you what they want. Sometimes bulking up to a half oz jig and ripping 3-4 ft is the ticket. Other times going to a 1/8th oz jig and working it with slow 8 inch pulls is what they want.

For a good general rule a 2-3 foot rip/pull is good. Then let the jig swing/fall back to bottom. I like to reel slowly as the jig is falling just to keep some tension on it for hit detection. My dad lets the jig fall on more of a slack line and either sees the line jump or feels the fish on the next snap/pull.

Some people troll while snap jigging and it can be super effective. Just a matter of getting the amount of line out and the right size jig needed. Personally i'd rather watch grass grow than troll. But hey, everyone is differnt and im thankfull fot that.

[james_walleye]

I do a lot of snap jiggin with bucktails and plastics, mostly bucktails. I never tip the jig with anything. I fish them fast and very aggressively. I fish them hard enough that I would rip the livebait off if I tried it. The bucktail takes on a life of its own. It's a great triggering mechanism. My method is usually about a 1-2 foot pop and quite often I'm fishing it fast enough that you don't necessarily always feel the bite but the next pop is quick enough and hard enough that you set the hook on the fish. I've also had luck snapping them vertically real aggressively.

[gregg52]

well Jim

it was wind related and it was a big wind most probably wouldnt venture out there

i 've it in lighter winds with a little sucess but not like a 20-25 mph

coming out of the south or sw pretty good rollers

it usally takes me 2-3 times to get the boat to hold.lol

but usally worth the effort

i do have a couple new spots in the cutfoot i'll be doing alittle more jigging sat i caught some fish this time if the yr last yr to my surprise its always to fun to find those new spots...at least new to me but i dont see alot of boats in there

actually was fishing for norherns lol when i found it