Go to eye baits

[harvey lee]

Whats your top few go to eye lures for early season eyes?

[Team Otter]

1) jig and minnow

2) jig and minnow

3) shallow runnin' crank

4) jig and minnow

[eyepatrol]

Early in the season I prefer a standard 1/4oz or 1/8oz chartreuse and/or orange leadhead jig tipped with either a fathead or a 3"-4" sucker minnow. Sometimes I'll long-line a minnow on a red hook. 9 times out of 10 though I'll be fishing the plain leadhead jig and minnow early in the season.

[PerchJerker]

I prefer to catch fish on crankbaits, but if you can't catch early season walleyes on a jig/shiner or a live bait rig, then they probably aren't going to bite on anything.

[tunrevir]

Now through the St.Croix opener, plastics, jig and minnow and cranks, I usually start out with cranks and plastics and move to a jig and minnow if the bite is tough. If I am really working the river hard then I pull out the jigging spoons and blade baits but it depends on water temp, current and water coloration on any given day. I prefer to fish without the live bait first then work promising areas with a jig and bait if I can't hookup with the artificials.

Tunrevir~

[No_Net]

Lakes it would be a jig and minnow or lindy rig with a minnow. Rivers it would be jig and a twister tail or spinner rig with a minnow.

[eyehead]

For Early season it would have top be a Jig and Shiner. Summer turn to crawlers and leechs on lindy rigs. Fall without a dought crankbaits.

[PERCHJR]

It's got to be the good old Jig and Minnow, then I would say bottom bouncer and spinner setup with a crawler, then probablly casting plugs!!!

GOOD LUCK AND GOOD FISHING!!!

[Tyler Holm]

Hot Pink!

1/8 oz collared jig with no tail. Take a flathead minnow and run the hook in the mouth and out the gill. Push the minnow all the way so the mouth goes over the collar of the jig, then run the hook back through the top (back) of the minnow.

This will give the minnow/lure less movement and help catch those fish that are bitting short.

[PikeBayCommanche]

Love to pull them big Husky Jerks!!! Can't wait till opener.

[HARPOON-OR-BUST]

What about the floats.......?!!

[Boedigheimer]

harveylee, the thought of tying up first thing Saturday morning makes me giddy, has to be 3/8oz. walking sinker, swivel(not a cheap one), 7 feet of #6 flourocarbon, and a no. 6 octopus hook(black) with a red bead. And the biggest brownest leech in the bucket.

[Northlander]

Opening day on the St.Louis River I will have every kind of jig made in my boat. I love to jig! Ill be using minnows and plastics on them. I really like the JR's rattle jigs and the Angel Eye jigs. Both are great either with bait or plastics. The Angel eye jig really works great in current. After about 4-6 days I will start pulling bouncers and spinners and maybe some cranks. The new Taildancer is quickly becoming a favorite along with the old stanbys like the Shad Rap, Hot n Tots, Grappler Shads, Bomber Long A, Fastracks, Daves Kabooms and Ripsticks to name a few.

[danlk]

1.JIG AN A MINNOW JIG AN PLACTIC JIG AN MINNOW PLUS PLASTIC SHAD RAPS FLOATING RAPS AND WHEN THINGS ARE TOUGH A RIG OR SOME SORT PLAIN OR FLOATING JIG HEAD. WHEW SO MANY CHOICES SO LITTLE TIME.

[slick814]

Early & Late season - jig & minnow.. slip bobber rig in the evening

Warmer it gets, the more I move... so it goes to spinners rigs with a bottom bouncer or trolling cranks. Gotta do more of the cranks though... always seems like I use it as a "nothing else is working, might as well try this"...

But nothing beats a jig & minnow

[Mike Walerak]

That depends on what yu are calling early season. Ice out is my early season here in SD.

In any case I fish jig and minnow or plastic up to about the mid may and then start to switch to casting and trolling crankbaits once the watertemps get into the mid to high 50's.

If in anycase I would rather be casting jigs on points and rockpiles if I could have my choice.

mw