Your Favorite Early Season Presentations

[Badger_55]

It is the time of year where I like to sit down and talk to people about their presentation preference. I fish with a lot of people and it is interesting in the presentations you see. Like to here your guy's favorites. It seems like every year I am critiquing something in mine.

[Team Otter]

It's tough to beat a jig and minnow but I also like to throw small cranks and bettle spins or do some riggin', depending on what body of water I'm on.

[PerchJerker]

Jig and minnow is good on the opener where I fish. Live bait rigs and slip bobbers too, if you like that kind of thing. And last year on the opener we had a good shallow crankbait bite going too. As the year goes on I use less and less live bait, but early in the year live bait usually makes up a high percentage of my fishing.

[Badger_55]

Back home here I like to start out with a 1/8oz jig tipped with a shiner. Love it! I like to switch to slip bobber about an hour before sunset and cast up towards the shallow with my shiner early in the season. As the season progresses the action heats up for me towards sunset with my demon jig and a leech on the slip. I catch alot of weed wally's with this.

[Badger_55]

I have tried and tried but just seem to struggle to put fish in the boat with the harnesses. I still use them just because they cover so much area back trolling, but can't pick them up like my jig. Any tips

[Mike Walerak]

Pitching a jig and minnow to rocky areas gets my blood pumping. After dark I switch to the lighted slip bobber or start hucking a small Husky Jerk.

[gunflint]

Fishing with a harness is one of my favorite ways to spend a day. A couple of important things: Watch you line and your rod tip. Many times when I'm guiding I'll detect a fish on a clients line before they do just by watching.

Keep your line close to the boat. If you drag a line way behind you you're going to lose all contact with bottom and a lot of other advantages. (this does not apply to open water trolling but that's a different subject) A sensitive rod, superline, and an open bail are also helpful.

[fisherdog19]

Anything with a spot tail shiner on it. I guess it depends on what you like to do. In the DL area, I would say that as long you had a spot tail on, you'd have a chance at getting bit. I personally like pitching lite, 1/8 to 1/16 oz jigs (blue), near moving water.

[Random guy]

Tiny shad raps drug behind a bottom bouncer trolled SUPER slow so they crash into the sand and get all crazy at slow speeds...hey its Red lake the fish don't know its dumb.

[Northlander]

Jign n minnow or jig n plastics. I alsodo a lot of trolling but that can get boaring. Something about the challange of jigging and reading structure and current breaks in a river I cant get enough of.

[eyepatrol]

Jig & minnow, jig & leech, lindy & minnow, lindy & leech.

[Corey Bechtold]

OK, I'll have to say it. I'm going to have to give the nod for Berkley Powerbait Swim Shads. They were dynamite last Fall and I look forward to using them early season. They can be fished multiple ways and they keep my hands out of the minnow bucket.

There are several ways to fish these baits. My favorite would be casting it near structure and letting it slowly fall down to the bottom. Then I will just raise my rod tip and reel slowly setting it back down on the bottom periodically. You will be suprised how hard a Walleye will hit these baits.

Another area where Swim Shads shine is when swimming them through heavy cover. Crank baits get hung up in trees and pick up weeds where the Swim Shads I use only have a single hook so less hang ups in timber and vegetation.

I typically fish these baits with a 7' Medium action spinning rod and line like Fireline Crystal. This way I can feel what's going on and pound the hooks home when a Walleye takes the bait.

Good fishing,

Corey Bechtold

[shae1986]

Corey one question fou there is what size do you use. I have the perfect situation to use them on big walleyes where i can cover more water than my slip bobber rig i usually use. Also where can i find them, im having a hard time finding big enough ones. Thanks

For the question at hand i love long snell lindys with a minnow for that opening day switching to a jig if they move out during the day.

[sachem longrifle]

In the lakes for early season, floating jigs and a shiner. I troll crawler harnesses on the St Louis River early, also. The best presentation for harnesses that I have found is to keep it trolling near the boat with a good harness connected to a 2-3oz. bottom bouncer. I have caught walleyes anywhere from 3 feet of water to 30.

[woody1975]

6/0 Gamagatzu hook (orange) 5 foot snell and a minnow.

[Northlander]

Corey I have been using the bigger salt water ones as well as smaller paddle tales for a few years and you are correct when you say they get hit hard. Even a few crappies have hit the 3" padddle tails.

Lots of fun on the rainy river.

[311Hemi]

When yo guys mention jigs are you using a jig head, with plastic body, and then live bait hooked on?

Or is it just the jig head and live bait.

[n8ivefl]

Anyone here have any luck with jigging spoons & minnows? Or leeches, for that matter...

[Corey Bechtold]

I have had my best luck with the 3" baits. If I am needing a more subtle approach I will rig a 1/16 or 1/8oz jighead with a 3" Power Minnow or Gulp. These baits don't have that erratic tail wobble and can finesse some stingy biters. I can't tell you about fishing them under a float because for Walleyes I am typically swimming the bait searching for biters.

Good luck,

Corey Bechtold

[Northlander]

311hemi most often I fish the plastics on a longer shanked jighead by themselves and use it as a search tool. They can be catsed long distances and they dont fall off in faster current like live bait. At times I will tip the power shiners etc with a minnow but I find its not really needed. If you find the plastics arent taking fish try a minnow and if thats working stick with it.

The plastics shine in low light, current and darker waters.

[Jim Hudson]

The power minnow or shad style baits are also a great way to extract walleyes from weeds in the summer... The single hook on a shad jig (like an owner ultra) let you rip these baits through the weeds and nail walleyes that are hunkered into weed beds...

In-fisherman, more so Doug Stange, has done a lot of writing on this topic with big shad baits for summer time use.. And it definately does work...

But back to the topic... My favorite way is what way will be working that day.. Be it jigging, rigging, trolling, or what have you... Being versatile leads to more fish finding hooks...