vertical jigging soft plastics....

[CALVINIST]

Anybody have any luck anchoring up and vertical jigging soft plastics for walleye? I'm thinking either 3 or 4" Realstix or Berkley Power Minnow with a twister tail. Any time of year more favorable over another?

Thanks!

[rosspj59]

I don't usually anchor unless fishing wing dams or areas of current. On lakes i can drift with the wind or use the trolling motor to move around points and weedlines vertical jigging plastics. It never hurts to cast up on points or rock ledges and work your jig back either. If you knew you over some active fish I think anchoring would work well.

[Indiana Mike]

I agree with Ross. I seldom anchor anymore. With the MinnKota Maxxuum it is easy to hold position or thoroughly work a hump, point or drop off. Vertical jigging with soft plastics (Berkley Power Baits or Gulp) is my favorite technique when conditions permit.

Good luck.

Indiana Mike

[Team Otter]

Plastics are more presentable when drug, pitched or slowly trolled.

[PerchJerker]

If you're dead-set on anchoring and vertical jigging, try jigging spoons like one would use when ice fishing. They can be cast out and retrieved also. We've had fun catching walleyes and perch on Vinglas in open water.

[Northlander]

Plastics shine early and late in the season for me. (Although they do work all year round) At these times of the year the fish are looking to put some weight on. In spring the fish are hungry after the spawn and in the Fall they need the weight for winter.

If your going to anchor and jig plastics I would make sure to have some current. Otherwise pitch them out and hop or drag them in. Oh and dont be afraid to doctor them with scent and or color markers. I use the "spike it" markers and have had good luck with them. There are also some dips you can buy but dip at home not in the boat because they can get messy in your carpet.

Power Shiners, paddle tails, ring worms, Power Leeches, twister tails and other plastics shine for me when its cold out. If your catching eyes on plastics your hands dont have to be in the minnow bucket all the time.

Most good walleye plastics are softer than most Bass plastics. The key to plastics is to use them when your into fish with live bait and catch a few fish on them to build confidence. If you only try them on the slow days and dont catch fish on them you wont use them again because you wont have confidence in them.

Try casting them up into weed edges and rock pile edges and hop them back or with paddles tails just a reel stop, reel stop can be killer.

Practice with them and see how and when they work on your bodies of water. What works in 1 lake may not work in any of the lakes/rivers you fish.

[CALVINIST]

Great info Northlander, and everyone else...thanks for the responses!

[RJT]

fin-s minnows made by lunker city are my favorite

[tommyk]

My experience with plastics, Gulp! in particular, this year has been that the fish prefer it to be moving forward at some speed and not so much vertical jigging. I have sat over some fish with the bait below the transducer and vertical jigged and watched the bait like ice fishing. Nothing! Start moving forward and then I get the hits. Same thing everywhere all year.

[Team Otter]

I noticed the edit RJT. Thank you so much.

[ec30_06]

Plastics worked just as well in my boat this year on the MN river as minnows did. My biggest sauger and walleye this year came on a power grub walleye flaver vertically jigged. It was nice being able to keep your hands out of the minnow bucket on cold days. It was also easy to cast and drag that presentaion to cover water.