jig/minnow setup for mississippi?

[serahann]

hey guys, i am still a very new fisherwoman, and im going out to pool 3 with my husband today. he is trying for channels but id rather try for walleyes. ive read about jig and minnows for the river, but what exactly is the setup. is my 6 or 6 1/2 foot medium action enough, and how does all the terminal tackle go? he told me id learn best if i did it on my own instead of him setting everything up for me. any advice?

[polarsusd81]

Well, you have come to the right place to learn. I think your 6'-6" M is going to be just fine. What kind of line do you have spooled up? Line will make a big difference in the size of jig needed to maintain bottom contact, as well as knowing whether you will be drifting or anchored. If drifting, a 1/4 - 3/8 oz jig on 4 to 6 lb line will probably be enough to hit the bottom and keep somewhat vertical. If anchored, you will need 1/2 - 3/4 oz jig to maintain that same contact as the current will be strong enough and have enough drag on the line that it will pull the jig right off the bottom.

If you have more that 6 lb test on your rod, and drifting, you might need 3/8 - 1/2 oz jigs. It is all a matter of how much drag you have against the line in the current of the river. Bigger line equals more drag, and therefore, more weight to keep the jig down.

For minnows, I would say a fathead would be fine in most cases.

Hope this helps.

[Will]

as far as your rod goes, it'll work fine. i like to use northland short shanked, wide gap jigs. i am a mono line guy, 8-10 lb tied directly to the jig. if you are missing alot of fish, put on a stinger. try to keep your jig in contact with the bottom.

p.s. bring quite a few jigs, you will lose some.

[keith schultz]

Hi serahann, the best thing you can do is WATCH what he does. I taught my other half how to fish , it's a very slow way to learn. try tiing a jig at the end of your line & run the hook point thu the top of the minnow's head in the center . then let it go to the bottom, aiways try to keep it at least 6" from the bottom. If one color does not work after 15min, try a diffrent color. most of all keep tring till you catch a FISH . good luck!!!!!!!!!!

[b1gf1sh1]

as a beginner you may be better off if you were to get ''pre-tied'' walleye snells or spinner rigs and set them up on a three-way swivel. so much less to worry about. hubby can at least let you know how to tie it on i'm sure. if not repost and i'll give you a play by play. hubby will need to decide what kind of weighting you'll need versus the conditions you'll be in that day. fatheads, or later crawlers are a great beginner bait. buy very, very bright rigs in fluorecent colors on the front of the spinner and a brass/gold back. gold hook/hooks also. a tackle maker called ''lindy/ little joe'' has a wide assortment of pretied rigs. also the net is a good source to see how a ''walleye rig'' is used. good luck. also a threeway rig with a stickbait that has a fuoro color too will work.

[UncleKes]

Sara: Welcome to the best darn fishing forum in the whole wide world! What these guys don't know about fishing they will gladly make up? Just kidding! Seriously. These guys are great and we they are always helpful and very approachable to answer your quesitons.

A 6 to 6 1/2 foot rod is about standard for this area of the country although there are some who are going to 7 ft. and even 7.5. For my money your basic 6 1/2 ft. medium action rod will work fine in most fishing situations you will encounter.

PolarsUSD is quite right. The line is important. Be sure to spool your reel with a either monofilament or one of the new "super" lines like FIRELINE. It costs a bit more but it is well worth it.

Like Polar says the weight of the line will help determine how big the jig you will use. So be sure to spool your reel with what Polar is recommending because I would tell you the same thing.

a good rule of thumb is to fish the lightest jig you can get away with. That is a jig that will maintain a vertical contact with the bottom and not let the current push it away from the bottom.

Once you are out in the boat a little experimenting will show you what weight jig to use.

Also, be prepared to change jig colors and jig weights as the day wears on. Often you can pick up a few extra walleyes just by going to a lighter jig and a different color.

In Minnesota there is no finer walleye catching minnow then a "fathead: in my opinion. However, that is a personal opinion and I will probably have 50 guys in this forum tell me so. The truth is that walleyes eat what is available to them.

Suckers are also excellent, as are shiners. Like I said, Walleyes eat what is available to them. Sometimes they feast on shiners, sometimes other types of minnows.

However, I will say that I have rarely seen a walleye turn up his nose at a nice well presented "Fathead".

Anyway, Welcome to the wonderful world of fishing, Sara. I hope you will like it as much as the rest of us do. Maybe sometime we will meet you and your husband on the water? Till then, Sara:

Tight Lines;

Uncle Kes