jigs with spinner blades or without ?

[OneWay]

I will admit I am not a walleye fisherman. This year will be my 16th time to go on a Canada fishing trip. Our group primarily fishes for pike and what walleye we catch are purely by accident on either 1 oz or 3/4 oz Daredevle spoons. We've always caught enough to eat walleye while we are at camp. We are going to a lake this year that has a decent walleye population and I think I would like to spend some time actually trying to catch walleye. I have plain jigs and I have some jigs with willow leaf spinner blades attatched. In your experience which has been the most successful? All will have 3" Mister Twister tails atatched. I also have some deep diving X-Raps for a plan B. I would appreciate hearing some of your opinions that might help a "purely by acident" walleye fisherman to improve his presentation. Thanks in advance!

[Northlander]

At times the jigs with baldes will outproduce a plain jig by a lot. Other times its on par.

I like the Northland Thumper Jigs and Whistler Jigs. I have messed around with adding different style and color blades on my jigs and have yet to find 1 style blade that works better than others. I really like the small colorados in the rivers.

Lots of good blade jigs out there. Get a few in many sizes and colors and experiment. With the whistler jigs I usually buy them 1 size bigger than I would a standard jig because the prop seems to produce drag and lift.

[Team Otter]

I wouldn't be afraid to try slip bobber fishing.

[PerchJerker]

Sounds like you're set on using 3" twister tails and no bait?? Nothing wrong with that, I just want to make sure I understand what you're asking.

For me the plain jig is more effective, because I don't use jigs with spinners that much. But canadian walleyes are usually not too lure-shy or pressured, so I'd probably start with the spinner jigs and try to get the most aggressive fish. If that doens't work (or when you break off and have to re-tie) then switch to the other style jig until you see which works best.

Are you catching walleyes while casting 3/4oz and 1oz spoons - if so casting shad raps is probably a great option for the walleyes (the pike will crush them too). If you're trolling the spoons and catching walleyes you could try trolling shad raps or husky jerk-baits for the walleyes -- again, the pike will crush them too.

[riverrat56]

If your not to set on just trying jigs for walleyes, picking up some bottom bouncers and spinner rigs with crawlers/leeches can really produce walleyes up in Canada as well.

As far as your question goes, there was some great advice already, I like to use jigs with spinners on them when fishing rivers or otherwise dark cloudy water, I think the flash can help then. Most times on lakes though I will stick with a regular jig because as Northlander said, the blades tend to require a heavy jig to fish the same depths and I like to stay as light as possible.

As mentioned before trolling cranks or casting cranks would be great options, both of these techniques appeal to 'eyes and pike so you would have a even shot at both.

TO's idea of slip bobbers is a great way to waste an afternoon or evening as well.

[tacklejunkie]

i have used jigs with spinnerblades, rattlers, and plain. i would say by and large, the rattlers have out prouduced the other 2

[youngie22]

some days blades are definetly better in canada. Last year a buddy used mostly thumper jigs and whistler. Grandpa and I used mostly regular jigs. My buddy caught 1/2 the fish for the whole boat. That day on that lake in that spot blade definetly out produced... good luck, have fun!

[Bigeye30"]

From my experience in Canada Walleye waters, jigs seemed to be ok, but spinner rigs with bottem bouncers have certainly out performed any jig that we ever used, I will third the slip bobber, especially if you can find a point or a hump that has some decent wind blowing across it, theres no more relaxing way to fish than sitting anchored on a hump with a slip bobber when the conditions are right, we usually have our best luck with the bobbers towards evening or late afternoon, the smallies seem to really adhere to that combination as well, if there in the lake your going to be fishing. I've also had accidental success trolling the daredevils as you mentioned, if your getting walleyes on them, I would switch it up to crankbaits or spinner rigs and either troll or drift that area. One of the reasons we started looking at other methods other than the jigs was due to the northerns, seems we were getting bit off way to often with the jigs, and that can get expensive.

As far as actual jigs, I've had the best luck with pink or green fireball jigs, we fish them bare,(aka no plastic) and just tip them with a leech. Hair jigs have worked very well in the past too. I am a fan of the Thumper jig from northland that contains a blade, and would certainly not be afraid of trying it up there, I think if your in Canadien Walleye waters, most anything eventually will catch them.

On a side note, we fish northerns up there as well, the one go to lure is always a gold red eye trolled along the weed edges, for what ever reason, that lure outfishes anything else in terms of northerns, good luck and have fun

[Team Otter]

It may also be beneficial to know what time of year you go.

[hhguide]

A guy won a tournament on otter tail with thumper jigs under a bobber!

[UncleKes]

Think of it like a tool box full of tools to repair a car. Some tools work better than others under certain circumstances than others. At times a jig with a blade will outfish a jig without one. At other times the bladeless jig will work. Usually it has been my experience that early or late in the year during cold water conditions the bladed jig excels over the non bladed jig. This is also true during high pressure fronts or when the temperature is a colder than normal, as well.

I am not sure but I suspect that the vibrations given off the blade as it revolves acts like a crippled something and calls the fish in. Like I said I never bothered to find out why this is so. I just know that the blade works during the situations I named above.

There are several bladed jigs on the market. The most famous is the "THUMPER JIG". There are several others. My advice is to pick up a couple and keep in your tackle box and try them when the action is slow on a non bladed jig.

Good Luck!

Tight Lines;

Uncle Kes

[OneWay]

Thanks for your advice. It is greatly appreciated. Our trip is scheduled for the first week in August and it will be at an outpost camp in Manitoba so there will not be any live bait possibilities. Hence the Mr. Twister tails to tip the jigs. My first thought is if we can find walleye at a depth where the X-Raps will work I will probably lean in that direction as I know I can catch both pike and walleye with the X-Rap (I also realize you could probably catch a pike on a 2x4 if you had a hook on it). If we find them at a deeper depth will probably go to jigs. If all else fails I will drop a 3/4 oz. Daredevle down on the bottom tipped with a plastic as I know we have caught walleyes using this method. I'm just trying to figure out a method that would give us the highest proability of being able to catch several walleye. Again I really appreciate all of your input! Thanks!!!!

[UncleKes]

One Way: Don't forget to take along a few jigging spoons and some blade baits like Heddon Sonars as well. In cooler water conditions or when you are fishing deeper water these will often produce as well.

Most people think these baits are mostly for ice fishing but that is not the correct way to think of them. Anytime you are fishing cold or very deep water where the water is cooler than it is on the surface (think thermocline, here) blade baits and jigging spoons will work.

Also, take along some swim baits too. in all 3 of these case the presentation is to vertical jig them right off the end of the boat.

Good Luck;

Tight Lines;

Uncle Kes

[Team Otter]

As you know and have mentioned, you don't need live bait to be successful. In August, for both quality and numbers, I would focus on spinner rigs tipped with plastic night crawlers behind bottom bouncers, pitching plastics to wind-blown reefs, or trolling crank baits along distinct transition areas, especially during low light.

[Mike Walerak]

The times I have fished remote areas I have had sucess using safty pin style spinners with a jig and twistertails. I have just always called them that. It is the same style as a Beetle Spin. It will also help you snag less in rocky a areas.

The best areas for these baits are the same weedbeds you catch pike on.

Have Fun.

mw