It’s hard to beat jig fishing for springtime walleye!! Whether fishing rivers, lakes or reservoirs, jigs are perfect for vertical jigging in heavy current, casting to emergent weeds or swimming plastics over hard bottom areas.

Each of these presentations call for a different jig head design, and here are my favorites for springtime jig fishing.

When vertical jigging in heavy current, pick a jig with the line tie on the TOP of the jig.  Jigs with pointed noses, hydrodynamic profiles, and weight at the bottom and rear part of the jig work best.

Casting jigs to emergent weeds is a great tactic any time the weeds are green but calls for a weedless jig.  Look for jigs with the line tie on the NOSE of the jig to help slide through the weeds without catching weeds.  A fiber or wire weed guard also keeps weeds off the hook.

Swimming jigs with paddle tail plastics is becoming a very popular walleye technique.  Swimming jigs have a “sloped” profile to keep them semi weedless and to help impart a slight darting action to the plastic.  Line ties should be on the top of the jig, close to the nose to give the jig a nose down profile when retrieved.

Selecting the right jig head goes a long way to catching more walleye…..pay attention to choosing the right jig head, add your favorite plastic body or live bait and go have some fun!

Lance Valentine