I would like to take some time and share my experiences and thoughts on when, where, and how to use a vertical jigging presentation for walleye and sauger in river systems. This can be a deadly way to quickly put numbers of fish in the boat.
This presentation will work all year; however, it really shines during the cold water period. What I consider cold water is from the low 50’s to freezing, usually from November to April. This is the time of year that fish migrate to the dams and the deep water wintering holes. It’s a period of reduced activity where they prefer to let the current bring food to them. The numbers of fish that congregate in these areas is phenomenal on Pool 4 and many pools of the Mississippi River.
Ok what is vertical jigging? My definition is slipping with the current using a controlled contact with the bottom and your lines as close as possible to straight up and down. With the rods and lines we have today, this presentation allows you to feel the lightest of bites, too the rod removing smashes. This is one of my favorite ways to jig fish in river systems.
Vertical jigging can be a lot easier said then done because of current, wind, environmental conditions and an angler’s abilities. Each day’s conditions are part of the puzzle you need to figure out. Just because you drop your jig over the side of the boat and drift down river doesn’t equal a vertical presentation. This is when boat control becomes part of the equation. A common situation is an up river wind, this is when I put my boats nose into the wind and pull myself down current. With a down river wind I would put the nose of the boat into the wind and slip backwards with the current keeping my lines as straight up and down as possible. Some day’s the fish are in a negative mode and you really need to be straight up and down to feel and catch the finicky biters. At times I want the boat moving slower than the current to hold a lure in a fish’s face as long as possible. On days the fish are aggressive a more relaxed 20 degree behind the boat presentation will work. The target depth most days is the first twelve inches from the bottom. As winter progresses and the water visibility clears there will be times when the fish suspend 2 to 3 feet off the bottom. This is when your sonar will show hooks (fish) off the bottom and you will need to hold your lure at that depth.
Where should I start to look for these fish? This time of the year the fish make a push to the lock and dams and deep water wintering holes. You have sand drops and clam beds, wing dams with scour holes, rip rap with sharp breaks, current seams and back eddy’s. The areas you can use this presentation are endless, I am going to talk about edges. I want to start my search for these fish on the front edge of a hole, and then slide down the outside or inside edge of the hole and work to the tail out. Most of your aggressive fish will be staging on the edges of the structure, the bottom of the hole will usually hold the more negative fish. While I am talking about these edges I would like to mention something about the “magic depth” that most people are always talking about. You know the famous there hitting in 18 feet with a 1/8th ounce orange jig. The problem with that statement is it only tells part of the story. I have dispelled this myth many times on the water. Here is what I am talking about. My first spot of the day is a shallow water channel edge that drops to the channel at 12 feet; we are taking fish with a 3/8 ounce jig. My next spot that we move to is a channel edge that breaks at 26 feet with the same weight jig we are taking fish again. So deep and shallow water is all relative to what your system consists of. What I want to pass on here is that there is a lot of water out there and these edges are spots on the spot will usually hold the aggressive fish. So next time you’re on the water try to follow the edges, rather than looking for the “Magic depth”.
Here are my thoughts about equipment, when I first started practicing vertical jigging the fad, and all articles of the time said use a shorter rod. Over the years my system has evolved to a 7 foot rod for a vertical presentation. The biggest reason for me is a minimal tip movement takes up a lot of line. I feel I have a much better hook set with my 7 footer than with a 5 ½ foot rod. The other benefit is that bottom is not flat so I can raise my rods up and down with out having to take in or let out more line. In addition, the longer rods allow me to move my baits further away from the sonar cone when fishing the shallower fish. With the rods of today weight is not the issue it used to be. Most of my rods are 7 – 7’ 3” med action, which are custom made with short handles. The handles are my personnel preference. I’ve also found the long rods are versatile and great for other techniques such as the dragging, pitching and I feel I have better control of the fish while fighting them to the boat.
Line size is a key factor to this presentation. I frequently use four pound test Berkley solar Fireline. The smallest diameter line allows me to go very deep and stay vertical. The other advantage is that you can feel subtle bites and changes in your baits.
I also have a set of reels set up with 4 pound test Maxima Fibreglow with a diameter of .007”. This is the strongest four pound test I have found with the super thin diameter, plus it handles the cold water well. My other set of reels have six pound test Berkley Sensation solar with a diameter of .009”. I suspect the question is why three types of line? The fish’s moods dictate the presentation. When the fish are in a more negative mood and tend to hold the bait short you will miss them with hard line. That is when I prefer to pick up my 4 lb test mono; this gives me the extra time needed to get the fish’s mouth up on the bait. I also like to snap baits this time of year and I prefer to do this with a mono line, the hard line (FireLine) returns to bottom too quickly. The fish will usually hit the bait on the fall and the mono has a better drop rate, which in turn with produce more hits. The reason I like the 6 lb solar is for dragging and pulling jigs. The hard lines can be used to pull jigs, but if you are going to drag with it you will snag up way too much. So I prefer to drag and pull jigs with a monofilament it gives you more time to react to the fish and the bottom. These are the line systems that I have worked out for my presentations and I hope they help you out. You still need to work jig weights, boat speed and depth into the equation.
I would like to take a moment and talk about jigs and jig heads. There are a lot of different styles and weights to choose from. There are stand ups, weight forward, sliders, short shanks, pancake, and a ton of specialty shapes. They all have there place for a special presentation. However, for vertical jigging plastics on the river you will have a hard time finding a better jig than the H20 precision jig by BfishN tackle. They come in a variety of sizes with the weight printed on the jig. This makes it easy to duplicate your presentations over again. I used to make my own collection of ball head jigs in all sizes but telling a 3/32 from the 1/8 was a hassle. I must admit my old eyes get things mixed up on the clutter of my bow deck. It’s much easier for me to have all sizes of the precision heads on board, so when you break off you can be sure you are tying the right size back on.
Here is another observation I would like to pass on. It seems most people think “the lighter weight the better”. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. I think” light is lost”. If you cannot keep consistent contact with the bottom you will not catch as many fish. My experience is if you get your bait into there face they will eat it. Here is an example; I’m making a vertical drift down the outside edge of a scour hole. I’m in the front of the boat with a ¼ ounce jig. I can control the front, but the back of the boat will swing. To stay in control the guy in the back better have a 5/16 or a 3/8 on. It’s just a fact of life. If you find you’re self losing contact with the bottom, go heavier. There are situations where I use 5/8 and ¾ ounce jigs, to get into the strike zone. If fishing a ¼ oz in 28 FOW and the bite is within the first six inches of the bottom you better be really good with boat control and have a perfect day. The best info I can pass on is to have a variety of sizes to adjust to conditions, and stay vertical in contact with the bottom.
Let me take a moment and just touch on some points about the plastic baits I use for this presentation. This time of year the walleye and sauger are feeding mainly on shad. The sizes of these shad are between 3 and 4 inches in length for the most part. There are many styles of plastics to choose from however most of my plastics are in that 3 to 6 inch range. The color choices of these plastics are endless and at times can be quite mind boggling. The very first plastic bait that I used with great success was called a reaper; it is 4 inches long and looked like an uncut Super Doo. Since I added Super Doos to my collection they have retired the reaper. I have been using Super Doos for over 15 years with great success on negative minded fish; they seem unable to resist them. Here is a list of some of my favorite plastics for catching sauger and walleyes in cold water.
Super Doos: use them vertically with a lift pause and hold presentation usually a 1/4, 5/16, or 3/8 ounce jig head. (3 ½ inch bait)
Ringworms: use them vertically with a jigging motion and drag presentation usually a 1/4, 5/16, or 3/8 ounce jig head. This is a 4 ¼ inch bait that can be cut to size. When I take them vertical I usually take one inch off the head end. Mood of the fish can dictate the length; you get a lot of tail pullers I shorten the bait. (2 to 4 1/4 inch bait)
Assassins and Livin Eyes: use them vertical with a snap jigging presentation usually with a 5/16, 3/8, or 1/2 ounce jig head. Looking for a reaction bite to this presentation. (3 to 6 inch baits)
B Fish N K-grubs: I use them vertical but they are best in a drag or pull situation, I use all size jig heads with these grubs, depending on the mood of the fish. (5 inch bait)
B Fish N Paddle tails: use them vertical with a lift and hold presentation, the tail has great action on this bait, if you keep getting your tail bit off shorten the bait. Again I use1/4, 5/16, or 3/8 ounce jig heads. (3 ½ inch bait)
Shad bodies: use them vertical but do better with a drag or pull presentation. (3 to 6 inch baits)
This is not the only presentations that I use those plastics for but I just tried to stay with the vertical jigging theme.
The final issue that I would like to touch on is boat control. I prefer to use a bow-mount direct cable-drive MotorGuide trolling motor. With all of the conditions I encounter on the river (wind, current etc.) I cannot have any hesitation in the response time of the motor. I want power right now not two seconds after I hit the on button. I have great difficulty using the motorized servo- drive trolling motors. By the time they react I’m off the spot and out of control.
I hope I’ve answered some questions and stimulated some thought about vertical jigging. Try it on your next trip to the river.