Pro’s Perspective: Cold river jigging
Oct 30th, 2015 by OutdoorsFIRST
Modified Oct 30th, 2015 at 12:00 AM
Jigging for walleyes in rivers during the cold-weather times of the year can be exciting, though many anglers reading this will just think about cold and discomfort associated with winter months. Don’t despair. Fishing from fall through the spring in rivers that remain open can provide some pretty exciting action that should keep you toasty….. as long as the action is accompanied with proper cold-weather gear.
Anyway, let’s focus on traditional river jigging. Using bladed jigs or Jigging Rapalas is fodder for another article. Let’s keep it simple and dive right in. Helping us along this journey will be walleye pro Eric Olson. Sure, Olson has won the MWC championship and other pro titles, but he also fishes the mighty Mississippi year ’round. So, calling him a river rat, err expert, seems about right.
Let’s start with where the heck the walleyes are located from fall through spring. Obviously, they are in the river you are fishing. If not, pick another river.
Current breaks, current breaks and more currents breaks. These can be anything such as wing dams, rockpiles, drop-offs, etc. A current break is essentially anything that breaks up the current. These pieces of cover/structure allow the walleyes to sit in a position to stay out of heavy current and feed on the available food source that can get pushed toward them. Essentially current breaks are perfect spots for walleyes to grab a meal.
“Having a bunch of locations to fish on a milk run is very important this time of the year,” said Olson. “The current breaks are key. Whether you are vertically jigging or pitching jigs.
“Keep an eye on specifics of the breaks. Whether they are submerged rockpiles, downed trees in the water, sand flats, whatever they are. If you catch walleyes on that break, go and fish similar cover. You will likely find more walleyes.”
Who will win the pitching versus vertical jigging battle?
Really, there is not competition here. Both presentations are necessary to be an effective walleye angler on your favorite river during the colder times of the year. Pitching is essentially casting your jig and retrieving it horizontally. Vertical jigging is just that. Keeping your presentation as vertical as possible.
“For me, vertical jigging is ideal when I am covering deeper cover away from the shore,” said Olson. “Like fishing a deeper breakline or over a sand flat. I can be precise and fish right over the break or I can use my trolling motor and work with the current to drag my jig.”
For vertical jigging, Olson sticks with baitcasting gear. Using two rods, he prefers Shimano gear using a right-handed retrieve in his right hand and a left-handed retrieve in his left. This way, he can use his fingers to move the reel handle to adjust depth when needed. It’s very precise.
Dragging is a separate technique where you literally let your jig drag and not be perfectly vertical. Dragging will be covered in detail at a later date.
Jig weight varies based on conditions. He’ll often use minnows when the bite is tough, but plastic trailers are generally the most commonly used offering on a jig during the cold weather.
Olson uses braided line tied to a snap with pre-tied fluorocarbon leaders on a jig. This way, he can just connect a pre-tied jig quickly when his fingers are super cold and doesn’t waste time retying all day.
“Having that jig tied to a leader with a swivel saves so much time and allows you and your fishing buddy to enjoy the limited time you have on the water.”
When pitching jigs, Olson prefers spinning gear. Again, he’s a big Shimano fan, but there is a twist. Instead of super light line, Olson likes braid.
“I stick with braid when pitching jigs,” said Olson. “I tie it directly to the jig. I feel you generally get a reaction strike and there is usually no need for leaders, etc.
“My go-to is a hair jig. Usually with no plastic or live bait on it, but you can certainly experiment to zero in on what they want.
“I have custom -tied jigs. My buddy ties them with deer hair. That hair has better visibility based on my experience. Also, make sure you get jigs with plenty of hair behind the hook. If the hair isn’t flowing naturally in the water you might as well have a plain jig. You can always trim the jig down, but you can’t lengthen it.”
Jig weights vary depending on the current flow and depth you are fishing. Same with colors. Take a variety of colors with you and experiment to see which offering your walleyes want on that day.
Pro Gear
Vertical jigging
Rod- 6’6″ Medium power, fast action Shimano Zodias
Reel- Shimano Casitas Right and left hand retrieve
Line- 10lb Sufix mainline 832, 8lb Sufix Flourocarbon leader
Jigs- VMC Mooneye
Pitching
Rod’- 6-8″ to 7’2″ Medium power, Shimano Crucial/ Zodias
Reel- Shimano CI/4 2500/ Stradic/ Soros
Line- 10lb Sufix mainline 832r
Jigs- VMC Mooneye, Misc Hair jig