Jigging Spoons for Walleye on 'Hard' or 'Soft' Water

During the winter in Minnesota, anglers can fish two lines. The typical strategy for most walleye fishermen is to present a lively minnow on one line (beneath a float or on a tip-up) while working a jigging spoon on the other line.

When used in conjunction with a good sonar unit that shows the fish and the bait, going vertical with a jigging spoon is a killer technique. In fact, the spoon routinely outperforms live bait on winter walleyes. But spoons aren't just great on frozen water. They're also deadly during the fall season, particularly when you find a pack of walleyes stacked up on some deep structure. When you encounter this situation, vertical spoon jigging is one of the best ways to pluck walleyes from the school.

Use a Sensitive Rod

On this pattern, I like to start with a 3/4-ounce to 1-ounce spoon on 12-pound braided line. A St. Croix 7-foot spinning or baitcasting graphite rod with a medium-action is my preferred stick. The rod gives you the backbone to snap the spoon, yet is also soft enough to absorb the shock of the hookset when using no-stretch line. But best of all, this rod/line combination provides you with incredible sensitivity in deep water. You can feel the bottom type (rock, sand, muck), know if you've picked up some debris, and detect even the slightest pick-up. Usually, walleyes hit jigging spoons with pretty fierce aggression. But sometimes they nip the spoon so delicately that you want all the sensitivity you can get.

As for your choice of spoons for walleyes, there are hundreds of brands, colors, sizes, and shapes. If you're already a spooner, you probably have a healthy collection of options and your go-to favorites. If you're new to the game, I'll share my opinions.

First and foremost, only use spoons with high-quality hooks, and keep them sharp. Walleyes (and all fish) like to hit the bait when it's free-falling on slack line. When the fish eats it, you want those sharp points to find mouth tissue even before you set the hook. Also, when vertical jigging, your spoon, it spends a lot of time thumping into the sand and rocks on the bottom, which can dull your points. Thus, you should keep a sharpener in your box and use it routinely.

Try Different Color Spoons

The next important factor is color. Different lakes, rivers, and water clarities call for different colors. And walleyes in a particular fishery will often share a common preference for color. Chartreuse, pink, orange, black, blue, silver, gold, copper, crawdadthese are all popular colors for walleye baits in general, so they should be represented in your spoon arsenal as well. Many manufacturers, such as Lindy, for example, offer their spoons with glow-in-the-dark paint. I believe that helps in stained water and in low-light conditions. It certainly gives me more confidence, and if you fish with confidence you WILL catch more walleyes!

Shape is another vital element to jigging spoon fishing. To demonstrate why, let me first explain the presentation that I most often use for walleyes. First, I drop the bait to the bottom, paying attention for a bite on that initial drop. Then, reel the line so the rod is parallel to the water when the spoon is just off the bottom. This way, you can control the depth of the drop after each upward snap. Some guys let the bait fall to the bottom after ever snap. I prefer to snap the bait briskly up about 2 feet, then let it free-fall down and stop it just a couple inches off the bottom where I'll dead stick the bait for a few seconds before the next snap. Most bites come on the drop or when the spoon is hanging there doing nothing.

Let Spoon Hit Bottom

In between several snap-and-drop movements, I'll occasionally let the spoon crash into the bottom. That sound against the rocks, and those little plumes that rise when you're in sand or silt, seems to incite a strike when nothing else will work. Don't be afraid to mix things up with some occasional flutters, 5-foot snaps, and other change-ups either. Like with all fishing, experiment and you'll improve your skills and know-how.

Now, back to shape. Most jigging spoons are torpedo or elongated-teardrop shaped. It's a great shape for a rapid vertical snap and a fast, fluttering drop. Sometimes the walleyes seem to prefer a more erratic snap and a lazier drop. Here, spoons with chiseled ends or blade baits such as the Zip Lure impart the desired action.

Here's another jigging spoon-related topic that I've heard anglers argue about: and that's whether to tip the treble hook with bait. Some think dorsal-hooking a live minnow is the ticket, while others prefer just a minnow head. A handful will use a piece of crawler or a waxworm. And then there's the guys who believe the spoon works best without any live bait (or portion thereof) at all. Me? I think they're all right. I start with a bare spoon in a proven color and it usually does the trick. If it doesn't produce, I'll try other colors, then finally experiment with a minnow head or live minnow.

Cast the Break

One of the greatest feelings in the world is setting the hook on a big walleye that's right beneath you. But sometimes in the fall, when you find walleyes scattered on a contour break, it's important to cover a lot of water fast. Vertical jigging isn't the answer here, but that doesn't mean that your jigging spoon isn't still a great bait. It is!

For this application, position your boat on the deep side of the break and cast your spoon up into shallower water. A cast/retrieve that is about 45-degrees to the perpendicular slope of the break is a good idea because it keeps the bait at each depth range for a bit longer than a retrieve straight down the break.

So, make a long cast and let the bait find bottom. Give it a brisk pop, and then let it flutter down to bottom again. Each pop/flutter will take the spoon deeper and deeper. Again, be prepared to get a bite as the bait is falling. If it seems like every strike is occurring at a certain depth along the break, position your boat at that depth and make casts parallel with the contour.