Snap-jigging Lake Erie walleye with a Jig-n-minnow aboard Erie Quest Charters
Thump...thump...thump...bang. Get the net!
Snap-jigging isn't a finesse sport and jig-fishing on Erie, proves highly effective time and time again in the spring when jig fishing walleye....aboard the Erie Quest.
We use various hair jigs when jig fishing for Lake Erie walleye, but the best colors seemed to be purple, blue, John Deere green, or chartreuse.
Basically, we cast and hop jigs back to the boat, as well as "Snap-jigging"....which consists of lowering a jig to the bottom, & aggressively snapping it up a couple of feet, then letting it free-fall back to the bottom. It works best with a "slower or medium drift"
I always use jigs tipped with stinger hooks when walleye fishing in the spring.
When "Snap-jigging" you're not ripping it away from the fish. You are forcing the fish to make a decision, which is exactly the opposite of holding something in front of them and enticing them to bite. Trust me, the Lake Erie walleye made a lot of decisions when I am "Snap Jigging" walleye....many of them in our favor.
Think of it like this....with snap-jigging, you are trying to catch them by surprise and force them to "react."
I like to employ this technique when I am fishing open water Lake Erie walleye and encourage long drifts. These drifts can include Zebra mussel laden flats, break-lines or reefs, surrounded by deep water. Depths where snap-jigging is effective are typically 25 feet or less.
Today we found several large pods of fish in these types of areas and
I have coached my walleye fishing guests that when a jig gets "bumped" off the bottom and through the waterit makes a commotion, as well as vibration....that gets detected through the walleyes' lateral line. They come to check it out and "bang."
Captain Rick'sTip for lake Erie walleye fishing:
You will detect more strikes if you carefully watch your line and rod tip. Many times, you will see a twitch you cannot feel. If you see your line twitch were it enters the water, or the line moves slightly to the side, or at the tipset the hook!