Drift Jigging for Walleye

I’ve spent many summers at my cabin in the Whiteshell fishing for walleye. There was a little tinner with a two-stroke engine that we used to get out on the water. I didn’t have the luxury of having a nice boat with an electric trolling motor. Oftentimes we would have guests over that were new to fishing. While other walleye techniques can produce at our cabin lake, I naturally gravitated to drift jigging as my preferred technique for walleye. I eventually started using it on other bodies of water. I will discuss why I do it and give some tips on how to drift jig.

Why I Drift Jig

Walleye anglers always use the wind to their advantage in some way and drifting is no exception. Whether the walleyes are on flats, reefs or points, you may find a way to take advantage of the wind in some way. You can cover a lot of water this way plus you will be absolutely silent which really helps in shallow water.

Plus it’s definitely a relaxing way to fish. With the outboard off, you can chat freely with your companions. If you have a two-stroke engine, it’s even better as you don’t have to breath fumes. The wind does a lot of the work for you as opposed to trolling so it’s one of the least mentally taxing methods. I frequently take newbies at the cabin and I often have to assist them with baiting hooks or unhooking fish. Drift jigging is hands free as opposed to trolling where the boat must constantly be attended to.

Often times when I go for a day of musky fishing (or any non-walleye species), I’ll bring one jigging rod just so I can quickly catch a few walleyes for a limit to take home. If I’m musky fishing all day, I will probably be too mentally taxed to do any other kinds of walleye techniques.

Equipment

A high quality graphite rod with a reel spooled with braided line is the way to go. Sensitivity is everything when it comes to jigging. As you soon as you hit a rock with a jig, you can avoid it faster. A non-sensitive rod with monofilament will decrease your reaction time and feel leading to more snags. When using braid, use a fluorocarbon leader to be as stealthy as possible to the fish.

As for jigs, you will need an assortment based on the conditions. You want to use the lightest jig possible that will let you maintain contact with bottom. Generally a collection from 1/8 oz to 1/2 oz is adequate. You may want to consider high quality jigs as hitting rocks repeatedly will damage the paint.

For bait, I’ve used minnows, worms and leeches when I feel a live bait bite is necessary. A variety of plastics can be used if bait is unavailable or the fishing is so good that rebaiting is too time consuming. My favorite plastics are the AuthentX Moxi plastics since the entire body vibrates with very little action. Kalin’s Tickle Grubs are also one of my other comfort plastics.

If possible a GPS compatible graph unit is very good to have. Being able to know your speed, tracks and depth is essential information when it comes to jigging.

The Drift

The depth and drift speed will determine the jig size that will be used. Shallow flats might require only 1/8 oz while a deep reef may require a 3/8 oz. With strong winds, it will be difficult to keep a jig on the bottom unless you add more weight. Ideally you do not want to let out so much line since it will be hard to feel the bottom making it difficult to keep the jig out of snags.

Typically you want to start upwind of the structure that you want to fish. If you are a tiller boat user, you want to orient the boat so that it is perpendicular to the wind and all lines are dropped on the upwind side. That way you don’t have your lines on the underside of the boat which makes landing fish easier. Turn your motor towards the wind so that it will keep the boat perpendicular throughout the duration of the drift.

Typically walleyes like staying on the bottom. Make sure to feel for bottom once in a while with the jigs but do not let them drag on the rocks. This is good way to get snagged. If you have a depth finder, you will be able to react to the changes in depth so that you can adjust accordingly. If you find that you are hitting bottom too frequently, you need to not have so much line out.

Once a drift is completed, unless many fish are caught make another drift at a slightly different angle. This is why I highly recommend a GPS graph. By turning your trails on, you can see precisely where you have fished and where to start the next drift. It also helps to know how the wind pushed the boat. When resetting your drift, make sure to not drive over where you want to fish.

Final Words

The wind is a great tool in fishing at times, it’s good to learn how to use it. Drift jigging is a very simple but versatile technique that is friendly to those without fancy boat control tools. All you need is a boat and a motor and you’re good to go.