Seasoned Anglers Categorize Their Choices

Dance A Jig

Jigs, in combination with livebait, are favorites for walleyes. Jigs are, in a sense, anchors that hold minnows stationary, so a walleye doesn’t have to chase a wildly fleeing bait. Jigs have been a traditional option through the ice on rivers, where current is a factor, and they’re used to anchor livebait presented below floats or on deadsticks.

A plain jighead design (no hair or plastic) in 1/16- or 1/8-ounce sizes works well with 3- and 4-inch minnows. Remove the plastic body from a Lindy-Little Joe Fuzz-E-Grub, for example, or try the Gopher Tackle Weighted Kahle hook. Other anglers prefer jigs like the Bait Rigs Odd’ball jig; or the Northland Whistler, a bait with a prop-style blade.

To keep bait lively, nick the hook through the skin parallel to the dorsal fin so the hook point rides toward the head of the minnow. This allows the minnow to swim in a confined area, sending off vibrations as well as being visually compelling. Or try hooking the minnow through the lips, trailing a stinger hook or inserting the stinger hook in the minnow’s tail. Minnows hooked through the back often are fished in conjunction with a deadstick. Minnows hooked through the lips usually are jigged actively, like swimming jigs and flash lures.

Dale Stroschein, guide and resort owner on Sturgeon Bay (920/743-5731), caught his biggest walleye (nearly 14 pounds) while working a jig and minnow. “What works varies geographically,” he says. “I know open-water-style jigging isn’t popular as an ice method, but it sure works here. That’s not to say that other lures don’t work here also. Still, I’ve tried them all and my top choice most of the season is a jig and minnow. I prefer the Bait Rigs Odd’Ball, a jig without special flash or action. It does, however, have a long shaft and an oversized Accupoint hook.

“I’m after big fish, with a chance of hooking a walleye from 8 to 14 pounds. A long hook shank and wide gap are perfect for presenting the 3- to 4-inch emerald shiners I prefer for large walleyes. Remember, too, that I’m guiding anglers who don’t always have a good feeling for ice fishing. The jig and minnow not only works for seasoned anglers, but gives novices a shot at a fish, too.

“The hooking method I use—dead-hooking—kills the bait, but it positions the hook farther back on bigger baits for short-striking fish,” Stroschein continues. “Get three or four clients each scratching an extra walleye or two on a trip, and it begins to add up. I thread the hook through the mouth of the bait, positioning it as far back as possible, and up through the dorsal fin. Minnows hooked through the lips tend to fall off easily while jigged, and short biters are more apt to be missed.”

In water shallower than 15 feet, Stroschein uses 1/8-ounce jigs, switching to 1/4-ounce jigs in deeper water. He keeps the jig 6 to 12 inches off bottom, slowly lifting, dropping, and pausing. “Most of the time, fish slam the bait on the pause,” he says. “Pretty simple. The way I like it.”