Walleyes in Cover—The Hidden Dimension

Jigging spoons allow a more aggressive ripping approach. Cast a 1/4- to 1/2-ounce spoon on 10- to 12-pound line, letting it flutter until it barely touches weed tops. Then rip the rod tip upward, sending it darting forward, lowering the rod tip as you take up slack. Repeat. Set up a quicker rhythm than you would use with a jig in order to prevent excessive settling and fouling. Spinning or casting tackle? Your choice.

Tickling—Floating-diving crankbaits are surprisingly effective over weeds and wood due to their downward diving angle. The diving bill encounters and climbs over potential snags first, and the body tends to protect the hook points from snagging as the bait climbs over obstructions. If you cast out and retrieve at a modest speed, backing off tension as the lure begins to encounter a snag, it’ll usually either float upward, allowing you to resume your retrieve in a few seconds or will crawl over and across the obstruction, occasionally snagging or fouling.

Deep-diving lures with large bills are perhaps best for scrambling across woodcover. Shallower-diving lures (smaller diving bills) tend to work well in weeds. If you hang up and a pause doesn’t allow the lure to rise and free itself, a simple rip or tug should bring it back—sometimes free of the growth, sometimes not. In wood, pausing may or may not free the lure; you may have to move the boat above or just past the obstruction, then try to rip it free or use a lure de-snagger. Choose either spinning or casting tackle, although lighter balsa lures tend to cast better on spinning gear with 8- to 12-pound mono.

Slithering—The basic premise of slithering through weeds is similar to using a jighead when ripping—but without the ripping. Instead of using an open-hook jighead, a pointy-nosed jighead with the eye at the nose, plus a weedguard, deflects nearly all snags and causes the jig to slip and slide between stalks. While it will sink to rest atop weeds, a more subtle lift of the rod tip generally frees the lure, causing it to glide. It lacks the triggering explosion of a jighead breaking free on a rip, but it’s more effective in heavy weeds like coontail; coontail, in fact, should grip even a weedless jig sufficiently to cause a bit of a rustle when the jig scoots free, alerting nearby fish to its presence.

Weedless jigs can be worked farther down into weed clumps and down between cabbage stalks with a reduced chance of snagging. It’s perfect for tough times when fish don’t want to come out of their hideaways. Same for timber and brush. Pitch a weedless jig right into pockets in a brushpile, let it fall, then lift the rod tip to raise the jig up and over limbs before letting it settle again. Same for deeper timber or fallen trees. Slowly lift until you feel the jig cross the limb, then let it fall. Small roundhead jigs with weedguards, dressed with grub bodies, work well in timber.

Fortunately for walleye anglers, several innovative tackle companies have addressed the snag problem with creative solutions. For small weedless jigheads to use with livebait, try Northland’s Weed Weasel, Bait Rigs’ Slo-Poke WeedMaster, or Lindy’s No-Snagg Timber Jig or Veggie Jig. Owner’s Bullet Head and Bait Rigs’ Slo-Poke, Odd’Ball, and GrubMaster are all excellent designs for working plastic in and around weeds and wood.