Western Basin home to jigging heaven

A plain jig is an odd lure. It really does not resemble anything in
nature that a fish would eat.But dress it up with some color, deer hair, and perhaps a worm, minnow or grub and it becomes a formidable weapon in any fisherman's arsenal.
It has been that way for thousands of years. Jigs were used by the Egyptians, Romans and Greeks. Even cave dwellers carved jig-looking lures out of bone to catch their fish. So folks
today are just carrying on a long tradition. Lake Erie anglers use a variety of jigs (we also call them lead heads) to fish for walleyes through the ice and for several weeks after
ice-out in the early spring. The rest of the year jigs get shoved to the back of the tackle box in favor of other more productive lures. Why just jigs early? Presentation is probably the main reason. Ice-out water is extremely cold, just a few degrees above freezing, and the
fish are still in a lethargic state. So a slow deliberate angling style is required, making the lead head the logical choice. On my last jigging trip we were fortunate to have a calm day with only a slight drift. Schools of pre-spawn walleyes were congregating over a
rocky bottom in about 12 feet of water. We were all armed with six-foot, medium-heavy rods and reels spooled with Berkley Fireline. I picked out a quarter-ounce dark brown bucktail
jig and attached the line without using a snap swivel. Baiting up is a little more complicated. You want to give as natural a presentation as possible. To do this, start the hook through the
minnow's mouth and out the gill, then twist and place the hook through the body behind the dorsal fin. When the jig hits the bottom, the minnow will appear in a swimming position. I made a short cast away from the boat and let the lure settle to the bottom before taking up slack. Once the line was tight I slowly raised the rod tip and I could feel the lead bump across some rocks. Then I slowly raised the rod tip higher this time, bringing the jig two-to-three feet off the bottom before letting it settle back to the bottom. During the fall, a walleye hit and I had my first fish. It was not a hard hit, just a tap before I felt the weight of the fish. This is a typical method of jig fishing for walleyes, but sometimes the angler will have to change lure weights and colors before finding the right combination. So keep the arsenal well-stocked. I have one plastic lure box that contains an assortment of jigs from an eighth-ounce up to a half-ounce. I usually purchase them in various colors from the likes of Walmart, Cabela's and Gander Mountain. A second box contains soft lure bodies such as curlytails, worms and grubs in basic colors. If I do not do anything else, I make sure that the color dark purple is included. Purple is a hot color for walleye jigging. I do not know why. A third box contains store-bought lures that I have had success with over the years. These include the Lindy Fuzz-E-Grub, and a lot of Cabela and Northland creations in as many colors and sizes as I can afford.  In recent years, tackle manufacturers have come up with rattle tubes that can be attached to the jig. They are small but add big benefits to attract fish. Keep them handy. As soon as the ice is gone from the Western Basin, fishermen will start gathering in shallow off-shore waters and around the many reefs. If there is a jigging heaven this is it. Capt. Tony Denslow

About the Author

Capt. Tony Denslow is a retired news journalist who now operates a sportfishing charter business on Lake Erie.