Thump big jigs for more sauger and walleye

By Mike Norris

www.mikenorrisoutdoors.com

 

 

               I really don’t know what loomed larger¾the size of the tackle shop owner’s eyes or the size of the 1-ounce jig that I showed him for pounding river sauger and walleye.  Not to be outdone, he reached down under his counter and pulled out his own secret creation.

 

                “How come you’re not using these,” he said as he displayed his own oversized jig.  “These are designed so the current flows around them.”  The tackle shop owner displayed his basement poured 3/4-ounce flat-sided jig poured over a gigantic sized 4/0 hook.

 

                “The hook is to big and the jig doesn’t have enough bottom surface area to really give the “thump” I’m looking for,” I answered.

 

                And so the debate continues for a handful of knowledgeable anglers who value the effectiveness of pounding big jigs through the murky depths of the sauger and walleye ladened river systems.

 

                Why do big jigs work so effectively on the rivers?  Look no further then PWT “Top Gun” angler and Lindy/Little Joe President Ted Takasaki for the answer.

 

                “I think sauger and walleye and see the jig better in murky river water because it’s so big,” says Takasaki, who has designed 5/8 and 1-ounce Jumbo Fuzz-E-Grubs for Lindy/Little Joe.

 

                What Takasaki also knows is that heavier jigs are easier to maintain bottom contact in current and in wind.

 

                “As tugs push grain-ladened barges up and down the river they cause depressions along the river bottom,” says Takasaki.  “These depressions are usually only one to two feet deep and are where saugers and walleyes and will hang out while waiting for an easy meal.  Any angler jigging vertically with a quarter-ounce jig can easily pass over one or more of these depressions without ever making bottom contact.”

 

                Takasaki also believes the sound of his jumbo Fuzz-E-Grub “thumping” along the bottom gets their attention and many times triggers a reactionary strike.

 

                Smart anglers are trolling big jigs in combination with either a floater or a crankbait.  I personally prefer the jig and crankbait combination.  A Rapala floating minnow in chartreuse or chrome/blue colors gets my endorsement.  But it still pays to experiment as sauger and walleye tend to change color preference throughout the day.

 

Here’s how to set up a big jig rig.

 

                Big jig trolling is best performed with baitcasting equipment and veteran anglers prefer the sensitivity of a 6 1/2-foot medium/heavy rod for telegraphing bottom content and strikes.  A Fenwick HMG graphite rod gets my nod.

 

                Match the rod with a quality baitcasting reel with continuous ant-reverse and a flippin’ switch.

 

                Flippin’ switches on baitcasting reels allow anglers to control line release single-handedly.  Anglers can easily let out more line by just pressing down on the thumb bar when the flippin’ switch is engaged.   After the required amount of line is released I just lift my thumb and the reel automatically reengages.

 

                Spool reels with Berkley 10-pound test Fireline to maximize feel of the bottom and to detect strikes.

 

                Tie a three-way swivel to the end of the spooled Fireline.  Then tie a 24-inch dropper line of eight-pound Berkley XT monofilament to the second loop on the three-way swivel and tie a Lindy/Little Joe jumbo jig to the other end of the monofilament.  Tip the jig with a lively fathead minnow.  Finally tie a three-foot length of eight-pound Berkley XT monofilament to the third loop of the three-way swivel and attach a Rapala floating minnow to the other end.

 

                Start trolling upstream against the current with your bow mount electric trolling motor and with rigged rods in each hand, drop both rigs in the water until the jigs hit the bottom.  Release the thumb bar.  The drag against your rig caused by trolling against the current will lift the jig off the bottom.

 

                Make additional adjustments to your rig by letting more line out until you feel the jig hit bottom as you lift and drop the jig using your rod tip.  The constant pounding of the jig will attract sauger and walleye which have the option of either hitting the jig or the Rapala.

 

                The strikes are violent when trolling against the current while using no-stretch Fireline.  That’s half the fun.  The other half is catching sauger and walleye all day long.

 

                Give this rig a try the next time you’re fishing your favorite river.