Page 62 - ODUMar-Apr2019

Fish Jigs To Locate Spring Walleyes

By Team Northland Pro-Staffer Bob Jensen

Mike Borovic’s Top Five
Spring Walleye Baits

-LUNKERHUNT 4.5" Bento Bait Sassy Shad
-Zipper 5" Original Worm - June Bug
Chartreuse Tail
-Case Plastics Lil Magic Swim - Albino
Shad
-Lunker City Fin-S Fish - Pimp Daddy Fire
Tail
-LUNKERHUNT 5.5" Swim Bento -
Mackerel
Find Mike Here -
https://www.facebook.com/mike.borovic

Walleye anglers taking to the water for the first time after the ice clears from their favorite lakes
generally know where to start looking for fish—those post-spawners set up in shallow, warm feeding
areas near the rivers or shorelines that recently held their interest.

A lake of any size will typically feature a number of potential hotspots, however, and they can be fairly

large. Then, it becomes a matter of pinpointing concentrations of walleyes. I like to do it by fishing fairly
quickly with a jig-and-minnow, or even something like a Slurp!® Jig Head and Impulse® Swim’n Grub.

Because I typically focus on depths 10 feet or less, I go with a 1/8-ounce head of one color and a 3-inch
grub body of a contrasting color, say pink-and-white or orange-and-chartreuse. If there are two anglers
in the boat, each should start with a different combo until the walleyes start showing a preference for a
certain shade or combination of colors.

The retrieve is slow and steady; you don’t want to hop or twitch the jig too much. Just swim it slowly
near the bottom as you probe the entire area. When you catch a couple of fish from a particular spot,
it’s time to slow down and really work it hard with a jig-and-minnow.

If the bottom contains some rock, cobble or other debris, I go with a 1/16-ounce Fire-Ball® Jig and
minnow and crawl it as much as possible. On a sandy bottom, I’ll simply drag an 1/8-ounce
Stand-Up Fire-Ball® Jig