Walleye are the most sought-after game fish by fisherman in search of fly-in, train-in, or drive-in fishing at lodges. There are countless locations all throughout Algoma Country that excel when it comes to the quality of walleye fishing. A tip to remember when going for your walleye catch is to stock up on jigs to guarantee a monster walleye.
A “jig” is defined as a lead sinker with a hook molded into it, covered by a soft body to attract fish—but to be simple, a jig is a small ball of lead with a hook attached.
You can almost always guarantee to see a jig in any tackle box you open, as they are the most versatile lure a fisherman can use. It's easy: drag it, hop it, drift it, cast it, swim it, rip it, jig it, or just let it sit on bottom.
On top of using it however you choose, you can literally put almost anything you want on the end of it, from any type of live bait to a soft plastic lure. A jig is one of the deadliest ways to put a lot of fish in the boat, and one of those fish that tends to bite jigs on a regular basis is the most popular fish in Northern Ontario: the walleye.
The Setup - Starting out with the rod
There are so many to choose from, but there are also rod series that are specifically designed for walleye and whatever technique you're using it for. Denali Rods has a walleye-specific series of casting, spinning, and trolling rods that cover the whole spectrum.
For vertical jigging, walleye spinning rods are the way to go. Your rod and line could vary greatly with the situation you are in, depending on water depth and clarity, size of fish you are targeting, whether you're dealing with heavy current, and the structure or vegetation you're fishing.
To make it easy, I’ll break it down into a couple good all-around setups I would use to fish it all. I like a rod that is anywhere from 7' to 6' 8" rod with a medium to medium-heavy action, with an extra-fast tip for detecting any bite you might get.
For line, I always like to have braid, 10-pound Tufline Domin8 braid for my main line. It has no stretch and it allows you to feel absolutely everything that’s happening with your bait.
- Kevin King