Lake Erie walleye fishing walleye with a Jig-n-minnow
By: Capt. Rick Millette
The early spring snap jig bite on Lake Erie has put it on the map as the "Walleye Capital of the World" and for good reason. About 80% of the Lake Erie walleye population spawns on the south shore in Ohio waters from the Lake Erie reefs just off of the Camp Perry Firing range to the Maumee Bay. These walleye are schooled up and are easily caught using a snap jigging method with a number of different lures.
Jigs
There are three jig presentations that are deadly for these spawning walleyes:
1. A regular jig tipped with a minnow
2. A regular jig with a twister tail
3. A hair jig better tipped with a minnow.
Erie Quest Charters uses Hair Jigs and they are the most productive lure early season walleye in Lake Erie. These lures are deadly if tipped with a large shiner minnow. Most anglers prefer to attach a stinger hook to these three presentations because of their large size, but beware of the no treble hook laws in Maumee Bay and Sandusky Bay. These jigs do work well without a stinger.
These fish are aggressive; most of the strikes are so violent that the fish engulfs the entire jig. This is not a typical jig bite so; do not be afraid to work the bait fast, similar to what you would present a tube jig to a bass. The weight of the jig is personal preference, meaning what ever size you can keep bottom contact with. I recommend having a good selection between 5/8 oz and 3/4 oz. Color does matter, I recommend having three main colors, Blue, Purple and Chartreuse when Lake Erie walleye fishing. Other colors will work so do not restrict yourself to these colors. Angler success can be directly correlated with confidence in a lure.
Lake Erie walleye fishing is world-class and Erie Quest Charters has been in business since 1984 guiding walleye anglers on the Walleye Capital of the World!
www.eriequest.com
