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River rigging and Jigging
By Sam Anderson

Over the years the jig has possibly accounted for more species of gamefish and more
pounds of fillets in the frying pan than any other lure. Crappie, bass, walleye, lake trout,
musky--- you name it, a jig has caught it. Even in this modern age of angling when new
"Super Lures" crop up almost daily, the simple jig is the magical lure. 

Without question, jigs are the walleye angler’s lure of choice, simply because jigs can be
used effectively to maintain contact with the take bottom. Since a versatile array of sizes,
shapes designs and colors are available, jigs can be fished in a seemingly infinite array of combinations under a variety of conditions. 

One of my favorite jigs is the  Fuzz-E-Grub, partially because it has been around since I started fishing and secondly it is the most effective jig on the market today. The Fuzz-E-Grubs have a soft plastic body that feels natural to the fish and a tiny marabou feather tail that adds a slight swimming motion. This is important because a walleye is not only visually orientated but sound and motion given off from the marabou tail gives the jig a pulsating live bait feeling. 

Work the jig quickly through the fishholding area. Hop it or swim it, even snap the jig and
don’t pause as you usually would, but instead keep the bait moving. The theory behind this
type of action is, if the walleye is serious about hitting your bait it will be there when you move it quickly. Many times when you are starting to snap the jig or swim it to you the walleye is already hooked. The strike will usually be quite firm. 

Jigs often work best fished quickly along weedbed edges, or over shallow humps.
When the fish are on spots like this, they’re frequently active. Casting is usually the best way to work jigs quickly along these areas. When selecting jigs, the first consideration  is weight. The ideal weight is one that drops the slowest through the strike zones and yet make contact with the bottom.One thing I like to do is put a 1/16th ounce Fuzz-E-Grub jig on and let it fall in about 22 feet of water. It takes a long time to reach the bottom, but as it is falling it also is moving through strike zones that others don’t fish because they are fishing too heavy for the conditions. 

You have to have patience it you want to fish in this manner. Also, you should realize that
the weight of the jig will have to increase as the conditions do. Examples of this are wind,
current and the activity zone of the fish. 

 In most situations you should be able to get by with four jig sizes, usually fewer than that.
 On most lakes, rivers, and reservoirs, you should almost always be able to get by with a
 selection of sixteenth, eighth, quarter and three-eighths ounce jigs. True, in some rivers
 you’ll need heavier jigs, and below a Thill float a lighter one might work best. But, day-in and
 day-out, on most waters, these four sizes will be completely adequate. I use more
 eighth-ounce jigs than any other size, and recently I have been using more sixteenth-ounce
 sizes. 

 All in all, the jig is the most magical bait that a fisherman can have on the water in summer,
 spring, fall or even the winter. It is one of the best live-bait delivery systems that the angler
 has coin- for him or her. So do yourself a favor and next time you are in the tackle store,
 pick up your favorite weights and colors and you will have the most magical lure in your

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