All-time Walleye Jig Setup (Explained)

UPDATED 17 Nov 2021

by Pecker Laney

Jigging is one of the most effective tactics for catching walleye. In fact, during winter and bound information technology beats all other walleye fishing methods hands down, and during autumn information technology is still amid the top 3 methods for catching walleye.

So what is the best walleye jigging setup? The answer depends on the specific tactic that you're planning to use, simply two primary setups cover about scenarios:

For vertical jigging with lightweight jigs (usually 1/eight to 1/4 oz), the all-time walleye jig setup is a six'three" medium low-cal power, extra fast action spinning rod paired with a 1000 size reel. For casting larger jigs (usually i/four to three/4 oz), the best jig setup for walleye is a 7'0" medium lite power, fast action spinning rod paired with a 2000 size reel.

Now let'due south cover the best walleye jig setup in more than detail.

What is the all-time jigging setup for walleye?

When it comes to catching walleye, finesse fishing is almost oftentimes the proper noun of the game. The chief reason for this is that walleye bites are ofttimes subtle (dissimilar bass), and so you need lightweight gear that's sensitive plenty to detect their bites, in order to fix the hook earlier they spit out the bait.

Too, walleye are almost always caught in open h2o, and so you don't demand to worry most them getting snagged in cover, which means you lot tin can hands state them on lightweight gear. Because of this, a spinning rod and reel setup is much better suited for walleye fishing than a baitcasting setup.

Spinning rods and reels are ideal for lightweight lures and low-cal pound examination lines used for walleye line-fishing. Three main tackle components are critical for this type of fishing: rod, reel, and fishing line.

See too: Best walleye jigging rod reviewed

Each of these plays an of import role, but by far the most critical one is the rod, and so let'south start by looking more closely at that.

Jigging rod setup

Equally mentioned above, the best rod type to choose is a spinning rod, since that volition requite you lot a lot more sensitivity for detecting subtle bites, and for angling with lightweight lures.

All-time rod length for walleye jigging

The best rod length depends on the specific type of jigging you plan to do for walleye:

  • Vertical jigging: 6'iii" to half dozen'9" rod length
  • Casting or pitching jigs: 6'9" to vii'ii" rod length

Vertical jigging is usually done from a boat, and in that setting it'southward better to fish with a shorter rod, since that enables you to lower the jig straight down from the boat when you detect fish with your fish finder, and it too allows you to experience the jig better.

On the other paw, when you're casting jigs (either from a boat, or from shore), a longer rod increases the casting distance, and it also allows the rod to load upwards better when you get a bite at a altitude, resulting in a higher hook up ratio.

While jigging vertically, it's common practice to bait the hook of the jig with a live minnow, which increases the number of bites dramatically. Only in order to do this finer, you lot need to employ relatively lightweight jigs, so the minnow even so has some freedom to move. In addition, you demand to make subtle movements with your rod tip while jigging (otherwise you'll but cease upward tearing off the minnow).

Run across also: What size claw for walleye fishing?

As a result, a bite can oftentimes end upwards being hard to find, and a longer rod with a soft tip gives y'all more fourth dimension to detect a bite, as it loads upward slowly, without alerting the fish that there is a fishing line fastened to the allurement. Because of this, the all-time rod length to choose for this is around 7'iii", or even longer.

What rod power rating should you lot choose?

Again, this depends on the specific blazon of jigging you plan to do:

  • Vertical jigging with small jigs (1/eight to 1/4 oz): medium light rod power
  • Casting bigger jigs (1/4 oz and above): medium light to medium rod power

While jigging vertically, it's common practise to bait the hook with a live minnow, which increases the number of bites dramatically. Just in order to do this effectively, you demand to use relatively lightweight jigs, so the minnow still has some liberty to move. In addition, you need to make very subtle movements with your rod tip with this type of jigging (otherwise you'll just stop up tearing off the minnow).

Considering of this, you really want a rod with medium low-cal power for vertical jigging, since that works well within these constraints. For casting jigs, on the other hand, y'all can go up to medium ability, specially if you're throwing bigger jigs. For both types of jigging you lot'll want a rod with enough backbone to set up the hook effectively, and to handle large walleye over 5 pounds.

Best action rod for jigging walleye

The best activity rod to cull depends on the type of jigging yous program to do:

  • Vertical jigging with small jigs (1/8 to 1/four oz): extra fast action
  • Casting bigger jigs (one/4 oz and above): fast action

An extra fast activity rod is best for vertical jigging, as this has very little play, and allows you to feel every little tap or tug on your jig, especially when combined with braided line (which has almost no stretch).

A fast activeness rod is best for casting jigs, since the softer tip loads up better during the cast, resulting in greater casting distance. In add-on, the softer tip gives the walleye more than time to go your bait fully inside their rima oris earlier y'all prepare the hook. This is important when you're casting, since you'll oftentimes get bites at a distance of xxx feet or more, and don't desire to set the hook prematurely, since that volition but pull information technology out of the oral cavity of the fish.

In addition, a fast action rod only has a soft tip, while the rest of the rod backbone is stiff, and this is essential in order to set the hook finer (specially on a long cast).

Reel setup

While the reel is less disquisitional for a walleye jig setup than the rod, information technology's however of import to choose a reel with a good elevate system, since yous want to exist able to state big fish on calorie-free pound test lines. And then if you hook into a xxx inch walleye, you really need that drag to release line during the fight, so you can tire it out and bring it to the net safely.

Best reel size for walleye jigging

The best reel size to cull depends on the specific jigging technique that yous want to utilize:

  • Vertical jigging with small jigs (1/8 to 1/four oz): m size spinning reel
  • Casting bigger jigs (1/4 oz and higher up): 2000 size spinning reel

When yous're using lightweight jigs around i/eight to 1/four oz, you lot'll desire to use the smallest spinning reel size of g, since that will make your overall setup lighter, helping with subtle lure presentation and detecting every movement and crash-land on your jig.

For casting jigs, a slightly bigger 2000 size reel is ameliorate, since that'll let you to spool more than line and cast farther. A 2000 size reel is still lightweight enough to avoid casting fatigue when throwing jigs all twenty-four hours long.

Walleye jigging line setup

When it comes to choosing the right line setup, you can apply whatever of the three major line types for this type of fishing, but past far the best choice is braided line.

Braided line has almost no stretch, which enables you to feel everything that'southward going on with your jig, and too helps when it comes to setting the hook (peculiarly at a distance). Monofilament, on the other hand, has a lot of stretch, which can result in many short strikes.

The merely disadvantage of braid is that it has a high visibility underwater, which is why it's best to tie a four human foot fluorocarbon leader, which has near zero visibility.

Run across besides: What is the best line for walleye jigging?

What pound test should yous utilize for walleye jigging?

The platonic line strength to use is a ten lb test braided chief line, tied to a eight-10 lb test fluorocarbon leader that's about iv foot long. If you lot're fishing in super clear h2o, and the walleye are very finicky, you tin even get down to a 8 lb test braided main line, with a vi lb test fluorocarbon leader.

Tip: use a barrel swivel to attach the main line to the leader, since that volition forbid line twisting. If y'all tie your main line directly to the jig, you'll end up with a lot of line twisting, which will consequence in line tangles around the rod guides.

Boosted resources:

  • How to grab walleye with a Carolina rig
  • Lesser bouncer rig for walleye line-fishing
  • Walleye rigging 101
  • All-time setup for walleye trolling
  • What speed is best for walleye trolling?