Summer · Updated September 2026

Best Walleye Jigs

Jigs are how walleye get caught when they're relating to bottom — which is most of the year. A 1/4 oz jighead with a 3-inch plastic minnow or a stinger-rigged hair jig is the standard. Vertical jig the reefs in spring, drift jig over flats in summer, and pitch heavier jigs to break-line walleye in fall. These are the walleye jigs that produce in Lake Erie, the Detroit River system, and inland walleye lakes. Jig fishing is the original walleye technique — predates trolling by decades and still produces in conditions where trolling fails (river current, shallow water, structure too tight for trolling). The classic Lake Erie walleye jig is a 1/4 to 1/2 oz lead-head with a chartreuse or pearl twister tail (Berkley PowerBait Grub) or a 4-inch swimbait (Storm 360GT, Z-Man MinnowZ). The presentation is a slow vertical jig with a 12-inch lift-and-drop, or a steady cast-and-retrieve along structure breaks. Walleye in spring rivers (Maumee, Sandusky) eat jigs with such reliability that the Maumee spring run is functionally a jig-fishing tournament for 6 weeks.

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