Walleye Jigs – How to Adjust Drop-Speed to Catch More Walleyes

We’ve all been in the boat when someone starts thwacking ’em on jigs, and for whatever reason, nobody else can get bit. Oftentimes, it’s small details in your presentation that can make all the difference, resulting in walleyes hitting the net vs. coming home empty-handed after an unsuccessful day on the water. In this video, we look at some of the modifications you can make to your jigs to change up the drop speed of your walleye jigs, either slowing it down or speeding it up, which could trigger more strikes!

So how much does weight make a difference? Well as you can see in the video, live bait on jigs actually makes them fall fairly similar, on a straight drop your differentiation is minimal from 1/8 to 1/4 however when you add a plastic paddle minnow the action and buoyancy makes a significant impact on the drop speed as the 1/8 begins the flutter and spiral much slower than the 1/4. You get a similar result when you add an Impulse Smelt Minnow. What does this mean? What you have on the back of your bait makes a much bigger impact on your fall rate than you think.

Another factor is adding hair, a bucktail jig with a plastic becomes one of the slowest falling presentations you will find as the combination increases bulk but also increases buoyancy and catches more water on the fall. A whistler jig with its rotating propeller will also fall much slower than a standard jig head when matched with the same trailer option.

It’s so important to be able to visualize what your bait is doing under the water so you can better understand how fish are going to see and react to it as well as adjust accordingly to the conditions. The underwater footage and comparisons in this video should give you a big advantage next time you’re on the water.

You can shop all of the jigs mentioned here.