Bay of Quinte Fishing

Ontario Fishing Trips

Ripping Bucktail Jigs for Weed Walleye
By Tim Allard

Walleye inhabit and regularly feed in weeds where healthy populations of baitfish exist. The question then becomes which baits are best to catch them. When walleye are feeding in the weeds it’s tough to beat a bucktail jig.

Bucktail Jig Features
Bucktail is well designed for fishing weeds. On jigs, it’s tied in place with thread and then glued to give the bait a profile. A quality bucktail jig takes plenty of abuse from teeth, rocks and weeds before it needs to be retired.

The integrity of bucktails lets you aggressively rip them from weeds without damaging the jig. If you were using plastics, you’d waste time re-rigging as these soft bodies (even when glued) get pulled off a jig’s collar when working them in thick cover.

When it comes to weight, heavier is better. Half- to one-ounce jigs are my preferred range. Also make sure the jig comes with a strong hook, not a thin wire one, that won’t bend when ripped through weeds.

Prime Weed Areas
You can rip jig for walleye wherever there are weeds. Thick weeds growing to the surface can be challenging to fish. In these situations, concentrate on the edges, casting along the edge. Work inside turns, points, pockets and other features.

Areas where weeds are less choked, like a cabbage bed growing in 8-12 feet of water, are easier to swim these jigs. However, don’t be afraid to throw jigs into heavy growth. Part of the presentation is getting the bait hung in the vegetation and then ripping it free.

As a general rule, weed areas near deep water or ones with transition routes (e.g., points) are best. This feature means walleye only need to move a short distance into weeds to feed or seek refuge in deep water.

A Review of Rip Jigging
Rip jigging is a fast presentation. The retrieve is as follows. Cast the jig. Allow it to sink for a moment before aggressively snapping the rod so the jig pulls free from the weeds swimming forward. Quickly lower the rod, letting the jig fall as you mend line. Then pop the bait again. Done properly, the bait quickly drops and pops up, in and out of weeds.

Use short casts in extremely thick weeds; they give you more control of the bait. Don’t use your wrists to rip jig. Instead use your arms and shoulders for more power and endurance to keep up this presentation.

This retrieve is successful for many reasons. The fast pace and commotion caused from ripping baits from weeds evokes reaction strikes from fish. The speed also means you can quickly cover water in search of active, feeding fish. It’s also versatile. You can use this approach in shallow water at dusk or on a deep, wind-blown weedflat during the day.

Set Up
You’ll want to fish bucktails on a braid or super lines in between 20- and 30-pound test. These lines are extremely durable and not prone to nicks like monofilament. The thin diameter and no-stretch features means it will slice through weeds and help prevent jigs from getting hung up when ripping them.

Match the line with a medium-heavy rod with plenty of backbone. You’ll need a rod with plenty of power to rip jigs all day and to pull walleye from thick weeds. Whether you use a spinning or a baitcast comes down to personal preference. A quality baitcast reel with a high-gear ratio or a large-capacity spinning reel is handy to quickly retrieve line to keep the presentation moving.

Add bucktail jigs to your tackle box this year and try hunting some weed-relating walleye. Dawn, dusk, or a “walleye chop” are all prime times for bucktail jigs. Hold on to your rod too, strikes are intense.

Many tournament anglers I know have accomplished this by practicing with only one rod in their boat. It forces you to become intimately familiar with the presentation's range and limitations. It's amazing what you'll learn when you only have one type of bait to try and catch fish with.