Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2019 - 28

ARTIFICIAL

Jig-tipping Options
for Late Fall
River Walleyes

by Jeff Knapp

photos by the author

Frustrated that the Walleyes in the deep, slow river hole
were ignoring my jig-n-fathead minnow combination, I
removed the live minnow and replaced it with a 3-inch
artificial one fresh from its scent-and-flavor changed
container. When I returned the jig to the bottom, it was
greeted with the telltale pop of a Walleye strike. Switching
from live to artificial minnows, my partner, Art Hamley,
and I continued to catch river Walleyes on a day when the
bite had been slow.
A time-honored classic, the coupling of a lead head
jig and minnow goes together with river Walleye fishing
like a horse and carriage. Whether you are drifting over
a deep pool in a boat or casting from a choice bank spot
like a creek mouth, a jig-n-minnow blends precision in
presentation with a tasty meal. However, the availability
of artificial options, which most days work as well or
sometimes better than the real thing, can lessen the issues
associated with using live minnows. 	
I divide imitation minnows into two categories, ones
that stimulate strikes largely by way of scent and flavor,
and others that rely mostly on action. To distinguish
between the two categories, I separate minnows as "baittails" and "action-tails."
Examples from the bait-tails group include Berkley
PowerBait Minnows, Gulp Alive Minnows, Northland

28

Tackle Impulse Smelt and Rapala Trigger-X Minnow.
The action-tails group is represented by the B-Fish-N
AuthentX Moxi and Pulse-R, Berkley Ripple Shad, and
Galida's Grubz.
Early versions of such lures were quite stiff, exhibiting
little in the way of life. But, Walleyes still went after these
lures. More recent lures are softer but still have little
movement, at least when compared to ones I consider
action-tails.
Conversely, action-tails (which may or may not be scent
enhanced) dupe Walleyes by evoking a lifelike action. The
most effective action-tails for late fall river Walleyes are
ones that deliver movement in even the mildest current
by employing either a wafer-thin sickle tail or a highly
responsive boot tail.
In terms of rigging pseudo minnows on lead head
jigs, the inherent attraction qualities of each style of bait
should be taken into consideration, as well as the general
attitude of the fish. Since bait-tails do not exhibit as much
action, I often use them in conjunction with a bucktail jig,
a combination that presents both the scent and flavor of
the bait-tail minnow, as well as the subtle action and color
of the hair jig. A lead head with a short piece of plastic
along with the artificial bait-tail minnow is another option
for showing scent and flavor along with color. Varying
the colors of the plastic body and head of the jig gives
additional choices in the mix-and-match game.
Be it a lead head bucktail or a plastic body jig, hook
the minnow just as you would a live Fathead Minnow or

Pennsylvania Angler & Boater * November/December 2019	

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Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2019

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