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Whether or not to use real bait or something plastic was
never that big of a choice. Traditionally, the choice was
bait and if plastics were used, they were often tipped with
bait. Sure there was a cult following. Some lake anglers relied
on using plastics when pitching into weeds. Other anglers
liked different kinds of tails and bodies for bulking up the
profile of a jig. Over the past few years however has been
a rebirth of plastics. New technology keeps making some of
the new products better and better each season.
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Yar-Craft pro, Sheldon Meidinger shares a few small
details to make you more proficient at catching walleye
using a jig
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The rage for this season has been Berkley’s
Gulp products. If you liked traditional scented plastics
like Berkley Power Bait, all I can tell you is that you
will love Gulp. Anglers are getting more and more confident
with plastics. In fact, there are many anglers who are
now more confident with plastics than they ever were with
live bait. The new plastics work that good and the crowd
who is now leaving bait behind is growing each year. This
revolution in fishing tactics is nothing short of amazing.
There are a few key advantages to using plastics besides
the obvious key issues like being able to pick a certain
size or color. Plastics generally have very good action
in the water and stay on the hook. Often, anglers report
that they miss a fish and the fish hits the jig again.
With live bait, you are often bait less after a missed
fish. The enhanced profile, color and scent is also very
effective whenever walleye have a hard time seeing the
bait, i.e. Muddy water after rain or snow for example
These same characteristics that make the new plastics
so good in tough conditions make these baits excel at
triggering fish when the fish are active and the bite
is on. I started using Power Bait a few years ago and
fell in love with this particular product. The standard
three-inch power grub is my go to bait. |
The tail is supple enough to move at just about any speed.
The action of Power Bait is the best of any of the plastics
I have used, being even better than Gulp. What I do with Power
Bait however is actually tip with Gulp (two or three inch
Gulp Minnow). Instead of tipping this standard presentation
(a jig head and twister tail) with bait, I have much better
success using the Gulp as the meat. The Gulp actually seems
to taste better to the fish and stays of for several consecutive
casts, staying on much better than any live bait. This combination
is the most lethal combination I have ever seen for pitching
up into shallow water to catch walleye on rivers. I have the
complete package with shape, profile, smell and action that
stays on the hook the whole morning. Now when you consider
that the only thing I have to do to keep my Gulp alive is
to seal the package it came in, it can become an easy choice
to leave the minnows behind. There is also Gulp in different
shapes besides the standard Minnow that I like but just remember
that the bait will dry out on the hook so replace if the bait
has been out of the water for a little while. Drying out will
often affect the action of the twister tail baits. Keep the
Gulp in the water or reseal the bait in the bag if you want
to catch fish with this stuff.
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As described above, this combination works great when
we are pitching the sandbars on the Missouri River near
my home in Bismarck North Dakota but you don’t have to
pitch either. This lethal plastic combo works well vertical
jigging as well when you are finding fish in deeper waterIf
you are targeting weeds, reeds or timber, this option
is usually much more productive than live bait as well.
We have done good using these plastics on walleyes in
just about every fishery we stop at when fishing the Professional
Walleye Trail. |
The same recipe catches walleye all over. My experiences
with these plastics have been on jigs but anglers are also
using these products on spinner and crawler harnesses with
amazing results, especially the Gulp. By the way, this success
isn’t just happening up in some fly in lake on the Canadian
Shield where walleye are suicidal either. Anglers are catching
walleye with plastics just about everywhere and that just
might mean the lake or river you fish down the road. Dumb
fish, smart fish, it just doesn’t matter. Anglers all over
are discovering that you just don’t need bait for many traditional
jigging applications. May your bait well never stink again
with rotting bait. Good luck on the water.
Editors Note: The author, Sheldon Meidinger has been a familiar
face on the Professional Walleye Trail for several years.
This Yar-Craft pro broke out of the gate at a young age and
already boasts several accomplishments. 2004 PWT Cleveland
Ohio, fifth; 2003 PWT Sportsman of the Year, 2002 PWT Championship
qualifier; 2001 PWT Sportsman of the Year; 2000 Pro Team Walleye
Championship winner; 1999 PWT Mississippi River, fourth; 1999
PWT Championship qualifier; 1999 NAWA Lake Sakakawea, second;
and many other top-twenty finishes. .
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