Jigging Rap Tactics — Targeting Big Walleyes
Vertical jigging a Jigging Rap is a phenomenal way to target for the biggest walleyes in the lake. You may have heard this before, but why is it the case? In the video above, Brett McComas demonstrates how he uses his electronics to find and isolate large marks on his screen that represent massive walleyes down in the depths. The weight and action of the Jigging Rap allow you to target these bigger fish with pinpoint precision.
Late summer and early fall is one of the best times to target walleye in Lake of the Woods, one of the best walleye fisheries in the world for numbers and size. My good buddy Joel Nelson clued me in on a little bit of a secret: Lake of the Woods is loaded with rusty crayfish.
Pulling Bottom Bouncers
We started by pulling bottom bouncers on a little rocky extension in 25 to 28 feet of water that breaks off into mud. We caught a ton of numbers of fish, with walleyes ranging from 11 to 18 inches.
Targeting Specific Marks
We noticed there were a lot more bigger fish on the graph down there that weren’t biting, so we decided to switch tactics and try the jigging rap. In my opinion, there’s no better way to target specific marks that you’re seeing on your unit than to hit them in the face with a jig wrap.
We threw eaters in the live well and came back later to find that they were spitting up blaze orange and red crayfish. This jigging wrap, which typically mimics baitfish perch shiners, was designed to mimic crayfish. We used the same program, snapping it and letting it crash in the bottom and jump up. This looks just like a crayfish when they kick and back off before they settle back down to the bottom.
Search Mode
After catching a few fish, the fish suddenly disappeared. We slid up on top of the point in 20-21 feet of water and came right over a pot of fish, catching one out of it. We then went into search mode to try to find the next little clump of fish. We idled around with our fingers on the trigger, ready to drop as soon as we graph. If it was an individual fish, I wouldn’t usually stop, but if there were four or five on the graph, I’d throw it in reverse. The propwash from putting it in reverse made bubbles on top, which I knew to aim at when I pitched my jigging rap back.
We went over a little pot of five or six fish on the graph, so I threw in reverse and dropped right back over the top. I like to think that it picks off the nicer fish in the schools. Sure, pulling bottom bouncers would have caught the 13 or 14 inch fish, but I was able to grab the bigger ones.
Conclusion
Using the jigging rap is an effective way to target specific marks on the graph and pick off the bigger fish in the schools. With its visual appeal, the jigging rap is sure to attract the attention of walleye in Lake of the Woods.
