Vertical jigging minimizes line length to your lure and water resistance, which maximizes control and allows you to position a lure in precise spots. It’s an ideal way to present jigs, spoons, or bladebaits naturally and slowly along potential walleye holding areas like deep structure, current breaks, heavy cover such as stumps and brush, or among walleyes suspended in open water.

Factors that affect lure control are boat control, wind, and depth. Boat control is critical, but not complicated. The key is to use a boat-control method that will allow you to present your lure in the right spot at the right speed. Most vertical presentations simply require slow to sometimes motionless boat movement over key spots.

Using a tiller electric motor to slowly backtroll along the edge of structure is a common method. So is forward trolling along a contour edge with your bowmount electric trolling motor. In heavy current or in key spots, anchoring may be one of the best ways to keep your presentation vertical. Often the best speed is as slow as you can go.

Keep the boat positioned over key spots. Pay close attention to sonar and adjust your trolling motor left or right to hold your position. Landmarks on shore—a point, tree, or tower—provide a visual aid to help you stay on course. On a midlake reef, however, visual reference points may be lacking. Tossing markers on the reef provides visual reference points to keep your position. Markers, however, are some of the best angler decoys—attracting others to investigate the spot you’ve marked.

GPS owners should consider trolling the perimeter of a structure with the “path” option on. The Federal government lifted the Selective Availability (SA) from GPS signals, which means GPS units are potentially up to ten times more accurate. You may be able to follow the path you’ve created and actually pinpoint exact turns and bends along structure that seem to attract and hold more walleyes.

Jigging

Jigs are ideal for vertical presentations. In essence, jigs anchor and deliver bait. To stay vertical, the jig must weigh enough to sink the package fairly quickly. Typical jig sizes range from as light as 1/8 ounce in shallow water, up to 1 ounce or more out deep, in fast current or on windy days.

For most vertical jigging situations, a ballhead works just fine. I use the lightest jig possible, just heavy enough to keep it vertical to semivertical below the boat at the speed I want to move. A small 1/8-ounce flat-sided jig can be delivered down to 20 feet or more and stay vertical in the absence of wind and current. Below 30 feet, however, a 1/4-ounce jig seems to work better. If the wind picks up, a 3/8-ounce jig may be necessary.

Again, when conditions allow, downsize to the smallest size possible, but don’t fail to consider heavier jigs. For deep jigging, 3/8- to 1/2-ounce roundhead jigs work for most situations, but using an ounce or more may be necessary in current or at depths exceeding 40 feet. Jigging vertically in deep rivers, for instance, works better with heavier jigs. Jigs with a narrow profile, like Jack’s Vertical Jig, which is flat on the sides and deep top to bottom, cuts through current and stays vertical.