Lower the lure with your rod tip, choosing a drop speed anywhere from almost a free fall to a slow lowering. Avoid a slack-line drop to prevent the lure from tangling in the main line and to increase your sensitivity to strikes. Occasionally touch or bounce bottom, but avoid laying the lure on bottom to minimize snags. Set the hook the instant you feel any resistance.

It's important to move the boat slow enough to keep the blade as vertical as possible. A 3/4-ounce blade is about right for most situations, but using one-ouncers in deeper water and heavier current isn't out of the question. With most bladebaits, tackle manufacturers change the weight size, but the actual body of the blade stays the same.

In current, bladebaits featuring a straight blade seem to excel over those designed with a curved blade. Straight blades seem to cut and hold vertically in current better, where curved blades have slightly more water resistance due to current pressure on the curved portion of the blade. Silver-plated blades create the most flash in conjunction with good vibration, but a variety of color options are available.

Present blades on about 10-pound test with either spinning or casting gear. Use a 6- to 7-foot medium-heavy casting or spinning rod. In deeper water, use a 61?2-foot baitcast reel spooled with 20-pound Berkley FireLine. Superlines allow you to stay in direct contact with the bait, and because the line is so thin in diameter, it cuts through current better, which allows you to stay vertical and in contact with the bait. Another superline advantage is that when the lure does snag the main line (which inevitably will happen) a quick snap of the wrist frees the bait.

In shallower situations, uses a 6-foot medium-heavy spinning rod spooled with 12-pound mono and a 10-pound 2-foot leader. Due to the stretch properties of mono, it's a better option in shallow water because it absorbs powerful hooksets and shock when fighting fish at close range.

Spoons -- Jigging spoons for open-water walleyes typically weigh between 1/2 and 1 ounce, with 3/4 ounce a popular choice. Silver, gold, and fluorescent hues, are the most popular colors, but a wealth of shades and realistic finishes are available. According to In-Fisherman Professional Walleye Trail (PWT) pro Daryl Christensen, “For many anglers, the biggest problem is deciding when to use spoons. When I recognize that the fish are scattered, relating to weededges, or are congregated on a deep-water hump, I often try spoons.”

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