For Mark Martin, there’s no better place to fish for walleyes this time of year than the Detroit River.

The Detroit River fishery starts heating up in March and runs through June. Numbers-wise, the fishery just gets better as spring progresses, but the early bite is when the big sows are most abundant. If you’re like me and prefer the smaller fish for the table—say 20 inches or less—there can be times when it’s hard to catch them early because all you catch are big fish. The bite tapers off around the end of June. You’ll still catch fish, but not as many or as quickly.

The spring walleye fishery is about 90 percent a jig fishery. The key is to stay as vertical as you can. Drift downstream using your bowmount trolling motor to keep your presentation vertical.

The rule of thumb for jig fishing is to use the smallest jig you can get away with, but that’s not as important as making sure you stay in contact with the bottom. If it takes a bigger jig to keep you in contact with the bottom, use it. And bigger jigs have some advantages as well.

With a larger profile, you hit the bottom harder, creating more of a disturbance in the silt or more noise when you’re hitting rocky bottom. And the fish can see it better. There’s a strong current, and when you’re moving at a good pace, the fish will react to it. Use bigger plastic trailer or minnows, too. If you use too small a bait, the walleyes may not notice it.

With a bigger jig, the line is taut. There’s no slack. It’s instant feel. With a small jig, like 1/8-ounce, there can be a little belly in the line, so you may not feel the fish strike.

I recommend that you always use a trailer hook. Sometimes, the fish just grab the end of the bait, and the stinger will get them. Never, ever stick the trailer hook into the plastic body or minnow. It’s just like a treble hook on a Rapala—you want it swinging free. With the stinger hook in the minnow or plastic, it will not wobble as well. You’re restricting the movement of the bait. You’re handicapping yourself.

It’s not that you’re not going to catch fish, but you’re not going to do as well as you would if that stinger hook is swinging free. Just make sure to use stiff line or wire. And make sure it’s the right length. You want that trailer hook on the side of the minnow or plastic, not too far behind it or too close to the jig hook.

I recommend using a high-visibility braided line. I like Flame Green Fireline because sometimes you don’t even feel the bite—it’s just a little tick. But if you watch your line, you can see it jump like it’s electrically charged. You can see it better than mono or fluorocarbon, though you can always use a length of either as a leader.

I always use a plastic trailer—my favorite is a Gulp paddle tail—though the most popular is a 3- or 4-inch plastic Wyandotte Worm. Brown and black are probably the most popular colors, but everyone has their favorites and sometimes, when the bite is hot, it doesn’t seem to matter.

I always recommend taking minnows. You can add a minnow to the jig and plastic trailer.

I also recommend buying an Ontario license. Sometimes, there is a significant difference, because of the wind and current, in the water color on the different sides of the river. If the water is too dirty (or for that matter, too clear) where you’re fishing, head to the other side.

If you cross to Ontario, make sure you have read their rules. You can only fish one rod, for instance, and they’ll see you if you’re jigging two. Also, you’re not supposed to bring live minnows into Canada. I carry a Ziploc bag and salt with me and when I go to Canada. I put the minnows in the baggy and salt them. They work just fine.

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