Whenever walleyes are shallow, swimming jigs can be deadly effective, but Jason Mitchell finds a slow swim seems even more effective in spring.

As we are entering the post-spawn period, many shallow locations often hold fish, but shallow sand flats, weed flats and shallow gravel or wind-blown rock will all hold walleyes shallow at times. Shallow walleyes are often spooked by the presence of the boat early in the year, and even more so when the water temperature is still below 60 degrees.

When the water warms up and the fish’s metabolism ramps up, the fish will become much less boat shy. Early in the year, however, it is often important to either long line troll where the presentation is far behind the boat, or to cast, because fish often won’t hold right below the boat in shallow water. This is where swimming jigs can be so deadly.

There are many ways to fish a jig, and the versatility of a jig is what makes them so effective all year long. For shallow fish that are bumping off the boat, however, a slow swim is often deadly. With this swim jig technique, you don’t have to make steady bottom contact. You don’t have to snap the jig or pop the jig between making bottom contact. The technique is more just picking the right weight jig that glides along but doesn’t touch the bottom, using just a slow reel or slow drag behind the boat.

This presentation is especially deadly around emerging vegetation. If you are fishing through 8 feet of water, for example, and there are scattered weeds coming 2 to 3 feet off the bottom, simply cast and reel a jig that swims about 4 feet down. Fine tuning the presentation often means finding the lightest jig you can swim at a moderately slow speed, while finding fish sometimes means using a heavier jig and simply reeling faster to eliminate dead water and contact fish.

Obviously, you can tip a jig with a minnow or half ‘crawler. You can also use soft plastics like a paddle tail or fluke. Hair and marabou jigs are also extremely effective, especially early in the season. That’s not to say that you can’t mix in some snaps and pops with the jig to clean off vegetation or trigger a strike, but so often, on so many days, a simple slow reel or drag is deadly.

I believe that the effectiveness of swimming jigs in spring comes from the simple fact that you can fish extremely slow yet keep the jig up out of the bottom. Many bottoms are covered in slime and algae where heavy bottom contact fouls up the presentation. You can creep a 1/16- or 1/8-ounce jig behind the boat or, on a cast, where the presentation just hangs off the bottom. The jig is near the bottom but not on the bottom. The presentation is that simple: Just cast and reel or drag and long line it behind the boat.

This presentation also seems to perform much better with monofilament line. The mono seems to cushion the jig’s glide and floats it through the water, causing the jig to lift with a steady pull. Six-pound monofilament is my all-around favorite line for swimming jigs in shallow water.

In some parts of the country, like northern Minnesota, jigs paired with shiners are a confidence bait, but large rainbows or small chubs can be deadly because both rainbows and chubs swim pretty hard against the jig. Figuring out the pattern each day often means figuring out what size and type of minnow the fish are preferring. Some days, it doesn’t matter. While other days we see a specific preference for, say, a large spot tail shiner or a medium size rainbow.

Knot placement is crucial when swimming jigs. You can use an improved cinch or Palomar knot if the knot is perfectly centered so the jig swims straight. I find that a loop knot also works well, as the jig will always be balanced and run straight as it swims.

Swimming a jig off bottom, and not maintaining bottom contact or finding bottom, is difficult for some anglers, as many have been taught that jigs must be finding bottom to catch fish. Making bottom contact can be the answer at times, but here is something to consider. In shallow water early in the year, walleyes often cruise or position slightly off bottom to soak in sunshine. These fish can also still see the jig swimming slowly above them, and when there are weeds growing up off the bottom or rocks are covered in algae, fouled jigs seldom catch fish.

Swimming jigs in spring is something I am extremely confident with. Use your temperature gauge to find the pockets of warmer water and slowly swim a jig. Chances are, there are going to be some walleyes waiting for you.

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