Jigging Plastics for Shallow Water Spring Walleye

When spring rolls in, walleye anglers need to switch up their tactics. One of the best methods to try this time of year is going to be jigging plastics for walleye as they push up to shallow water. 

Walleye are one of the fish species that spawn in the spring. Because of this, you’ll find them pushing into shallower water. However, there are definitely places you should be keying in on in the shallow water.

Wind-blown shorelines are a great place to start. If you can find areas of shallow water that have a gravel bottom, or a sand flat can also be great. Shoreline breaks near deep water are productive, too. One of the main places that many anglers love to target is river mouths. All of these areas feature exactly what walleye are looking for as they begin to spawn.

We know that walleye like to move shallow in the spring. But what is it about shallow water that’s so attractive to them? One of the main reasons is that shallow water typically warms faster coming out of winter than deeper water does. When this happens, baitfish move shallow, and the walleye follow.

Typically, these areas are going to be in the 3 to 10 foot range for depth, and it’s not uncommon to find them even shallower in low-light periods as they feed and prepare to spawn.

When fishing soft plastics for shallow water, there are a few key factors to consider with your actual setup in order to fish this method effectively. 

Let’s start with the right jig to use. Your jig’s main job is to maintain bottom contact. You don’t want to have your jig drift off the bottom, but you also don’t want it to drag bottom too much. Common sizes are between 1/8 oz and 1/4 oz. The main factors to consider when choosing the right size are going to be wind, current, and depth.

If you’re fishing deeper water with heavy winds and strong currents, then you should go heavy with the jig. If instead you’re fishing shallower water with no wind and no current, you can go with a light jig. It’s important to bring a variety with you out on the water so you can adapt to changing conditions.

Next, let’s talk about the rod, reel, and line you should use for fishing soft plastics for shallow walleye.

The best rod to use in this scenario is going to be something in the 6’6” to 7’ length with medium-light to medium power and fast action. This is best paired with a spinning reel in the 2000 to 2500 size range. This combo lets you easily maintain bottom contact, feel light bites, and get solid hooksets.

As for the line, it’s best to use an 8 to 10-pound test braided main line with an 8 to 10-pound test fluorocarbon leader. Your leader should be between 2 and 4 feet long. This setup allows you to get the hook setting ability and sensitivity of braid, while still maintaining a natural presentation with the low visibility fluorocarbon provides.

When it comes to actually picking out your soft plastic and fishing it, there are some great options out there. 

Paddle tail swimbaits are a solid option when you know the fish are actively trying to feed. They provide a very natural swimming motion through the water that walleye love.

These can be great in areas with wind-blown shorelines and in slightly stained water. You can try vertical jigging these, but it’s more common to cast them out and jig them off the bottom as you retrieve them slowly back to you. This makes a much more natural presentation.

A straight tail minnow soft plastic is a great option to try when the water is a bit colder, and walleye are more neutral about feeding. These plastics do a great job of mimicking the movements of early spring baitfish.

You can fish these similarly to a paddle tail, but keep your movements slow and methodical. Cast it out, let it fall, jig it slowly, retrieve slowly, and repeat to get a walleye to bite.

Some other soft plastics you can try for walleye are tubes, worms, and craws. All of these can do a great job of mimicking specific types of bait in the area that walleye are going to be actively feeding on.

With these soft plastics, you can try vertical jigging them if the walleye are in the deeper part of shallow water. If they’re really shallow, you can try casting them out and doing a jigging retrieve just like with the paddle tails and minnow-style soft plastics.