The No-Snagg
is a banana shaped sinker that has a balsa, lead antimony weight that is
surrounded by epoxy paint and a protective clear seal coating, with a special
rubberized coating on the outside.
The
sinker also has a stainless steel wire feeler out of the bottom that is tipped
with a colored bead. This has the super principles of the 3-way and the bottom
ticking ability of the bottom bouncer. Also, the No-Snagg when it hits an
obstruction simply pivots away from the snag and doesn’t get hung up. From the
opposite end of the swivel run a 2 to 4 foot snell of 6 to 8 pound test
monofilament. Adjust the distance of your live-bait rig from the bottom
according to water clarity. In stained water the fish will be tight to the
bottom so the rig should run closer to the bottom. Just the opposite frequently
holds true in clear water.
I
prefer to use the Lindy Rig in this case because it allows me the versatility of
getting the live bait right in the face of suspended walleyes. A plain hook or a
colored hook are great, usually number 6 or number 8 finishes off the rig except
for the bait. Walleyes will change the level at which they're running from day
to day and even hour to hour. That's why I use Lindy Rigs and Lindy Soft Stops
exclusively for live-bait rigging. Snell length can be changed in a matter of
seconds, whereas most rigs must be cut and re-tied to lengthen or shorten the
snell. Another good aspect about using the Soft Top is that it is soft plastic
and it can be reused and it won’t damage the line. The key here again is slow
down. If you think you are slow now slow down even further and watch your line,
because if your presentation is in slow motion your action will be fast. When
walleyes are more aggressive I step up to spinner rigs. The spinner rigs we're
talking about are the live-bait rigs with a blade and a few beads just above the
hook. As the rig is pulled through the water, the blade turns, which attracts
fish with both sound, vibration, and added visibility. A spinner is a rotating
blade on a clevis, sandwiched among plastic beads, followed by a hook or hooks
and livebait. Today’s standard spinner rig consists of a metal clevis with a #1,
#2 or #3 Colorado, Indiana or willow leaf blade followed by 4 or 5 BB-sized
beads and a single 1/0 Aberdeen hook for minnows or two #4 short shank snell
hooks rigged in tandem about two inches apart for crawlers or leeches.
However, another hot blade that is really working well is the Hatchet blade!
This standard rig is tied on 36 inches of 14 to 17 pound test line. When using
spinners, snell length is important. The snell length is the distance from the
swivel to the hook. When moving quickly, increase the snell length as a general
rule. This will get your bait away from your bottom bouncer and improve your
hookups. A faster presentation is usually called for in clear water, and you
want the bait up high enough so the fish can see it from farther away. Also,
walleye are more likely to go up for a bait than go down for it. In dirty water,
the walleye will often be closer to the bottom.
So, you
may have to slow down your speed a little bit to give the walleye more time to
react. This same technique can be applied to a vast majority of the biggest and
toughest walleye waters around. For example, the No-Snagg Sinker can be used in
heavy current like a river especially if you are concentrating on the riprap.
This slip sinker will work all day long around the massive boulders. The sinker
will fall in between the crevices and cracks where the walleyes fighting the
current are resting or waiting in ambush for their next meal. It works
especially well on western and southern big reservoirs where you have rock shale
or stump fields that were next to impossible to fish before. Another way that I
like to use the No-Snagg Sinker is on the Mississippi River when there is a
large infestation of zebra mussels and heavy current. I want to make sure that
the bait stays off the bottom, but I want the bait to stay within a short
distance of the bottom. In this situation I will attach a Lindy Rig to my leader
line and slide on the No-Snagg. This is a winning combination. Other times when
I need to attract the walleyes attention in stained or turbid waters I will go
to a small spinner about a #1 blade in gold or silver, just enough to provide a
flash to the walleye.
Probably the my favorite is, fishing with a jig. The No-Snagg Veg-E-Jig from
Lindy is without a doubt the best way to fish timber and weeds. This jig allows
you to penetrate the toughest brush pile on the water without getting hung up.
The front eyelet position and the slender profile allows the Veg-E-Jig to slip
through all weed vegetation and timber without all the frustrations of snags.
Like the Timb'r Rock jig it also has the seven strand wire guard that protects
the hook from snags, but this jig has the super strong, ultra sharp Gamakatsu
hook and that makes for an awesome live bait delivery system.
By
dipping your bait into various spots in the flooded timber you will find that
many walleyes are present and willing to bite. Another Lindy jigging technique
is to tie on a Timb'r Rock jig to the end of the line instead of a plain hook
when slip bobber fishing snags. The Timb'r Rock jig allows you to present live
bait or plastic in all kinds of cover without fear of snags. Due to its unique
"weight centered" design, it lands upright every time. The patented seven strand
wire guard protects the hook point from hang-ups. I like the color that a jig
head adds, plus I need to add a little extra weight to pull the line down to the
preset depth when using a jig head. If you use this slip bobber method, it will
enable you to jig your bait vertically without positioning yourself over the top
of the structure. With little or no wind you'll have action on the bobber. This
can easily be achieved by sweeping the rod about a foot at a time. It might seem
simple, and it is, but the results will astound you. Jigging in rivers requires
Current cutters, or pancake jigs ie: Jumbo Fuzzy grubs which are designed to be
hydrodynamic in moving water. They are great for rivers. Larger sizes can be
used on a dropper line of a three-way-rig to put an additional hook in the water
where legal. Try a stinger hook. Sluggish walleyes have a habit of striking
short and ripping up the tail of a minnow or snipping the end off a crawler. By
attaching a small treble or single hook to the bend and then inserting one hook
of the treble into the tail of your bait, you can hook many of the short
striking fish. This technique is deadly with a jig and crawler or a jig and
minnow. For more information on rigging and jigging with Lindy contact
www.lindylittlejoe.com. See you on the Water!
Return To The Walleye
Articles Page
