Heres what you need.

1.) Fishing pole
2.) Drop shot sinkers
3.) Drop shot hooks
4.) Fin S minnow


Take your drop shot hook and do a palomar knot. Leave about a 18 inch tag. Put your drop shot hook on the end of the tag. Find a nice hole with your graph and give it hell! Try to mimick a struggling shinerne_eye:

 

4". Anything Ice on a 3/8th's to 3/4oz. Jig. The entire river is a "hole". Edge's of the channel are by far the best. Think old Chiripy gave ya instructions on a catfish hotpond rig. LMFAOff Straight braid for line.

 

This is the video that taught me a while back of what kind of motion you want to get from your drop shot rig..... Its suppose to be for just bass but works for walleye as well..... Kind of like frogs are "just for bass" but pike tend to blow them up also!ne_eye:

 

 

Seems like a lot of trouble compared to just tying on a jig and hooking on a piece of plastic. Try it both ways Hawgman. Let us know how it works out. Don't forget a stinger.

 

wow so helpfull thanks

 

I hope all you sag boys aren't just starting out with the Finn s. I've been using it for years now on the Saginaw after seeing how well it worked on the Detroit river years ago!!


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I hope all you sag boys aren't just starting out with the Finn s. I've been using it for years now on the Saginaw after seeing how well it worked on the Detroit river years ago!!


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Them and fluke's have been in bag for year's. Have had good liuck on the green-pepper flake also.

 

Seems like a lot of trouble compared to just tying on a jig and hooking on a piece of plastic. Try it both ways Hawgman. Let us know how it works out. Don't forget a stinger.

Things never change!!!...CRIPES!!! Oh and eyepod..write it down!!

 

Things never change!!!...CRIPES!!! Oh and eyepod..write it down!!

Well that's Diff bye-Golly!! When Scott talk's I can't grab the pencil fast enough. Cripeski. :evil: :lol: :evil:

 

4". Anything Ice on a 3/8th's to 3/4oz. Jig. The entire river is a "hole". Edge's of the channel are by far the best. Think old Chiripy gave ya instructions on a catfish hotpond rig. LMFAOff Straight braid for line.

Thanks for the info. How about jig head type and color. Just standard round or do you guys prefer the Fin S jig head. Does is really matter?

What about snags?? Should I be prepared with a lot of gear??

 

Try a chomper drop shot watermellon...something aboiut the garlic.
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Thanks for the info. How about jig head type and color. Just standard round or do you guys prefer the Fin S jig head. Does is really matter?

What about snags?? Should I be prepared with a lot of gear??

Snags are'nt bad at all. Round jigs in all the usual colors. Chartreuse, Orange and on and on.

 

Aren't drop shot rigs illegal in the rivers? :lol:

 

From the DNR 2011 fishing guide:

Under "Lawful Fishing Methods"

"Drop-shotting: Having a weight suspended below a hook that is
tied directly to the main fishing line. This gear may be used on inland
lakes, Great Lakes, and Great Lakes Connecting Waters only. This
gear may not be used on rivers, streams, or drowned river mouth
lakes (see Note 3, p. 10 for listing)."

and the note on page 10 just explains which lakes are considered drowned rivermouth lakes i.e. betsie, manistee, muskegon, etc.

 

The Saginaw is a connecting water.

 

Are you sure? I thought connecting waters were like st clair river and detroit river.. Bodies that connect one great lake to another. The sag is just a river that dumps into the great lakes like the clinton, huron, au sable, rifle, etc..

 

Are you sure? I thought connecting waters were like st clair river and detroit river.. Bodies that connect one great lake to another. The sag is just a river that dumps into the great lakes like the clinton, huron, au sable, rifle, etc..

That's what was claimed when they were hashing out the boundries for the Shiver. Where's Dead Short when ya need him? :lol::lol::lol:

 

to answer your question: I would start out with a heavier jig if you are new to vertical jigging. The key to vertical jigging is staying vertical. It is hard to stay vertical if you are new and using a light jig. I would also recommend braid. I use 8 pound suffix or fireline. It has a 2lb dia, so it cuts through the water really well. I also use braid in bright flo colors. That way you can see how vertical your line is. The great lakes tribs are never clear enough in spring to were using bright line mattered. As far as a rod, shorter rods generally work better(6'6 and under); pref a 6 footer. I like med action with a fast tip. Use short shank jigs(fireballs) when using live bait and long shank jigs when using plastic. I use thump-jigs sold on walleyekid.com. They are more streamlined than a round head jig so they cut through the current better.

You can through all the above advice out the window if you do not know how to control your boat to stay vertical. The biggest mistake people make is they point their bow into the current and use their thrust to offset the current. That is wrong. That will only work if there is no wind(good luck with no wind in Michigan springs). The key is to point your bow into the WIND and use your thrust to offset the WIND!!!! I have a bow mount with a constant switch. Once I find what speed is working, I just turn my knob to that speed and turn on my constant switch. It is harder to do with wireless trolling motors, but it can be done.

If you want to learn a lot, just go to walleye101.com. Go to their store, look under seminar dvds, and buy the "River Walleye" dvd. I think it is like 10 bucks. That dvd will take years off your learning curve and you will be catching fish your first time out. Jeremy

 

Thanks for all that info widoemaker! Learning a lot myself on here from all you pros! Thanks Dave.

 

The best jig lesson I ever got was learning how to lift the jig then drop and not to drop a jig then lift. Most people just drop the jig and pick it up. When you control the lift first in you sequence, it makes jig control more natural. It slows down the drop and gives the fish much more time to inhale your offering. The same goes for my jigging raps . I use them year round.
It is difficult to master because it takes concentration . It is not a natural sequence for most fisherman. It does produce results.
As far as jig size and colors, I like heavy jigs in spring , but I fish the Detroit river mostly. We use 3/4 ounce round jigs. Keep it simple. For a new comer , a heavier jig is best. You can make bottom contact easier and keep the bait vertical. JRT makes some nice color combinations with sickle hooks , but any and all will work. Chartreuse or bare lead jigs with a shad color bait with even a little blue fleck 3-4 inch are good starters. Stinger hooks are good when you are missing bites. Leave them home until you catch a few fish without them. I like zoom flukes in smokin shad .that has been my staple for years. Fin-s makes a similar bait. Don't get caught up in the lure game . A handful of starter rigs and the right jig stroke makes you concentrate on making fish bite, not looking like a pro fisherman.
good luck

 

Are you sure? I thought connecting waters were like st clair river and detroit river.. Bodies that connect one great lake to another. The sag is just a river that dumps into the great lakes like the clinton, huron, au sable, rifle, etc..

Yep, thats what they mean when saying connecting waterways. St. Mary's also. The reason they came up with that law was to keep the tightliners for salmon from tying hooks directly to lines and come up with the 3" dropper rule.

As far as the shiver wording Jeff, it was the bay and its "tributaries"

 

So a rig like this, is legal when?

http://www.outdoorblog.net/outinmichigan/files/2011/09/100_1312.jpg

 

So a rig like this, is legal when?

http://www.outdoorblog.net/outinmichigan/files/2011/09/100_1312.jpg

Here's the post from above, just use your judgement. Like I said, it was because of the salmon snagging during the spawning run in rivers as to why they came up with the law. I doubt an officer would ticket you for using that to catch perch Guess it would be their discretion. Its one of those technicallities of the law that doesn't really pertain to all types of species being targeted imo.

From the DNR 2011 fishing guide:

Under "Lawful Fishing Methods"

"Drop-shotting: Having a weight suspended below a hook that is
tied directly to the main fishing line. This gear may be used on inland
lakes, Great Lakes, and Great Lakes Connecting Waters only. This
gear may not be used on rivers, streams, or drowned river mouth
lakes (see Note 3, p. 10 for listing)."

and the note on page 10 just explains which lakes are considered drowned rivermouth lakes i.e. betsie, manistee, muskegon, etc.