It's safe to say that record numbers of anglers are jumping on the walleye train. Some of the best walleye fishing in North America takes place on Ontario soil and the action is getting hotter every year.

As walleye season looms closer, there's no shortage of places to fish for this popular species. Once the boat is launched, a supply of the right lures, bait rigs and live bait, plus some tips on how to use them are in order. Here's how to put it all together and take advantage of Ontario's blossoming Spring walleye fishery.

Jigs

There's nothing complicated about fishing leadhead jigs. Unfortunately, many anglers have a mental block when it comes to using these lures for walleye. The fact that jig fishing often requires the angler to feel subtle bites makes it tough for novice anglers to develop confidence in jig fishing.

Nothing more than a chunk of lead molded onto a hook shank, jigs provide the simple function of presenting minnows, crawlers, leeches and/or plastic grub bodies near the bottom. The key to becoming a proficient jig fisherman is setting yourself up with the right equipment and jigging, jigging and jigging some more. Practice is the only way to build confidence in this deadly fishing method.

Most jig fishing applications call for monofilament no heavier than six or eight pound test. Using light line will allow the jig to sink quickly and allow the angler to maintain that important contact or "feel" with bottom. A limp line such as Stren's Magna Thin that comes off the reel smoothly is ideal for both casting and vertical jigging.

Jigs should be tied directly to the monofilament line. Using a snap or snap swivel when fishing jigs is a sure way to label yourself a rookie.

A five-foot, six-inch to six-foot spinning rod is the best tool for walleye jigging. The rod should be made from 96% to 100% graphite fiber to provide the angler with a maximum amount of sensitivity and feature a medium or medium/light action.

A jigging rod should be the most expensive rod an angler purchases for walleye fishing. I can't over state the importance of selecting a quality rod that's light and sensitive. Match up this rod with a light freshwater size spinning reel.

Jigs may be casted or fished vertically with great success. Casting is most often employed when the water is shallow (under 10 feet) and vertical jigging used in deeper water. Both methods require the angler to pay close attention to his or her line while fishing.

Watch the monofilament from the second the lure hits the water. As the jig sinks it pulls the monofilament below the surface. If you watch closely you'll notice the line stops suddenly when the jig hits bottom. Line watching allows the angler to know exactly where his jig is at all times.

If you're casting, watch the line throughout the entire retrieve. Once the jig has settled to bottom, reel in the slack until you can feel the weight of the jig pulling taunt on the end of the line. Lift the jig slightly off bottom by moving the rod a few inches and stop. When the rod stops, the jig will immediately begin sinking. The moment the jig touches bottom the taunt line goes limp again.

This simple procedure is repeated over and over again until the retrieve is completed. Watch the line closely for any twitches or movement that indicates a fish has grabbed the lure while it is falling to bottom.

Jigs should be fished with as little slack in the line as possible. A taunt line allows the angler to feel subtle bites that would go unnoticed on a slack line.

Minnows, crawlers and leeches are the most common live baits used with jigs. All are effective when used properly.

Minnows are most often used in the spring and fall when the water is cool. Hook the minnow lightly through both lips and change bait the moment the minnow dies.

A fat nightcrawler is my favorite live bait to use with jigs. If the fish are biting well, I'll normally use a whole crawler. When short hits and missed fish become a problem, I'll switch to half a crawler threaded onto the hook like a plastic grub body.

A final and critical aspect of jig fishing is the hook set. Set the hook immediately when a bite is felt and don't hesitate to set the hook on anything that just doesn't feel right.

Jigging Spoons

Jigging spoons are a close cousin to leadhead jigs. Unlike jigs, spoons have a natural wobbling action and flash that can lead to explosive strikes.

Jigging spoons can be casted and fished vertically with great success. Heavier line and rods are required to fish spoons effectively.

A six to seven foot triggerstick with a baitcasting reel and 10 to 17 pound test line is ideal for spoon jigging. Jigging spoons should be attached to the line using a small cross lock style snap to prevent line abrasion.

Subtle differences in body shape, size and lure color help to separate jigging spoons. Some of the best producing models include the Luhr Jensen Crippled Herring and Krocodile, Acme Kastmaster, Mepps Syclops, Hopkins Shortie and Bay de Noc Lures Swedish Pimple.

An aggressive rod popping action that lifts the lure a foot or two off bottom is most often used when spoon jigging. Unlike a jig that has little natural action, spoons need a little slack line to wiggle and wobble on.

Strikes are normally detected when the angler lifts the spoon for another jigging stroke. Because hooked fish often come as a surprise to both the angler and fish, jigging spoons are best equipped with light wire, round bend style treble hooks that penetrate easily. Using this style of hook also allows the angler to recover snagged lures more easily.

Spoons can be fished using live bait, soft plastic lures, a chunk of pork rind or clean. When live bait is used, a less aggressive jigging motion must be employed to avoid tearing the bait off the hook.

Slip Sinker Rigs

The many forms of bottom rigging are a sure way to walleye happiness. Slip sinker and bottom bouncer rigs are both popular and productive ways to tempt spring walleye.

Slip sinker rigs are ideal presentations for finessing walleye during cold fronts and other conditions when bites are few and far between. Designed to present a leech, minnow or crawler in an ultra slow and tantalizing manner, early season is the perfect opportunity to rig for walleye found on small reefs, gravel and sand flats, emerging weed beds and rocky shorelines.

Of the various commercial slip sinker rigs available, the Roach Rig produced by Northland Tackle is the only one that allows anglers to quickly adjust lead lengths as needed.

In murky or off color water a 24 to 36 inch snell is ideal. Progressively longer leaders up to 60 inches or more may be required in clear waters.

Hooks are an important aspect of slip sinker rigging. Rigging with minnows calls for a compact single hook. I prefer a No. 4 or 2 Mustad beak style hook. The minnow is lightly hooked through both lips and replaced the moment his wiggle goes flat.

When choosing crawlers for bait, I prefer a two hook snell that helps prevent short strikes. Mustad's spade hook crawler harness is ideal for slip sinker rigging applications. These unique light wire hooks are easy to hide in a crawler and they won't damage the bait.

When rigging with leeches the lightest possible hooks are needed to allow the leech freedom to swim naturally. Small hooks made from light wire are necessary when leeches are the bait of choice.

A silent electric motor is the best way to present slip sinker rigs. Either of bow or transom mounted unit can be used to slowly drag the boat and trailing rigs over productive bottom structure.

Slip sinker rigging is best employed with a six-foot, six-inch or seven-foot graphite spinning combination. A slightly longer rod than typically used for jigging helps pick up slack line when setting the hook. A medium/light action works well and this rod can also see double duty on slip bobbers.

A lightweight spinning reel filled with six or eight pound test monofilament is ideal for slip sinker rigging. Fish with the bail open and the monofilament slipped over the first join of your index finger. When a bite is felt, let the line slip off your finger and feed the fish line for a few seconds.

Depending on the bait used the time an angler lets the fish run can vary. A walleye usually inhales a leech in one quick motion. Waiting just a couple seconds before setting the hook is about right.

Minnows are a little more tricky. A walleye will often grab a minnow, crunch it to death, drop the bait for a second, then pick up and eat his meal head first. It can take 30 seconds or longer for a walleye to get a good hold on a minnow. Let daily experiences be your guide. If you miss a fish or two, let them have the bait a little longer.

With crawlers rigged on a two hook snell, I set the hook almost immediately. The second hook acts like a stinger and seldom misses its mark.

For all slip sinker rigging, I reel up slack line a little at a time until I can feel the fish. Keep your rod tip low and set the hook hard in an upwards sweep when the line pulls taunt against the fish.

Bottom Bouncer Rigging

The bottom bouncer sinker armed with a crawler harness is about the most versatile walleye finder available. A sinker that features a lead weight mounted midway on a flexible length of wire, bouncers as they are often called are ideal for quickly covering gravel flats, shorelines dotted with scattered rocks and mud flats with emerging weeds.

I recently discovered a new bottom rigging weight that features the advantages of a traditional bottom bouncer and a slip sinker rig in one. The Luhr Jensen Walleye Bottom Walker looks like a traditional bottom bouncer at first glance. Closer examination shows that the main line passes through two eyes in the wire arm, a small plastic bead and attached to a snap swivel. The crawler harness is attached to the snap swivel.

When the rig is trolled or pulled by drifting the wire arm works like a traditional bottom bouncer walking over bottom debris and presenting the trailing bait just off bottom. When a fish bites, the angler has the option of setting the hook immediately or feeding line to the fish in the same fashion as a slip sinker rig.

These new rigging weights come in different sizes and the weights can be removed from the wire arm allowing the angler to mix and match weight as needed. Slick.

This bottom rig can be trolled using a small kicker motor, electric motor or simply drifted while looking for walleye. Amazingly snag resistent, bottom bouncers should be fished at a 45 degree angle to bottom. The idea is to use the weighted wire to keep track of bottom while walking over snags and bottom debris.

If too much line is let out when fishing a bottom bouncer this sinker will simply lay on its side and drag along the bottom with the trailing harness doing likewise. Set a bottom bouncer using just enough line that the weight can be felt tunking bottom every few feet.

Rigged in this manner the trailing crawler harness will run a few inches off the bottom in view of waiting walleye. For most applications a 36 to 60 inch crawler harness is best. Use a short harness in dirty or murky waters and long snells in clear water.

Colorado and Indiana style blades are the most popular and productive for walleye fishing. Size 2, 3 and 4 blades are the most popular choices. Hammered silver, silver, hammered brass, chartreuse, green, orange and painted two tone blades are good choices. Flash tape can also be used to dress up spinner blades with additional color and flash.

Bottom bouncer sinkers range from 1/4 ounce to three ounces or more. The 1/2, 1 and 2 ounce models are the most popular sizes. Baitcasting rods and reels are best for this walleye presentation.

I prefer a seven-foot medium action triggerstick, a bass style baitcasting reel and 10 pound test monofilament for bottom bouncer fishing.

Jigs, jigging spoons, slip sinker rigs and bottom bouncers are among the best lures for spring walleye fishing action. Take the presentation tips provided here and see for yourself why walleye fishing in Ontario has everyone coming back for more.