Anyone use heavier jig heads for walleyes in heavier current or deeper water? I typically use 1/8 or 1/16 oz jigs, but am planning on fishing some heavy current areas.

What does everyone use? Colors?

I miss a lot of walleyes when using heavier jigs. It seems they are harder for them to suck in. If i need to use a heavier jig head i use a stinger hook for live bait. Although i am considering a drop shot rig this year for minnows on the river.

1/4oz in deeper water and current-- sometimes even 3/8oz.

Chartreuse and Orange in stained water -- green when it's raining and white and black in clearer water.

With the heavier jig heads (compared to 1/8oz and less)-- I like Fireline or something like to feel more of what is going on and for quicker hook ups, also helps feel rocks etc better. For the lighter jigs-- I still like mono.

When in deep, fast water below dams in spring I use a lot of 3/8 to 5/8oz hair jigs or blade baits in 1/4 - 1/2. I usually have a few 3/4oz on hand just in case. I haven't done much of that the past several years (bumper boats gets old).

Especially in cold water with heavy jigs a stinger hook helps. As for colors, if your fishing in deep and stained water the color becomes less important. I usually just go with black or glow.

quote WhiteWolf: "green when it's raining"

That's a new one! Not sure if I understand why that would be the case, but it's easy to remember and I'll likely give it a try.

I have an assortment of 1/2 & 3/4 oz jigs we use for fishing the Rainy river in the spring.
I like the small jigs too. But they don't get you into the strike zone in any current. It's all about presentation.
Cheers
IRG

Use the smallest one you can and still have some feel and your jig where you want it. Same colors as small jigs. Don't be afraid to pound big jigs moving upstream in rivers...

Rule 1: If you can't feel your jig tapping the bottom, tie on a bigger jig... you aren't where the walleye are. 3/8 oz. is often a fine starting point for the depths and current where you will usually find walleye. Go smaller if you'd like, but see Rule 1.

The 10,000 dollar question is if your going to be fishing out of a canoe, from the shore or out of an equipped boat.

Sure it sounds easy........trouble maintaining contact contact with the bottom (the proverbial strike zone, especially in spring) just add more weight. The problem, and it's significant, is the heavy current and rocky bottom usually ends up in a snag sooner rather than later. Be prepared to go through lots of jig heads. Very frustrating retrying while your boats shooting downstream.

One option is to anchor.......very dicey proposition in a canoe and swift water and I cannot suggest it.

There is however another option and to those in the know, it is called "slipping". The problem when drifting jig heads from a boat in heavy current and snaggy conditions is your boat drifts substantially faster than your jig. To maintain bottom contact is hard. You either get kited up off the bottom (no bites) or you keep letting line out and eventually get hung (often instantly).

Slipping works best with a bow mounted electric motor. The idea is to "chase your line" and try and keep your line as vertical as possible. Once you get the idea it is easy to master and works supremely well. You hardly ever get hung and can place that jig 6" off the bottom for long periods of time. Wait for that "tick" and flop another one in the cooler. It was a fun game when the walleye spawn on the Detroit River was in swing.

I use up to 3/8th oz for fishing flooded rivers in the spring with fast current but most often 1/4 oz works even in that situation.

If I'm in a lake then its either 1/8 or 1/4 oz depending on various factors. I do like the 1/4 oz for casting distance and when casting into the wind.