There’s a reason anglers from all over the country point their trucks north toward Lake of the Woods every summer. The walleye and sauger fishing is downright excellent, and on a recent outing, Joe Henry of Lake of the Woods Tourism teamed up with Greg Jones of Midwest Outdoors TV to put on a clinic. The two spent the day jigging up a steady mix of walleyes and saugers, and the bite was the kind that keeps you coming back.

If you watched the video, you saw the fish come over the rail one after another. What you may not have caught were the little details that made it happen. So let’s break down exactly how they did it, because summer jigging here is a learnable, repeatable approach that puts fish in the boat.

Why Summer Is Prime Time

As the season warms, walleyes and saugers slide out toward the deeper basin and stack up on mud flats, transition edges, and structure in roughly 20 to 35 feet of water. They’re feeding heavily on emerald shiners and young-of-the-year baitfish, which is great news for the angler with a jig and a lively minnow. Find the bait and the right depth, and you’ve usually found the fish.

The beauty of it is that the technique stays simple. You don’t need a tackle bag full of gadgets. A jig, a shiner, and a little finesse will out-fish a complicated setup most days.

Picking the Right Jig: Size and Color

Size first. The everyday workhorse for summer on Lake of the Woods is a 1/4-ounce jig. It’s heavy enough to stay vertical and maintain bottom contact in the typical depths, yet light enough to give the bait a natural look on the fall. When the wind picks up, you’re drifting faster, or you’re fishing deeper water, step up to a 3/8-ounce to keep your line straight under the boat. On calm days or in shallower stretches, you can drop down to 1/8-ounce for a slower, more subtle presentation. The goal is always the same: stay vertical and keep feeling the bottom.

Now color. Lake of the Woods water carries some stain, and that’s part of why bright and glow colors shine here. A few proven producers:

• Gold is a classic and tough to beat, especially on brighter days.
• Glow colors — glow red, glow chartreuse, glow white — come into their own in low light, stained water, or deeper presentations. A quick charge with a camera flash or headlamp keeps them lit.
• Pink, orange, and chartreuse are confidence colors that draw strikes day in and day out.

The smart move is to start with two different colors in the boat and let the fish vote. Once one rod starts out-producing the other, everybody switches.

How to Hook an Emerald Shiner

The emerald shiner is the magic bait on Lake of the Woods, and how you hook it matters more than most folks realize. Hook it wrong and it tears off or spins unnaturally; hook it right and it stays put through a full day of jigging while looking alive.

The proven method is to hook the shiner through the head. Run the hook point in through the mouth and bring it out the top of the head, or hook it crosswise just behind the eyes. Either way, you’re anchoring the bait by its sturdiest part. This does three things: it keeps the shiner secure during all that lifting and dropping, it lets the body and tail flutter naturally on the fall, and it keeps the hook point exposed for solid hooksets.

Keep your shiners cool and lively. A fresh, kicking minnow draws far more attention than a tired one, so refresh your bait often — it’s cheap insurance for a better bite.

Jigging Cadence: The Part That Separates Good Days From Great Ones

Here’s where a lot of anglers leave fish in the water. The retrieve isn’t really a retrieve at all — it’s a controlled lift-and-fall right beneath the boat.

Start by dropping to the bottom and tapping it so you know where you are. Then lift the jig 6 to 12 inches and let it fall back on a controlled descent. That fall is everything. The vast majority of walleye and sauger bites come as the jig is dropping, so keep just enough tension to feel the line — too much slack and you’ll never feel the take. Lift, pause, let it settle, then do it again.

Vary the cadence until the fish tell you what they want. Some days they want an aggressive snap-jig with sharp lifts. Other days a soft, subtle lift with a long pause — almost a hover near the bottom — is the ticket. When fish are really finicky, even a near-deadstick, just barely shaking the bait above bottom, will trigger them. Pay attention to what’s working and repeat it.

Stay vertical, keep that bait in the strike zone near the bottom, and watch your electronics. When you mark fish and dial in the cadence, the action can be fast and furious — exactly the kind of day Joe and Greg put together.

More Than Just the Fishing

While the fishing is the headline act, it’s far from the whole show. Lake of the Woods has a wonderful collection of resorts and lodges that make a trip easy and comfortable, with plenty of variety to fit any group. After a day on the water, settling in with good food and a cold drink is a welcome part of the experience — and the local restaurants and resort dining rooms deliver. That mix of great fishing and genuine hospitality is a big part of what makes this place special.

Bring a Boat, Hop on a Charter, or Book a Guide

One of the best things about Lake of the Woods is how easy it is to get out on the water no matter your setup. Bring your own boat and explore at your own pace. Climb aboard a charter and let the captain handle the heavy lifting while you focus on catching. Or book a guide who’ll put you on fish and teach you the local tricks firsthand. Every option leads to the same place: a livewell full of walleyes and saugers.

If you like walleyes, it is hard to beat summer fishing on Lake of the Woods. Grab your jigs, load up on emerald shiners, and come see for yourself.

For trip planning, lodging, charters, and guides, visit Lake of the Woods Tourism at LakeoftheWoodsMN.com.

For more info on open water fishing Lake of the Woods, visit our Open Water Fishing Page.