Brad Hawthorne's "JIG TROLLING" breakdown to catch more walleyes

Mille Lacs guide Brad Hawthorne breaks down the forgotten art of "jig trolling" for walleyes. Great, finesse-y way to cover more water and keep your bait in the strike-zone longer.
His go-to bait RIGHT NOW (this was filmed yesterday) is a Northland Long Shank Fire-Ball Jig: fishusa.rv5k.net/odBEW
Hit up Brad on his FB page: / hawthornesguideservice

[@scottduflo7348]

I am continually amazed of all the intricacies of walleye fishing.

[@aaronotto7010]

So I got the privilege to fish with Brad and learn “jig trolling”. I’m pretty much a complete novice walleye angler. Like zero skills. My only goal was to try and learn something I could pass to my kids. First off, Brad is the real deal. He’s 100% the same guy you see in this video as in real life. Approachable, humble, and a fin-chasing fool! He took the time to help me understand the build from rod, reel, line, to leader. Than broke down the cadence and work he shared in this video. No strings, just honest sharing of knowledge. So we caught fish. Didn’t keep count, but guessing 20 in 2.5 hours. Better yet he let me take notes, so I could try and help teach my children the next day. 100% we caught fish given what Brad taught me in this video. Like shared above, I’m pretty useless on catching eyes. My kids have grown tired of trying to catch them with me, given my lack of skills. As of this weekend, they aren’t singing that tune anymore. My 14 year old caught so many walleyes jig- trolling he couldn’t believe it. My 11 year old, asked me if we could go again this next weekend. Brad’s technique above helped me be a better teacher and dad to my two. Both this technique and Brad are top notch. Guessing most folks out there are better fisherman then me, but if you are in my shoes, a dad who doesn’t want to disappoint his kids, give this a try. It’s awesome!

[@TargetWalleye]

🙌 Amazing and so glad to hear you're enjoying time on the water with your family!

[@badneed]

THANK YOU for the fish finder settings and screenshots. That is the kind of thing I need to learn from

[@wisconsinfamilyoutdoors8074]

Great vid! Gonna try this soon!

[@JD-ft2lr]

Awesome vid and explanation of technique! I'll be trying this soon here in WA on Columbia R. But our fish are DEEP this time of year! I've been vertical jigging but this is worth trying for sure! Thanks

[@pozn9962]

My go to at most of the time, i love to use this product yours, the Northland Mimic Minnow.. my favorite color is the Rainbow and White Minnow 😍 i won and lost many battles with all kinds of Monster's at all kinds of body of water. Thank You 😁

[@paulwickham5433]

It’s known in certain circles as Rebel Jig Trolling or Do-Nothing Jig Trolling. A true winner.

[@Riverlifeoutdoors]

Good stuff 😎 thanks brad !!

[@brezovo59]

Wen vertical gigging for walleye, stinger hook to be free, or in to plastic?

[@RushVoorhisOutdoors]

never done this before!

[@ur_asian_milfoil]

This is a Minnesota secret lol 😆 pop a cold one and relax till they bite

[@daveholte7658]

Well done video Makes sense vs actually jigging and out of the water What is a pill head and a Smelt Minnow? Can you recommend a plastic that represents the best looking lively minnow. trying to not take live bait anymore but maybe wont work... Great stuff

[@dylanbue2913]

There talking vmc mooneye jigheads and northland smelt minnow plastics great combo

[@fishinforlikes1611]

Yep, as mentioned, a VMC mooneye. Instead of a round head it is kinda flat, like a pill. Other companies make knockoffs, but what I always look for is no lead on the shank of the hook. All the weight on the head makes these stand up a bit better when you pause the bait on bottom. Any plastic minnow with the "split tail" is good...but ones that end with a paddle tail work too..they may be harder to keep on bottom as they have a lot more resistance. I have been catching 'em just as well with a straight tail plastic minnow too. Basically if it looks like a minnow, and has a tail that will wiggle naturally, a walleye will scoop it up

[@hotramen5952]

gulp minnows will work well instead of live on any moving presentation, dragging jigs of jigging for example. gulp or impulse worms will also work on crawler harness.

[@Aubart]

Silly question, but which boat model do you use? Looking for an aluminum I can run on Lake Superior, but still two around easily to other northern MN lakes. Been thinking the Impact XS for the value.

[@TargetWalleye]

Brad has been running the Lund 2025 Impact for several years. GREAT boat that can do it all. After spending time in his I decided to order the same rig for this season.

[@tazcgnso8653]

What would you use for 15 ft and 8 foot ?

[@scottrouwhorst881]

Nice

[@andrewtrask9650]

Same way i fish crappie with lots of success

[@outdoorsman9384]

Can I do this in 40 to 60 feet, I probably would have too use 1 ounce at least right, or do you have any thoughts

[@outdoorsman9384]

No kidding

[@retiredboxingref7620]

I'm partially color blind... So hilariously; was the color just actually plain shiny silver??? 😁

[@TargetWalleye]

More or less, yes!

[@MikeSmith-du9gh]

Cool video!! Too bad I don’t have a trolling motor ☹️

[@dylanbue2913]

Grab a wind sock and throw it out front of boat simply go in reverse backtrolling is the term we use up in Minnesota very very effective

[@methowhomestead]

What transition are you use from main line to leader?

[@TargetWalleye]

Double-Uni Knot 👊

[@queeky00]

Why is my left side imaging darker and not anything like my right?

[@TargetWalleye]

Sounds to me like your transducer is mounted on the right side of the boat and the lower unit is getting in the way of a clear reading out the left side. Easiest way to combat this is to tilt your motor way up while scanning. Some diehards will add a second transducer on each side and connect them to get the clearest reading possible.

[@garygrosz9957]

You mentioned you did not want to show your favorite color jig. I think that is childish. Even if i use the same jig it does not mean i will catch fish like you will. I disagree with these tactics that guys do. If i am just a weekend fisherman i may not be able to catch as much. Those type of ideas is wrong. I will tell as much info as i can to fishermen who ask. They still havd to catch them. You video was good and will watch again. Tight lines to you.

[@joshuat7171]

Intellectual property has value. Withholding information is just smart. Why does he owe you anything? He just gave away an entire technique for free and you complain about withholding jig color. Wow.

[@sylvainlaurence1554]

Looks like favorite color jigs is a minnow…..😂