Spinning Into River Walleyes
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| BEMIDJI, Minn. (February 8, 2024) – Question: What do you get when you add a specially-designed willow blade, top-notch terminal tackle connections, and a unique, proven, walleye-catching jig head?
Answer: Northland Fishing Tackle®’s Deep-Vee Spin, new for 2024, which supplements the winning Deep-Vee Jig with added visual appeal, vibration, and sonics. Sure, jigs with spinners aren’t anything new. In fact, Northland was one of the first to offer spinner-adorned jigs with the Whistler Jig decades ago, followed by the Thumper Jig, and later, Fire-Ball Spin Jig. And there’s been a rush by bass anglers to purchase the recently-introduced Smeltinator® Underspin Jig, a variation of the 2023 Bassmaster Classic Winning spin-less Northland Smeltinator® Jig. But we’re talking walleyes, and while all these historical baits still catch fish, Northland bait designers and pros worked hard to produce something new that ‘eyes haven’t seen, felt, or heard—a bait that has proven itself over the past year with expert beta-testers. |
DESIGN: DEEP-VEE SPIN
Via the addition of a willow blade to the walleye-proven Deep-Vee Jig, the Deep-Vee Spin offers more flash, vibration, and sound than any walleye jig on the market. Sporting the keeled “Deep-Vee” design that’s thicker on the top and thin on the bottom to track straight and fall fast, it also features large eyes that exude a “match-the-hatch” realism. And fished with live bait or plastics, the Deep-Vee’s Barb-Wire® keeper keeps your bait from going anywhere.
SHOWALTER: OPEN-WATER RIVER PLAYS NOW INTO SPRING
Big walleye hunter, Michael Showalter, guides summer through fall in Ontario but fishes stateside on the Mississippi and St. Croix during midwinter thaws, spring, and late fall. He put the Deep-Vee Spin through the paces last to positive results.
“With river walleye fishing, everybody knows you need some sun to activate the bite; they’re very neutral on dark days. When the river is a little bit dingy and you’ve got some low clouds mixed with heavier current, the Deep-Vee Spin really shines. The fish can feel it in their lateral line and the extra vibration gets more bites over a standard jig.”
Coupled with a Northland Eye-Candy 3.5” Paddle Shad in a host of colors—two of his favorite river plastics patterns being Purple Gill with its chartreuse bottom and purple top for visibility or white to closely mimic shad. Showalter fishes mostly ¼-ounce Deep-Vee Spin Jigs during the day, switching to 3/8-ounce as he continues to fish after-dark.
“When it hits primetime, I’ll slow roll the 3/8-oz size. The heavier jig swims faster back to the boat, coming up current. If there’s no current, I’ll throw a 1/8.”
In terms of river locations, Showalter likes to park ahead of wingdams, scanning areas from numerous angles with forward-facing sonar, followed by precise pitches and retrieves.
“I typically pitch the Deep-Vee Spin, let it hit bottom, give it two reel cranks, let it fall back to bottom—or what I’ve found to be best on the river this year, is just super-slow-rolling it back to the boat, keeping it above their heads, and they come up and hammer it. They’re so used to shad being above them, which don’t relate to bottom like a lot of other minnows. So, I pop it off bottom, more like a fast lift, hold my rod tip high, and then let the jig fall. I like doing that when there’s no wind—and when there’s wind, I keep my rod tip low and use one or two reel cranks, using my boat as a windbreak.”
SHOWALTER’S RIVER CONFIDENCE COLORS
“What’s been a killer for us—especially at night on the river—is the Deep-Vee Spin Jig in Chartreuse, with its glow paint and white and chartreuse willow blade. It’s been phenomenal,” offers Showalter.
During the day, Showalter switches between the White Deep-Vee Spin Jig with silver blade or Black with gold blade. “Honestly, the black head and gold blade is my daytime favorite.”
BRO ON SPINNING NATURAL LAKE WALLEYES
“Especially in bog-stained lakes, I do well with the Deep-Vee Spin. And from the dark run-off on the Rainy River last spring to fall lakes with algae dying, the jig caught fish,” says veteran Minnesota guide, Brian “Bro” Brosdahl, who also tested the Deep-Vee Spin throughout 2023.
“While testing, I’d mark fish, throw a conventional jig at ‘em, didn’t catch anything, then grabbed the Deep-Vee Spin and got the fish to bite,” comments Bro.
“The reflective part of the spinner really flashes, but not too much to scare fish off. It’s subtle enough for all walleye waters—dirty to gin clear.”
The bait’s versatility is what Bro likes most about the Deep-Vee Spin.
“You can drag them behind the boat like a spinner rig trolling forward or back, tipped with a half ‘crawler or fathead when everybody's dragging bullet sinkers and spinner rigs,” offers Bro.
And he spent plenty of time pitching it throughout the season, too – shallow to deep – threaded with a Northland Eye-Candy Paddle Shad, Minnow, Grub, or Jig Crawler.
“You get into that reactionary summer bite and the extra flash triggers big, lethargic walleyes. That’s pretty cool,” concludes Bro.
O'BERT ON THE RAINY RIVER RUN
Like Showalter and Bro, fishing guide Donnie O'Bert had the chance to put the Deep-Vee Spin through the paces over the course of 2023.
“Last year I had Deep-Vee Spin prototypes for the spring Rainy River run,” says O'Bert. “And they caught fish from day one.” (The Rainy River is a border water between Minnesota and Ontario.)
“The spinner gives walleyes something to home in on in stained river waters. While testing, I was fishing 1/8- and ¼-ounce on the Rainy. When pitching them with an Eye-Candy Paddle Shad, if the ¼-ounce wasn’t heavy enough to get down, the walleyes weren’t there anyway.”
“I started with gold bladed models, moved to silver, then brighter colors mixed with white. As far as jighead colors go, I give gave of my guide clients something different and let the fish dictate. If Brenda kept getting whacked with chartreuse and white, I’d change Bill and Bob over to what she was using.”
O'Bert’s confidence Rainy River Deep-Vee Spin color? Purpledescent with a silver willow blade.
“I'm a big believer in purple. And black. I think walleyes just key in on them. For me, I’ll start and end the Rainy River seasons with a Purpledescent Deep-Vee Spin with a 3 1/2” Eye-Candy Paddle Shad in Purple Shad—sometimes Firecracker, which has a lot of purple in it.”
PITCHING, DRAGGING, & TUMBLING
O'Bert starts his Rainy River routine locating fish with electronics, Spot-Locking into position, then pitching 1/8 oz. Deep-Vee Spin jigs into the current, letting the bait swing down into the fish, pulling his line tight to activate the paddletail and spinner. Depending on current speed, O'Bert pitches straight off the back of the boat or at 45-degrees.
“I’ll pitch the bait, make a couple of rod sweeps, then close the bail and let the river current pull it tight. It’s similar to pitching current seams, but you can run the same approach anywhere on the river where you find fis,h as long as your line sweeps back around behind the boat and across fish,” adds O'Bert.
A second method involves dragging ¼ oz. Deep-Vee Spin jigs upstream at 0.3 to 0.4 mph, suspending the bait in the strike zone without touching bottom.
“Our third method is the antithesis of what every river walleye fisherman thinks works,” says O'Bert. “My buddy stumbled onto it, and we call it ‘tumbling.’ He casts upstream and just pops his rod tip and lets the paddletail tumble down river and every time it hits bottom he pops it again. Makes no sense to me, but on the days when pitching and dragging does not work, tumbling can be effective.”
Deep-Vee Spin FEATURES:
- Thumper Willow Blade adds flash & vibration for added attraction
- Keeled “Deep-Vee” design tracks straight, falls fast
- Realistic 3D eyes “match-the-hatch” and entice strikes
- Barb-Wire® keeper locks on soft plastics or live bait
- Available in 12 colors, 8 of which are GLOW variations
- Various Willow Blade non-GLOW & GLOW colors: Gold; Silver; White/Chart.; Pink/Chart.; Purple/Blue/White; & Green/White
- Four sizes available: (1/16 oz. - #2 hook); (1/8 oz. – 1/0 hook); (1/4 oz. – 2/0 hook); (3/8 oz. – 3/0 hook)
MSRP: $7.49/ two per card
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