Bucktails are easy to tie on your own. Customize them with materials like hackle feathers and Krystal Flash, and experiment with different colors. (Photo by Jeff Knapp)
Like a merry-go-round, my boat was slowly pulled within the mild current in the river pool. The circling flow, commonly called an eddy by river anglers, was created by a major point that jutted out in the river, diverting its flow. In terms of boat control, it was an ideal situation that allowed me to present my late-fall offering, a bucktail jig, to the walleyes I felt confident were there. And they were. Time after time, my hair jig’s pace was interrupted by an ’eye—a hit telegraphed by a sharp tick.
By the time the carousel ride was over, my partner and I had boated a dozen-and-a-half walleyes in the 18-to-22-inch range—all on bucktail jigs. It’s...