Lindy B-MAX Jigs Key in Missouri River AIM Walleye Series Win

Lindy B-MAX Max Gap Jigs and current seams were key elements for Jason Feldner and Gene Merck as they took top honors in the AIM Weekend Walleye Series North Dakota Division event on the Missouri River out of Bismarck April 26. Their winning weight, calculated based on length measurements for the series’ catch-and release format, was 43.56 pounds.

The walleyes were in transition, with a mix of pre-spawn and post-spawn fish moving upstream and downstream from spawning areas and utilizing current seams in 8 to 10 feet. The B-MAX 1/4-ounce Max Gap Jigs proved ideal for presenting small creek chubs and rigging the baitfish in a way that facilitated effectively hooking walleyes, which were biting light. Gold Plated and Firetiger were the most productive colors.

The Max Gap Jig, a Lindy favorite that was improved and re-launched as part of the new B-MAX Series, features a Max Gap hook and metal keeper. That design allowed the chubs to be hooked in the mouth, out the gill and back through the center of the body to fall straight and to hook even short-striking walleyes, Feldner explained.

Positioning the boat downstream of sandbars, Feldner and Merck used side-scan technology to locate fish that were mostly positioned along the seams or just inside the seams, in the eddies, and pitched their jigs to the fish. The water was fairly clear, with 3 1/2 to 4 feet of visibility by Feldner’s estimation, so they couldn’t get directly over the fish but had to pitch the jigs.

Lindy B-MAX uses a non-lead metal blend that is the same size as lead but 50 percent harder for increased sensitivity and better readings on live sonar but is more cost efficient than Tugsten. The B-MAX Max Gap Jig is available in 1/16-, 1/8-, 1/4- and 3/8-ounce sizes and in 10 colors. The B-MAX Series also includes Lindy Jigs, Live Bait Jigs and Little Nipper Jigs.

Feldner and Merck also caught a few fish on Lindy Rigs, baited with the same chubs and fished in the same types of areas, but Max Gap Jigs produced the bulk of their weight.