In fishing, I’m a firm believer that confidence in a new tactic starts to soar after you’ve experienced that initial moment of success with it.

I see it on a regular basis with my guide clients. And it applies to my own fishing as well. So it is with the use of gliding jigs, a tactic that had eluded me until recently.

As I reported in this column a few weeks ago, gliding jigs in the order of the Rapala Jigging Rap had not been kind to me. After using them off and on for the past three years, I’d finally broken the ice on the targeted species, walleyes.

Since that time, inspired by the notion that I could in fact catch ‘eyes on such baits, my success rate has snowballed. Walleyes as well as largemouth bass are being caught with regularity.

Gliding jigs are a newly formed lure category that includes the Rapala Jigging Rap, Moonshine Shiver Minnow, Johnson Johnny Darter, Acme Hyper Rattle, among others. Essentially a minnow-shaped chunk of lead with an arrow-shaped tail, the lure glides when snapped aggressively off the bottom.

This random action can trigger bites from both active and not-so-active fish. Think of it as a suspending jerkbait, only one fished vertically off the bottom. So, here’s what I’ve learned about fishing gliding jigs.

Though I typically go with braided line on spinning outfits, for fishing gliding jigs I believe nylon monofilament is a better option. Gliding jigs — at least the ones in the sizes that appeal to walleyes and bass — are heavy lures, typically ½ to one ounce in weight.

It’s an effort to snap one with the level of energy necessary to jump it several feet off the bottom. The springiness of monofilament aids in this. Two sharp upward snaps of the rod can shoot the lure five or more feet off the bottom, verified by watching the lure on the sonar unit.

Monofilament also aids in landing fish. This type of lure has a bad reputation when it comes to losing fish, understandably so. That heavy piece of lead is easy to dislodge when a fish is violently shaking its head.

Couple this with the fact that fish are often hooked on the outside of the mouth, since they often strike the lure by pinning it against the bottom. Poorly hooked fish are easy-to-lose fish. Be ready with the landing net and scoop the fish before it reaches the surface and starts thrashing.

This is not only to up the odds of landing fish, but also to keep a lead missile adorned with sharp hooks from rocketing toward you at close range.

Be vigilant about retying knots. I always use a small snap to attach the lure (VMC’s crankbait snap is my favorite) and retie it at least once each trip to ensure the knot isn’t compromised from the repetitive jigging action.

I use a short piece of 10-pound fluorocarbon line as a leader, connecting it to the mono with a small, high-quality swivel to minimize line twist.

Also, inspect your line for abrasion where it contacts rod guides and the tip top. This is especially important if you’re fishing the same depth level consistently, which increases this exposure in a relatively select area of your line.

Regarding rod action, I’ve found a rod in the 6.5-to-7-foot range to be ideal, one with a strong backbone (for working the lure) coupled with a forgiving tip section (for snapping the lure and keeping fish buttoned up). I use a St. Croix Avid X, six-foot eight-inch, medium power with an extra fast action.

Gliding jigs aren’t for everyone. Their use is tiring. They are snaggy and expensive, not a good combination. But they can trigger bites from the depths from fish uninterested in more traditional offerings.

Jeff Knapp is an outdoors columnist for the Butler Eagle