The most economical lure is a basic twistertailed K-Grub on a 3/16- to 1/4-ounce jighead. Cast, count down and retrieve. I prefer 3- to 4-inch K-Grubs rigged with the fliptail curling downward. In clear water, firecracker, cotton candy, clear hologram and purple seem to work best. In off-colored waters, chartreuse, orange, yellow and white catch more fish.

Jighead color doesn't seem to be as critical as twistertail color choice, so unpainted jigheads work quite well. But if I had one choice for all water clarity conditions in the spring, orange would get the nod.

The traditional ballhead jig works just fine for this kind of fishing. But if you're looking for the hands-down best jighead for fishing plastics, the Precision Jighead sold by B-Fish-N Tackle Company is really hard to beat.

Even with a "designer" jighead, the cost of this rig is about 25 cents, 30 cents tops. But cost is not an issue to a walleye angler who has had nothing better to do for the past several months than peruse sporting goods catalogs and cruise bait shops. Those $6 glass-pattern Shad Raps and $15 Lucky Craft Pointer stick baits that caught you in a weak moment will also catch walleyes -- if you put the baits in front of the fish.

Location is always a major component in the fish-catching equation. When you're targeting post-spawn walleyes in rivers, think "ambush." Although the walleyes are drifting lazily back downstream higher in the water column after the spawn, just walking down to the riverbank and casting willy-nilly is never a high-percentage option.

Thinking like a walleye greatly enhances your chances for success. Although post-spawn males are eager to eat, they don't want to work too hard at chasing down food. Fan-casting at the leading edge of a quiet riffle, ghosting in the quiet slack water next to fast water in a back eddy or similar locale behind a deadfall, rock or other barrier is where these fish tend to congregate on the slide back down from whence they came. It's even better to make 100 casts at the epicenter of a "fish funnel" like the downstream edge of a bridge piling at the edge of the current.

Although a boat certainly gives you access to more potential fish-staging areas than from limited ambush points from shore, this post-spawn walleye recession slide is one time when the shore-angler or wading angler has tremendous potential to leave the river with a hefty stringer of eaters. Unlike the frenzied hours when fish were on a mission to get upstream, this bite can last a week or more. You don't need an expansive tackle inventory to get hooked up either. One medium spinning rod, a pocket tackle box with a few crankbaits, K-Grubs and jigheads, a pair of pliers, hip boots and a stringer is all you need to be a player.

If you want to go walleye "catching," sneak down to a river after work and pitch a crankbait or plastic twistertail. "Dressing for success" can be an excellent strategy, too, so wear a nice sport shirt, pants and tie. River rats will think you are just some idiot who doesn't know the run is over. Just remember to keep the stringer tied off a good 20 feet from where you are fishing -- and don't set the hook when somebody is watching!