One old fisherman told me the jig is simply an effective way to get the minnow, worm, grub, down to where the fish are (at the bottom).  I too am no expert, but I always try to "bob" my jig off the bottom, adding movement to the bait. 

I too was in WCCP this summer.  We found structure and had a blast just slowing drifting over a sunken island, jigging with gulps.  Dinner was pretty much guaranteed once we found this spot.  I find catching fish via jigging is very satisfying, and requires attention to small "strikes" or even just the line stiffening a bit. 

I mostly troll with crankbait, especially on new water, and have always had fish to eat using this approach.  But more and more, I love the challenge of finding structure and jigging around it for walleye.  Great fun!

Assumption here: it's incredibly helpful to have a depth finder if you want to jig.  Not essential, but very, very helpful.

prouboy