What Is the Best Bait for Walleye?

Whether you are an experienced walleye angler or new to this type of angling, everybody likes a good tip or two.

That is why we always look for ways to increase the fun and experience by finding the best walleye lure.

In this article, you will find a list of the best bait for walleye and where to use them for the best results.

With this information at your disposal, you can now catch countless walleyes without too much effort to improve your experience.

So, read on and learn about the legendary walleye lure and a wide range of other bait used for better success.

Happy fisherman with big walleye fish trophy at lake by using the correct bait

Contents

Choosing the Best Bait For Walleye

The best way to improve your results when catching any type of fish is to choose the best lure types for a specific species.

So, let’s look at popular lures used to catch walleye for a quick and easy catch.

Minnows

While there are many popular options for finding the best and most effective lure for catching walleye, minnows are used the most.

Some anglers may disagree, but if you talk to fishers, the rule of thumb is that they will always return to this bait.

What is great about this type of lure is that it is available in almost all bait shops where you can buy fishing gear.

Some people will use artificial lures like rap minnow or minnow heads, which are quite successful.

Other experienced and beginner anglers also make use of sucker minnows regularly, which are readily available in small and large quantities.

What is also great about minnows is that you can catch them or buy them at affordable prices.

You can use this bait in shallow water, deep waters, or any type of water column where walleye can be found.

Walleye caught using a bait that looks like a Minnow Jig

Live Bait

It is a well-known fact that walleye love their bait when it is alive, so it is highly recommended that you use this for better results.

The most excellent option for live bait will be minnows, which include the very popular fathead.

Redtail chubs are also a great choice of natural bait that walleye love to feed on, which will secure a good catch.

All these mentioned are a good choice when fishing during the fall for the best results.

For summertime, it is better to use leeches or even a night crawler as a lure to catch walleye without too much fuss.

In the winter, you can use the same live bait as in fall, but you can also add some large shiners.

Shiners will add some natural colors to the lure and what is great is that you can cut them into pieces and still catch walleye.

Using live bait in combination with other types of lures is a good practice to increase your chances for walleye to bite.

Tip: How to Clean a Walleye in 10 Seconds

Spinners

Using spinners for catching walleye is a very good option and a versatile type of artificial bait.

These colored lures are available in many colors, which will be a good attraction for walleyes.

If you do deep water fishing, you can use this to lure the walleye on the bottom and make sure they are weighted.

This means the bait will go down to the bottom quickly, and we know walleye love deeper water and feed at the bottom.

You can use a bottom bouncer, which will attract the walleye much easier and stay at the bottom.

You can also use split shots for drifting purposes or opt for rubber core sinkers for good effect.

The main goal is to keep the spinner as close as possible to the bottom, where the walleye hang out most of the time.

Spinners are quite popular bait rigs among many anglers who specialize in catching walleye during all seasons.

Jigs

One of the most popular lures used by anglers to catch walleye is a very common jig used for different types of fishing.

To use this type of lure, you can add a variety of color selections to improve your chances of catching walleye.

Reflective colors with the common jig will go a long way to lure walleye into a feeding frenzy.

You can also combine the jig with live bait to add some smell to the bait for a better chance of catching walleye.

As jigs are designed to sink to the bottom, this is great for catching the walleye who hang out there.

Different fishing methods are used with jigs at different times of the year; for instance, a jerky retrieval is a good technique in warm months.

For colder months, a slower retrieval is a better option because that is when the walleye are moving around much slower.

Because the walleye like to go for the jig while sinking, you should ensure the line is taught.

This way, you can easily feel when they strike and reel them in.

Slip Bobber

This lure works great around structures such as rocks and docks, where walleye also love to hang out and feed.

Using live bait with this is a great choice because you can put the bait right in front of the fish.

For added stability, you can also add a slip shot so your bait will be well balanced and you have better control.

Slip bobber rigs can be much better controlled and allow you to reach certain depths with the easy adjustment of the rig.

Short List Of Best Baits

We will sum up the list of best baits used for catching walleye to make it easy for you to decide which one to use.

  • Minnows in all forms, whether they are alive or cut in pieces, are a good option for catching walleye.
  • Different types of live baits can be used in combination with other types of lures to increase your chances.
  • Spinners provide a variety of colors and movements to attract the attention of walleye.
  • Jigs are a sure way to get the attention of the walleye.
  • Slip bobbers are a good way to get to where the walleye are hiding.

Conclusion

Catching walleye is not that difficult if you know where to look and what type of bait to use, and when.

It will be great if this article helps you understand the walleye’s feeding habits and help you choose the right bait.