4 Winning Walleye Lures All Anglers Should Own

1. Crankbaits Are a Versatile Lure That Can Be Trolled or Cast to Catch Walleye

The top prey item for walleye are baitfish, so a lure that mimics that exact forage base would make our best bait list. A crankbait, with its plastic diving lip angled to dictate the running depth, shimmies and swims just like the real thing—proving irresistible to any walleye that see one wobble by.

My personal best walleye, a fish that tipped the scales at 11-pounds even, fell for a crankbait trolled behind a dipsy diver while working the waters of Ontario's Bay of Quinte. A fish like that definitely gives you confidence in how well crankbaits work for walleye.

Walleye are known for hugging bottom or suspending at various depths while they follow baitfish. This is one reason why having good onboard electronics to help you find fish or bait is a beneficial investment. It's also why having a selection of crankbaits that dive to various depths is smart thinking.

If I could choose only three crankbaits based on their diving depths, it would be a 6 to 10 foot, 12 to 16 foot, and 20+ foot model. This should cover most scenarios you encounter. Choose long minnow-style lures, between 4 and 6 inches in length, as walleye seem to have a preference for this design. For color, matching the hatch definitely pays off, but shad, perch, and fire tiger are always a good starting point.

Crankbaits are a versatile lure for walleye as they can either be cast or trolled. They're easy to fish since a straight retrieve is all that's required to get them working. If trolling, steer the boat in S-bends occasionally which will speed up and slow down your pulled bait, often triggering strikes from following fish.

Crankbaits get the nod during the spring, summer and fall months. I like to cast or troll smaller baits during the early season and beef up my bait later in the fall. Fall might be the best time of the year for working crankbaits, as walleye are putting on the feedbag and gorging on schools of baitfish.

Top Choices for a Crankbait

• Berkley Flicker Minnow
• Rapala Gold Miner 30
• Walleye County Crankcase

2. Jig or Rip Bucktail Jigs to Trigger Bites From Hungry Walleye

Bucktail jigs are a personal favorite walleye bait as they always seem to produce fish even when conditions are tough. Made with a lead or Tungsten head adorned with bucktail hair, these jigs replicate a fleeing minnow when jigged or ripped.

Bucktail jigs can be fished over rock or on sand flats using a drag and lift technique or rip jigged through clumps of vegetation to trigger reactionary strikes. The latter technique, which excels come fall, is one I always turn to on my favorite lake. Fishing 4 to 7 feet of water with clumps of cabbage, I'll pitch a jig in amongst the vegetation and snap my rod aggressively, popping the jig through and out of the greenery. Walleye that are hunkered down will aggressively suck in the bucktail, usually on the fall or right at the beginning of the rip.

Depending on the technique or water depth you are working, carrying an assortment of sizes of bucktail jigs is recommended. A quarter-ounce up to 3/4-ounce should be all you need.

An excellent tactic for early season, working a bucktail jig along expansive flats out from spawning areas will get you fish. Key in on that emergent and new weed growth and drag and lift a bucktail jig through it. Ripping a jig in the weeds works all season long, but definitely comes on strong once days get chilly in the fall.

Tipping a bucktail jig with a live or dead minnow, or plastic trailer, can be beneficial when working more sparse cover or if the walleye are being finicky. I don't bother tipping my bucktail jigs when ripping them through the weeds as it would be counter-productive to constantly lose the bait.

In terms of color, natural hues such as black, white, and chartreuse or orange always work well for walleye. If the water you fish is stained, try a couple variations with brighter hair or even metallic tinsel tied in.

Top Choices for a Bucktail Jig

• VMC BKJ Bucktail Jig
• SPRO Bucktail Jig
• Big Jim's Bucktail Jig

3. Work a Jerkbait to Fire Up Feeding Walleye

A jerkbait excels at triggering a feeding response from any walleye it contacts. Replicating an injured or frightened baitfish, the erratic action of a jerkbait - worked in a stop and start manner - is a proven walleye lure every angler should own.

The perfect bait for walleye feeding on shallow flats or working along weedlines and edges, a jerkbait matches their prey perfectly. They will hit this lure with reckless abandon.

Choose a jerkbait that is between 4 and 6 inches in length and fine-tune your cadence to perfect an underwater game of cat and mouse. Multiple twitches, followed by a pause, is the way to go.
Similar to crankbaits, choose a color that matches the forage base of the water you are fishing. And jerkbaits with built-in rattles definitely get the edge over silent lures.

Top Choices for a Jerkbait

• Rapala PXR Mavrik 110
• Walleye County Piston
• Storm Thunderstick

4. Soft Plastic Paddle Tail Swimbaits Target Walleye at Every Depth

A soft plastic paddle tail paired with a jighead is the perfect presentation for jigging up walleye. With a tantalizing tail thump as the bait drops after each lift of the rod tip, this bait works well when walleye are hugging bottom or keying on specific structure points.

If walleye are off bottom and actively feeding, rig it on a swimbait head, then slowly and steadily retrieve the soft plastic paddle tail at various depths, triggering a feeding response from these suspended walleyes.

I like to choose a soft plastic paddle tail between 3.5 and 5 inches in length. I always upsize during the fall when walleye are heavily feeding. As for jig or swimbait heads, one half ounce up to an ounce should get you through almost any fishing situation you encounter.

Top Choices for a Soft Plastic Paddle Tail

• Rapala CrushCity Heavy Hitter
• Mayhem Thrust Swim Minnow
• Walleye County Fender Shad

Stock Your Tackle Box With These Four Styles of Lures to Catch More and Bigger Walleye

These four styles of walleye lures are guaranteed to help you catch more and bigger fish. Once you learn where, when and how to use them, you'll be catching walleye like a seasoned pro.

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