The Go-To Live Bait for Walleye, Throughout the Seasons

By Steve Mattson

Early Season

Nothing packs the punch and gets an angler fired up for fishing like the walleye opener. It’s big business and a big deal for many bait stores. But even before that celebration begins, many anglers avoid the covered lakes in search of moving water. Anglers flock to bigger rivers in the spring to dust off the cobwebs and try to hook up with walleye in open water. The dominant and most preferred presentation is the timeless jig and minnow. In the current you need a tough minnow that will stay on the jig, and the fathead or chub usually gets the nod. “I love fishing rivers in the spring because it is simple fishing; thread a minnow onto a Fireball jig and methodically jig it near bottom. Put your time in and you will catch walleye,” says walleye tournament champion Duane Peterson.

In the cool water of lakes, the go-to presentation is still the jig and minnow because it is oh so versatile. In most regions the fathead chub is the standard minnow and will suffice, but don’t neglect the spot tail shiner if available. The shiner minnow is extremely sensitive to temperature shock and really only a viable option in the early season.

On the great walleye fishery of Lake of the Woods, the emerald shiner shines. Use the lightest jig possible that will still allow you to get close to bottom. When the conditions are right, positioning over the fish with a live bait rig such as a Roach rig presents a more subtle, yet effective option when the water continues to warm.

Summer

As the water continues to warm, there is a time when the jig and minnow seems to lose its luster; sure it will still work, but other presentations begin to shine.

Sources say start using leeches when the water hits the 50-degree mark. The best thing to do is let the fish tell you. When the minnow bite slows, pull out the leeches and crawlers.

Leeches and crawlers both can be great cold to cool water baits; in fact they are underutilized both spring and fall. The nightcrawler in particular can save an early spring or fall day. Some regions actually break the rules; an example is Mille Lacs Lake. On opening day, anglers will pull leeches and eventually move to crawlers.†

“When I fish leeches I fish slow and specific,” says veteran walleye pro Gordon Fothergill. “They are usually on a rig, rarely on a jig, and sometimes under a float. It seems like crawlers carry a reputation of being hard to fish by most anglers. This can be true, but once you get the hang of it you realize how effective they are at catching walleye. They can be fished fast, slow or on a spinner. Crawlers can be fished in weeds, open water or structure; it almost doesn’t matter; they are very versatile.

An underutilized and often deadly tactic is to pull a plain snell with a number 6 or 8 hook (Roach Rig) through weeds or weed edges. I am amazed at how great of a search lure it is because it can be fished amazingly fast and still be effective,” Fothergill concludes. Spinner-crawler combos, like the Northland holographic Bait-fish Image Spinner Harness, begin to shine when the water warms to around 50 degrees. The general strategy is to fish them just fast enough for the blade to turn.

The words from Marv Koep still echo in my ear. When asked what type of bait he likes to use his reply was, “You have two choices of bait when you are fishing with me, redtails or redtails.” I guess if a hall of fame angler (guide) can hang his hat on only one type of bait, that may just mean something. Redtails or creek chubs could possibly be the best minnow there is for big walleye. It seems that all tournament pros have known about this for years. Whether they are tail- or lip-hooked these minnows are the real deal.

Slowly pull four- to seven-inchers on short leads around some telltale walleye haunts and hang on. It is a true trophy walleye tactic that can get bites when other tactics fail. This presentation can be good all season, but it shines late summer into fall. They are perfect for fishing vertical and slow over specific structures. Keep the bait near bottom, but the line somewhat tight, and the redtail will tell you when a predator fish is in the area. The telltale is the rap on your line when it hits the end of its lead (snell) as it attempts to flee from predators. Then, get ready to feed them a little line before setting the hook.

Fall

By the time fall rolls in, walleye are in feed mode and many tactics and bait choices work. As the water cools, the jig and minnow begin to resurge as a solid vertical deep water presentation. As mentioned earlier, don’t be afraid to continue to use leeches and crawlers, as they will continue to produce. Most savvy anglers, like Koep, will continue to soak redtails and reap the rewards day after day. As with most fishing in the fall, big presentations are most productive this time of the year as the fish are feeding heavily.

Winter (coldest water)

Of all the different times of the year, winter seems to have the most straight-forward approach to live bait. There isn’t a lot of variety, as it all revolves around minnows. Fatheads (chubs) seem to get the most play as they are a tough dependable minnow. They can be used with great success presented as live bait under a float or under a tip-up through the ice. However, the majority of them are used as dressing on the most popular (by rights) cold water presentation—the jigging spoon. “You can use a whole chub, the tail portion or even just the head; just make sure you add something to your treble hook. Walleye are fickle, so most times I just pinch the head onto the treble of my Buck-shot Rattle spoon and if I catch a fish, I replace it with fresh bait,” says Fothergill.

Bigger minnows like shiners and suckers can surely tempt a walleye or two during the ultra-cold water period, but they tend to be more effective on pike. Shiners see the most play of the two, and most times they are fished under a float or bobber or again underneath a tip-up.

With the bait question answered, now all you have to do is get it in front of the fish. Oh and don’t forget to bring along some company; I am sure you won’t be the only one who will enjoy setting the hook on a few more walleye.