How to pick the right rod and bait combo for every walleye presentation, all season long

THE BAIT FACTOR

In much of Canada, leeches, nightcrawlers and minnows are the baits most commonly used to catch walleye. I talk to many anglers, and most have a definite preference for one type of bait over the others and, in many cases, will exclusively use that bait all season long. The thing is, water temperature and available forage change as the fishing season unfolds, and when they do, certain baits and presentations will work better than others to produce more fish.

Key here is understanding how walleye adapt their feeding habits to the changing conditions. Early in the open-water season, just after the ice has melted and the water temperature is below 10°C, walleye will focus their feeding on minnows, as most other aquatic prey will still be scarce or inactive. As the water warms up, however, the likes of mayflies, dragonflies, fish flies and various crustaceans come to life and start to flourish. When that happens, walleye will switch from feeding on minnows and focus on those items instead.

By early to mid-summer, minnows will often congregate in spawning areas such as sand flats and weedbeds. The walleye won’t be far behind, ready to capitalize on this abundant and easily accessible food source. Once the minnow spawn is over, the minnows will disperse and the walleye will begin roaming for food again, often also targeting crustaceans and insects. Then when fall arrives and the water gets colder, the likes of crustaceans and insects slow down and eventually go dormant, while minnows begin to form bait balls and once again become the main food source.

MINNOWS Based on our understanding of walleye feeding habits throughout the open-water season, spring, mid-summer and fall are the three prime times to use minnows for bait. Early in the season when the water is cold, minnows seem to work best when fished vertically, either by jigging or under slip bobbers. Walleye can be finicky about what they inhale, so experiment by hooking your minnows through the head, body and even tail section to find out what they prefer.

During the mid-summer minnow spawn, try fishing minnows with spinner rigs and bottom bouncers. Also try nose-hooking a minnow on a jig, then either drag or pitch and retrieve it. As for the late season when the water has cooled and the walleye are chasing minnows again, try vertical jigging or drop-shotting with minnows.

While live minnows are permitted in some jurisdictions, other areas only allow the use of dead ones, which are typically purchased frozen from tackle shops and gas stations. Available salted or non-salted, once frozen minnows are thawed for use they tend to get mushy over extended periods, or if they’re refrozen. Salted minnows tend to thaw faster and stay firm longer, but all dead minnows will stink if they get too warm while you’re fishing.

LEECHES Ribbon leeches work well as walleye bait. Their bodies are durable, they have a unique fish-attracting odour, and they wiggle and ripple when attached to a hook through the sucker. That makes them ideal for jigging, live-bait rigging, spinner-rig fishing, and suspending under a slip bobber.

As a general guideline, leeches are an ideal walleye bait from mid-May through September, as they work best when the water is warmer than 7°C to 10°C. If the water is too cold, they become inactive and often wrap themselves around hooks and fishing line, making them ineffective.

Whether you buy leeches at a bait shop or trap your own, they need to be kept cool while you’re fishing, and when stored between outings. If their container water gets too warm or dirty, they’ll die.

NIGHTCRAWLERS Nightcrawlers remain stretched out when trolled or retrieved, fluttering in an erratic and enticing motion that walleye can’t refuse. Another part of the beauty of these baits is that water temperature does not impact their action. They’re a great choice when walleye are roaming for food during the peak of the summer, particularly when trolled with a spinner rig and bottom bouncer at just over 3 kph to quickly cover lots of water. Another great summer tactic is to troll half a worm on a slow-death rig at 0.8 kph, especially over crayfish beds. Readily available at bait shops and gas stations, nightcrawlers will die if they get too warm in your boat.

BIG VS. SMALL BAITS Everyone knows the old saying, “Big baits equals big fish.” While there are definitely days when that’s true—and when bigger baits out-fish smaller baits—there are also times throughout the open-water season when smaller baits work best. One of those times is a very short period in early spring, when the water is extremely cold and the fish are recovering from spawning and inactive. Perhaps it’s because their metabolism is not yet ready to process a big meal, or because they’re unwilling to expend the energy to chase larger prey. Whatever the case, I start the season with very small baits, then upsize as the water temperature rises.

Once the lake or river system has warmed up and the walleye are actively feeding to bulk up after the spawn, the biggest, most active baits tend to produce more and bigger fish. If you only have small live bait, don’t hesitate to double up on your offering.

Walleye thrive under stable weather conditions, making for a very consistent bite. Unfortunately, they’ll often slide into deeper water and become tight-lipped when cold fronts, cold snaps and thunderstorms move in. Under those conditions, try downsizing your baits and slowing down your presentations to help the fish overcome their lockjaw. Experience has also shown me that small leeches will produce more fish than smaller nightcrawlers because they wiggle and squirm more.

I’ll also often experiment with bait sizes when walleye stack up on structure or feeding flats, attracting anglers from all over the lake. Since the fish become fussier due to the increased pressure, the key is to offer them something the other anglers aren’t using. First, I’ll downsize my baits and slow down my presentations to trigger strikes. If that doesn’t work, I’ll go with bigger baits and faster presentations until I crack the code.

In stained water, meanwhile, it seems walleye are better able to key in on the scent of leeches, rather than nightcrawlers or minnows. Upsizing your leeches is also a good idea in that situation, as bigger leeches will give off more scent and be easier for the walleye to see. In clear water, on the other hand, scent is less important than offering walleye a bait they can easily see. That’s when big baits shine, especially long, thick nightcrawlers.

Finally, there will be days when the fish are biting short—even though you feel them bite, you keep missing the hookset. In that situation, downsize your bait so the fish have less to strike at, and are therefore more likely to take the hook. If you’re using minnows or nightcrawlers, for example, try pinching them in half. Again, it’s all simply a matter of experimenting until you find what works.