What is the best bait for walleye fishing? That’s a question that often comes up when anglers are just beginning to learn about these often misunderstood fish. Whether you are new to walleye fishing or love using live bait for walleye, there are several elements to consider when choosing the best bait. Elements such as water temperature, time of year, and location of the structure should be identified before deciding which live baits are likely to produce and which might not be good choices.
Water temperature is a big key to using live bait. You will find that fat head minnows or black circles will be the best bait for walleye earlier in the year during the day. The water will be in the 50 degree range or colder for this time of year. Leeches huddle in cold water and don’t move or swim properly. When the water is above 50 degrees we find that the leeches start to produce very well, especially at night during the opening of the walleye. Keep that leech a foot off the bottom under a light-up sliding slider for maximum success during your walleye opener.
Night crawlers work great in the spring, especially after some heavy rain. Rain causes trackers to move and many wash up in lakes and rivers. So try rigging caterpillars with live bait around inlets or other low spots where large amounts of rain fall that drain into the lake or river. This is the first crack the walleyes have gotten on a juicy tracker all year and they are not wasting the opportunity.
As the water warms and weeds begin to grow, you’ll find that leeches make the best bait. The warmer water can start to make it harder for the minnows to survive as well. Bobbleheads are easier to keep alive compared to darkcircles. Leeches are naturally found around weeds, so it’s no surprise that this type of live bait does so well when placed under a slip cork around some emerging weeds in May or June. Leeches also seem to work better when you’re fishing around sunken wood. Again, it’s all about using the right bait for the habitat. At the same time, we can go into an 18- or 20-foot mud basin in a natural lake and find crawlers that outnumber leeches. In this case, nightcrawlers do a wonderful job of emulating emerging bugs, especially if you have them run after a lower gorilla and spinner.
As the water cools in the fall and we find walleye feeding more around the rock structure, we find big hooves, chubs, or fathead minnows starting to show up again as the best bait to use for walleye. Some lakes are still fickle, in these you’ll want to experiment with nightcrawlers alongside some type of minnow to see what the fish prefer. On the Mississippi River, you will find willow jacks in the wing dams they produce when nothing else will during the late summer/early fall period. A willow jack is like a baby bull, be careful with the spines of these fish – they will hurt your hand if “stung”.
These aren’t hard and fast rules – walleyes don’t have any! And, there are literally hundreds of variations we can use to refine our live bait rigging skills to catch more walleye. Use the above suggestions as guidelines and keep in mind the type of structure you are fishing for and whether minnows, leeches or crawlers will be the best bait for walleye fishing. Start with two of the most likely baits and see what mood the walleye are in for the day.