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Walleye Fishing Lures

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Guide to choosing the best lures for catching big walleye, sauger and saugeye.

By AA-Fishing Staff Writers

Fishing For Walleye

Walleye lures tend to run small by comparison to bass lures because walleye have slightly smaller mouths. They tend to feed on the same diet as bass but prefer smaller portions and typically prefer slower moving targets. Click here to learn more about the seasonal movements of walleye, and here for more details about walleye fishing. Walleye lures and techniques typically work well for sauger and saugeye as well.

Walleye
Walleye

Suauger
Sauger

Saugeye
Saugeye

Minnow and natural crawfish imitations in small sizes are ideal for walleye. Trolling at slow speeds with divers, flashers, spinnerbaits and other hard-bodied lures can also be effective.

Jigs


JIGHEADS

Jigs for walleye fishing
Jighead for walleye

Effective depth:
2' to 60'

Recommended line test:
6 to 8# braid with a 10-15 pound fluorocarbon leader.

Ideal conditions:
Use walleye jigs in varying weights. Add plastics, minnows and live baits. Sample shown is a Cabela's® Fathead Walleye™ Jig available at Cabela's®.


JIGHEADS WITH PLASTICS

Jigs with plastics for walleye fishing
Jig with plastics for walleye.

Effective depth:
2' to 60'

Recommended line test:
6 to 8# braid with a 10-15 pound fluorocarbon leader.

Ideal conditions:
Use walleye jigs in light weights, 1/8 oz to 1/2 oz. based on depth, water conditions and season. Sample shown is a VMC® Boot Tail Jig, available at Bass Pro Shops®.


HAIR JIGS

Hair jigs for walleye fishing
Hair jigs for walleye

Effective depth:
2' to 60'

Recommended line test:
6 to 8# braid with a 10-15 pound fluorocarbon leader.

Ideal conditions:
Use walleye hair jigs in weights from 1/8 oz to 1/2 oz, based on depth, water conditions and season. Sample shown is a Northland Fishing Tackle Deep-Vee Bucktail Jig, available at Bass Pro Shops®.


UNDERSPINS

Jigs for walleye fishing
Underspins for walleye

Effective depth:
2' to 60'

Recommended line test:
8 to 10# braid with a 10-15 pound fluorocarbon leader.

Ideal conditions:
Use walleye underspins, adding a wide variety of plastics and bait. Sample shown is a Berkley Fusion19 Underspin, available at Tackle Warehouse®.


Crankbaits


SHALLOW CRANKBAITS

Shallow crankbaits for walleye fishing
Shallow crankbait for walleye

Effective depth:
2' to 6'

Recommended line test:
6# to 15#

Ideal conditions:
Use shallow cranks when walleye are in 6 feet of water or less. Sample shown is a Rapala X-Rap Shad Shallow, available at Bass Pro Shop®.


DEEP CRANKBAITS

Deep crankbaits for walleye fishing
Deep crankbait for walleye

Effective depth:
8' to 25'

Recommended line test:
8# to 20#

Ideal conditions:
Use deep cranks to cast or troll when walleye are in 8 feet of water or deeper. Sample shown is a Cabela's Deep Hot Metal Walleye Runner, available at Cabela's ®.


Jerkbaits


RIP BAIT

Rip baits for walleye fishing
Rip bait for walleye

Effective depth:
6' to 15'

Recommended line test:
8# to 20#

Ideal conditions:
Use rip baits/jerkbaits when walleye are in 6 to 15 feet of water. Item shown is a Strike King KVD 300 Series Rip Bait, available at Sportsman's Warehouse®.


DEEP JERKBAITS

Deep jerkbaits for walleye fishing
Deep jerkbait for walleye

Effective depth:
15' to 25'

Recommended line test:
8# to 20#

Ideal conditions:
Use deep-running jerkbaits when walleye are in holding in 15 feet of water or deeper. Item shown is a Cabela's Mean Eye Walleye Series Deep-Running Minnow, available at Bass Pro Shop®.


Jigging Spoons


FLUTTER SPOONS

Jigging, flutter spoon for walleye fishing
Jigging spoon for walleye

Effective depth:
8' to 50'

Recommended line test:
10# to 20#

Ideal conditions:
Use jigging spoons when walleye are in deep winter or summer. Item shown is a Hopkins NO EQL Spoon, available at Tackle Warehouse®.


Spinnerbaits


WILLOW LEAF SPINNERBAIT

Spinnerbait for walleye fishing
Spinnerbaits for walleye

Effective depth:
2' to 10'

Recommended line test:
10# to 20#

Ideal conditions:
Use spinnerbaits when walleye are in shallow water, especially around vegetation. Item shown is a Terminator P1 Pro Series Double Willow Spinnerbait, available at Tackle Warehouse®.


Swimbaits


SWIMBAIT

Swimbaits for walleye fishing
Swimbait for walleye

Effective depth:
6' to 20'

Recommended line test:
6 to 8# braid with a 10-15 pound fluorocarbon leader.

Ideal conditions:
Use swimbaits to cover a lot of water and fool finicky walleye. Item shown is a Megabass Dark Sleeper Swimbait available at Bass Pro Shop®.


Ice Jigs


ICE JIG

Ice jigs for walleye fishing
Ice jig for walleye

Effective depth:
6' to 60'

Recommended line test:
6 to 8# braid with a 10-15 pound fluorocarbon leader.

Ideal conditions:
Use ice jigs in cold water, including ice fishing. Add minnows and live baits. Item shown is a Rapala Jigging Rap available at Cabela's®.


Walleye Sauger Saugeye

 

Walleye, sauger or saugeye fishing by state.

AL Walleye Fishing AR Walleye Fishing AZ Walleye Fishing CO Walleye Fishing CT Walleye Fishing DE Walleye Fishing GA Walleye Fishing IA Walleye Fishing ID Walleye Fishing IL Walleye Fishing IN Walleye Fishing
KS Walleye Fishing KY Walleye Fishing MA Walleye Fishing MD Walleye Fishing MI Walleye Fishing MN Walleye Fishing MO Walleye Fishing MS Walleye Fishing MT Walleye Fishing NC Walleye Fishing ND Walleye Fishing
NE Walleye Fishing NH Walleye Fishing NJ Walleye Fishing NM Walleye Fishing NV Walleye Fishing NY Walleye Fishing OH Walleye Fishing OK Walleye Fishing OR Walleye Fishing PA Walleye Fishing SC Walleye Fishing
SD Walleye Fishing TN Walleye Fishing TX Walleye Fishing UT Walleye Fishing VA Walleye Fishing VT Walleye Fishing WA Walleye Fishing WI Walleye Fishing WV Walleye Fishing WY Walleye Fishing

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Find the bait that matches the mood of the walleye.

Lure size, action, color, amount of flash, vibration and noise are all factors that impact a walleye's decision to bite or not. It may take some experimenting, and fine tuning, but once you get the right lure and presentation you could be in for some action. Test until you see what the walleye want - figuring it out can make or break your day.