Shallow Crankbaits

[nwa1819]

I am planning on trolling and casting crankbaits on opener in shallow water....less then 12ft. Any suggestions on brands, types etc would be greatly appreciated.

[Ice em]

Sebile's fast sinking crankbait would be a good choice other get some rapala DT solo's and that should do the trick

[solbes]

I will probably troll some Rapala F13's and Minnow Rap 9's early Saturday morning. After daylight I'll move a little deeper with some live bait & jigs. And after a short hour or two of that, I'll switch over to casting some medium depth cranks. Somwhere in there I'll have to return to the dock for some bacon and coffee!

[Musky Buck]

Smithwick rattlin rogues and husky jerk-baits suspending models, I'm amazed at how many walleyes will follow like a muskie back to the boat, belly's off the bottom, you need to hit the right day for that otherwise fish them at night and hang on to your rod. I fish 3 weeks of walleyes per year and our hog of the year the past 3 season's anyway on little known walleye water we released a 30.5, 32, last year 28.5. The last 200+ walleyes I've boated have all come on various crankbaits. My lindy rigging days are way over. 7 bucks a dozen for a bag of dead shine's, done with that. I'll be in grounding the troller shallows to about 7 feet. Good Luck and the key is to create the action for the bait, lots of rattling,quick snaps followed by dragging it waiting for that following eye to grab it. Once you get the feel it'll work nearly anywhere, daytime is really hit and miss on it though, best at and after dark.

[nwa1819]

Thanks for the information so far guys!

[sloughshark]

im a huge fan of the Rat'l Trap, Rattlin Rap, and jointed shad raps. Next favorite would be the X-rap and X-rap minnows. Size of plug depends on depth im working of course. Something that makes some noise i think is key. In the last 2 years i have almost quit pulling plugs and now cast them 75% of the time in the summer. If ya ask me its the funnest way to catch walleyes.

[NCLaker]

+1 for Rattling Raps. Firetiger color is an absolute must, add gold, shad, and maybe silver/blue. Go with #5's for shallow, and #7's if you want to work deeper. Very versatile lure, can work it deeper by counting it down and slow rolling it back, pop it periodically to trigger a strike, if need it to run higher just raise the rod tip and reel faster. Can work a lot of different depths with the same lure. Because of their weight (sinking), and no lip, you can cast them very far - so great casting lure.

Bonus is they are dirt cheap compared to their Rapala counter parts with a "lip".

[PerchJerker]

At this time of year I go with more shad style baits than stick baits, and I feel smaller does a better job of matching the hatch with the spawning minnows.

Shad raps, shallow shad raps, jointed shad raps, glass shad raps, flicker shads, hornets, little rippers, minnow raps, etc. are all good spring time baits for me. Walleye divers can be too if the fish are aggressive, but they have a more aggressive action and don't always work well this early in the year.

[jjz]

Get one of the trolling chart books. Use braided or fused line, very important to keep the baits free of debris and non super lines dont offer the feel to notice little bits of weeds, but the walleyes will. Very important to keep the bait as close to the top of weeds or bottom as possiable without constantly fouling it with junk, incorprate a pull and pause to trigger strikes. That being said husky jerk-baits, shad raps, minnow raps, hot n tots, rogues and orginal minnows cover 95% of my trolling needs. I usually decide what to use on the depth the fish are at. Up around Brainerd the minnow rap size 7 fire tiger or perch has been a killer the last couple of years and on 20 # braid are real effective in 10 to 12 fow.

[Lakeside_Nelson]

I am a fan of the #5 and #7 shad raps as well. The hornets are a great option too. I will also be throwing some med sized swim baits if the raps aren't getting much action.

Good Luck!

[buddha]

#5#7 shallow shads are a great bait. In really windy conditions you can use #5 taildancers or minnowraps with great success.