Baits for Icing Winter Walleye

[FisH_SLaYer24]

Over the past couple of years, I have been primarily been targeting panfish through the ice. This year I decided that I wanted to target, find, and catch more walleyes. I am a huge walleye fisherman during the open water season, but I just haven't really targeted them through the ice all that much. I have a decent start with some jigging spoons (a couple buckshots, a couple rattlin flyers), I also have a few jigging raps and chubby darters as well. I am headed to the store today to pick up some other baits and I'm looking to pick up some more spoons and other baits. What kind of baits do you guys like for enticing Waldo's? Sizes? Colors?

Thanks for your help in advance!

[Sinker]

Fish Slayer, it seems every lake is different but on the ones I fish, 90% of the walleyes I catch are on fatheads. Either on a moon-glow ice jig in red,chart. or green or a plain red hook and splitshot. Usually I'll watch the flasher with a rod with a spring bobber and the other hole has a rod with a ice-stopper bobber. I'll use spoons, jigging rapalas, etc. but from my experience the above is my "go-to" set-up. Good Luck.

[FisH_SLaYer24]

From my last couple of outings I noticed that the dead stick rod was what I was catching my fish on. I would jig the fish in with my jigging presentation and 95% of the time they would take the lively minnow over my presentation. I was just trying to purchase some baits that may give me a little extra edge on catching fish on my jigging setup instead of always on the dead stick rod.

[tunrevir]

Most of the jigging spoons I use are in the 1/16th to 1/18th oz range along with the 2 smaller sized jigging raps. Tip the spoons with a fathead or crappie minnow head and jig and jiggle away. Like it has been said previously, many fish come in for the spoon but take the livebait on the dead stick. It takes some time and experimenting to get the right cadance to your jigging, keep a close eye on your electronics and let the fish tell you what moves are the trigger to getting them to hit. Sometimes a pause, sometimes a slow lift with a little jiggle is what they want, sometimes they will attack as you pull the bait up to jig. Each day it is a puzzle but over time you will find what works best.

Tunrevir~

[Stick in Mud]

Just my two cents, but I think a lot of guys really overthink/overdo it when it comes to getting ice fishing stuff (I'm guilty as charged when it comes to buying crankbaits and spinner blades, so shoot me)....I usually have three rods rigged up: 1) a regular sized jigging spoon, 2) a small jigging spoon, and 3) a jigging Rap/minnow. I never cease to be amazed at how a fish will stare down a jigging spoon and then slam the jigging rap (or vice versa). If you've got the cash and wanna buy a bunch of different ones, I wouldn't blame you, but you can get away with a small variety of each of the three above models. I usually have a gold, a silver, and a glow one, and that's about it.

I'm curious about others' thoughts on this....in the winter, when I have a flasher and other technology to let me know there's a fish down there, I often realize that there are some fish that will bite no matter WHAT I have on the line. And there are other fish that I'll have under the hole for ten minutes--and they'll see 15 lures--and they'll not bite no matter what I put down there. Now, there are times that the 15th lure I've tried will finally catch the fish, but if I don't get it by the third lure, 98% of the time I don't get it. Seems like some fish are gonna bite, and some won't. All I do is overthink it and spend more $$ on lures than I need to.

[BDiss]

I have a bunch of different colors, but what I use almost all the time are gold during the day and how red at night. hundreds of dollars wasted and I use two or three lures on my jigging pile and plain red hook on my boober rod. I do use blade baits and lindy darter to call them in and they take the pain hook.

[landscaper]

what size pole. Is everyone using? (length of rod)

[otterman91105]

My jig of choice is an 1/8 oz forage minnow tipped with a fathead. Underneath a bobber i us genz grubs with shinners or fat heads and sometime small suckers.

[clayton08]

I pretty much stay with either a forgage minnow, buckshot, or slick jig yeah i switch it up sometimes but thats basically it for walts. Then on the deadstick usually plain red hook or glow demon or moon glow. red or green are the colors I like with red usually better

[walleyeking19]

I've had my best luck this year with an 1/8th ounce red macho minnow tipped with a minnow head. You can't go wrong with a minnow under a deadstick either.