Must Have Plastics for Walleyes

[gunflint]

It seems that plastics might be all we have left in a few years so how about some consensus on the top plastics for walleye fishing? What works and what doesn't?

[clamtrap]

Berkley power baits are good and the new stuff that they have came out with.

[gunflint]

Which ones do you prefer? There's so many to chose from.

[Kyle Sandberg]

I like the fake leeches, worms and have been getting into the power minnows and swim shads.

[LoonASea]

Gunflint

I just picked up some Gulp "NEW" floating crawlers to use on spinner rigs,,,at some point I would like to wheen myself from using live bait ,,,all it takes is confidence in the bait ,,thats what they say any way

Randoid

[Team Otter]

I'm a Mr. Twister and ring worm man.

[Hooked On a Feeling]

Ring worm's & Super Doo's

Hooked

[Eric Wettschreck]

I'm a big fan of the Storm soft plastics that look like little perch and sunfish with a spinner. I fish the shallow muddy silty cloudy dirty prairie potholes and these plastics are the shizz in these lakes.

[tunrevir]

Depends on the time of year and the type of presentation I am going for. I like the shad bodies and twisters for river fishing, weed walleyes like those as well. ringworms work well on the Miss and the croix at certain times of the year. I really like the gulp crawlers run on a spinner especially into summer and when the pesky pannies are around. Tubes and superdoos are baits that don't get much airtime but they are also a time and place type bait. I'll downsize in summer and flip them into weedy patches and work them back slowly through the weeds. I guess I would much rather fish plastics and cranks then deal with livebait most of the time. Which is best? I haven't a clue but on any given day one might be better then the next. Gives me an excuse to buy more baits!

Tunrevir~

[shae1986]

What do you guys like to use for bigger plastics for throwing into the weeds. Something i am going to try but not sure what to try.

[Team Otter]

Ring worms and Slug-Gos are always a good option.

[pfluemis]

Culprit brand and Northland brand are about all I use. I did pick up some Powerbait in the bargain bin I'm going to try, and I do have some Little Joe stuff, but that's for pan fishing.

[zepman]

I like to throw shad style bodies (Mr. Twister) on a lighter jig head and swim these baits over,thru and in the weeds. My favorite set-up for this would be a 4" or 5" shad bait on a 1/8 to 1/4 ounce jig with at least a 3/0 or 4/0 hook. Walleye will blast this set-up like a crankbait and usually inhale the whole works. I've had pretty decent success rigging my kids with the same presentation but I'll throw a bobber on their rods and then just let them reel in the bait slowly across the tops of the weeds. The bobber does a great job keeping their lures weed free and they will usually outfish me by doing this. Great multispecies approach that has put alot of fish in our boat.

[eyepatrol]

I bought a BUNCH of plastics last year and tried them on every outing, even when smacking 'eyes in Canada. I haven't caught a single fish on them yet and will probably not use them much, if ever again. I hate to be the "downer" in this thread, but I have no confidence in them.

My suggestion - start out by buying a few and go from there. If you're able to be successful with them and get confidence in them, then have at it. I for one will stick to my live bait and crankbaits.

[gunflint]

I have very little confidence in plastics also. Besides the fact that I get all my leeches and crawlers free, it makes the transition that much more difficult.

The problem is that I've always tried plastics when I'm having trouble getting bites on everything else and I think that's backwards. This year I'm going to try them when the fish are biting and try to build confidence that way.

I'm skeptical on the future of live bait, what with the minnow controversy, and border lake bait disputes with Canada, metro area legislators trying to ban lead, etc.

I believe that the future of walleye fishing involves plastics and I need an education and fast.

[Northlander]

Plastics for me perform the bset when Im in darker or faster water or when I know there are fish there.

Dont go try plastics for the 1st time on a tuff bite. Try them when your hitting fish and gain some confidence in them. Also you make plastics do what ya want. Its not like live bait where all ya have to do is drag it or hop it.

There is no plastic/fake bait as good as live bait. No matter waht the makers of the Gulp may say. Its very good stuff but nothing beets live bait.

There are however conditions where plastics shine over live bait. When you have perch, ruffies etc. sawing off crawlers as fast as you drop them or when your jigging fast current seems and minnows bounce off too often and your hands are cold from dipping in the minnow bucket every couple minutes or when your working in weeds.

I like plastics a lot and have confidence in them but I know they arent better than live bait all the time and I pick and choose when I use them.

Remember too that a good bass plastic isnt a good walleye plastic. Walleye plastics should be very soft and move freely unlike a lot of the bass plastics. Also I do believe in scent in plastics or on plastics. I think it increases your odds of drawing in fish and hooking up.

[kupcho]

I personally just got into using plastics of all sorts last year. I will tell you that I caught more fish on every lake I fished using plastics rather than live bait. It is incredible when you can pull walleyes out of weeds in the middle of the summer and all summer long with out getting weeds on your hook. Fish them slower and use scent if fish aren't biting them.

Kupcho

[MuskyBug85]

i agree with kupcho, i fish live bait early in the year and then switch to plastics in the middle of june. In the Park Rapids area there are LOTS of eyes in the weeds and plastic is the best way to get them out. I do plastics a little different though, I like a HEAVY jig with a big hook. I fish both sizes of power worm and all shad/minnow baiton heavy jigs. i will throw them up in the weeds and let sink then rip/pause them back to the boat. I take a good number of 26 to 30 inch fish this way. next time you guys can't find fish in open water or on live bait dig up a big jig, 1/4 to 3/8 is what i call heavy, and a shad body and tear apart a weed bed. you will be amazed what comes out. great mid day trick when the fish move into cover for shade. Jonah

here are a few that came on plastic in July at mid day

[Team Otter]

Mid to late summer for me too.

Nice fish Jonah.

[crankybaiter]

Has anybody tried the Berkley GULP artificial crawlers or leeches? We had good luck with GULP cut-bait on Lake Michigan Salmon. Their crawlers and leeches look like the real deal, with that heavy impregnated scent... Best compromise between plastics and live baits? Perhaps.

[Hopper]

I too struggle with plastics when locating walleyes. Last year i used them on Red Lake ( you can catch walleyes on bacon strips up there, fact)and at times i was catching more walleyes than my partner's jig and minnow, about 3-1 ratio. I use live bait until i find them, then mix it up when they are biting. I just lack the confidence in starting with plastics, weird.

[palisade1kid]

Plastics are all I use to net 500-800 walleye a year.

The sassy shad or anything like it really does a number on the fish.

Not only have I caught walleyes ,but whatever else is looking for a dinner will eat it too.

I've caught eyes,pike,gills,crappies,bullheads,suckers,perch

bass all while using the shad.

I know from hitting the accesses that I'm doing good with the shad when I see a bunch of othe boat with not much to speak of over&over.

They always ask "what did you use"!

Working the correct areas has more to do with boating fish I think.

If your in em ,you'll get em.I know this like nothing else.

You gotta be in em 1st.