Fatheads vs Shiners... Jig vs Plain hook

[DaveZman14q]

What is your favorite combo for catching walleye? I personally like a nice size fathead on a plain hook, and occasionally on a small glow jig. I dont seem to have much luck with shiners although I dont use them very often. I hear shiners work but all I seem to catch are pike. Any thoughts?

[vexilareye]

Buckshot style jig with just the head of a fathead

[croixflats]

I usually stick with a fathead and plain red hook. Though this year I'm going to do more jigging with the fathead.

[paceman]

Buckshot rattler with the head of a fathead and the hole is a gemini jig with a medium sized shiner.....

[PerchJerker]

Are you talking about ice fishing or open water fishing? For open water I love jigs with shiner minnows. For ice fishing I like jigging spoons with the head of a fathead, and for deadsticking I like a shiner on an ice jig or a plain hook.

[Jim Almquist]

What is your favorite combo for catching walleye? I personally like a nice size fathead on a plain hook, and occasionally on a small glow jig. I dont seem to have much luck with shiners although I dont use them very often. I hear shiners work but all I seem to catch are pike. Any thoughts?

If the lake you are fishing does not have shiners, tulibees or whitefish you may find that shiners will not work as good for walleyes as a chub would so you are better off saving your money. One of the lakes I like to fish has all three and it can be real tough to get a walleye to bite on anything else but a shiner.

In the spring I like to lindy rig spottail shiners if I can find then in the 3 1/2" to 5" inch range and if they are smaller I will just jig them.

If I am using fatheads I will always jig them in open water and in the winter it is pretty much heads only on a spoon and will try to find rainbows if I am going to deadstick.

[reddog]

leadhead jig, and some kind of plastic bait, Power grub, Gulp Minnow, twister tail, sassy shad, etc. NLB for me.

[gregg52]

i'm finding lots of sucess on rainbows

the whole thing or half

mostly on winnie of late but couple weeks ago on north long

either on a small lead jig or bout 1/4oz jigin spoon

mainly i believe its the action of the jig

more than the minnow

not sure where rainbows come from

but they are hardy to

[Charley]

Hard to beat shiners for the opener.

[B K'S DAD]

For me it depends on what lake I'm fishing. But on Opener it has to be a shiner.

[panfish11]

when ice fishing my go to bait is a fathead minnow. Either head or whole and i use a plain red hook on a dead stick and one of my favorites for jigs is the lindy rattl'n flyer spoons with a fatheads head and jig it aggressively untill i mark a fish on my lx-3 and then i shake it and jig it all while rising up slowly and when they get close, i hold it still and they usually smack it. for colors, the ones that work best for me were the red glow and the gold. good luck with these tips and they can also be used in open water as well!!