Crankbaits for walleye.

[trigger7mm]

I’ve always either fished jigs or lindy rigs for walleye. This year I want to expand my options, and try to get better at fishing crankbaits. Can anybody give me some tips on which are some of the better ones, and some tricks on how to dial them in. Thanks, I hope everyone has a fun and safe summer season.

[FortMac]

You'll have alot of success after ice off in fairly shallow water, 12 feet or less type. Husky Jerks, Jointed raps, storm makes a good jerkbait too. Perch cranks and Black/silver cranks will be gold, my best luck has come with nothing going deeper than 6 feet or so. Try all sort of retrieves, fast/steady, fast/jerk, slow/steady, slow/jerk, fast then slow, fast-jerk-jerk-slow-jerk-fast. Don't spend to much time on one type of retrieve, 5 casts and change it up.

[58thecat]

Shad raps seem to produce too

Pick up a few in different colours and running depths.

https://www.rapala.ca/rapala/lures-b...BySpecies-bass

[mlee]

Reef runners and cotton cordal walleye divers

[OL_JR]

Originally Posted by mlee

Reef runners and cotton cordal walleye divers

Literally exactly what popped into my head when I read the OP ha.

[Fishtracker]

My opinion is most name brands will be fine and brand is less important.

The specification of crank is more important.

The key is dialing in correct speed, retrieve style and depth when trolling or casting.

Water temp will have an impact on all of the above. Also making sure the crank is running true.

Sometimes, one slight adjustment can turn a day around.

[Coiloil37]

I did a lot of trolling for walleye and they were often my lure of choice. Besides the fact that it needs to be running well… fish are lazy and you need to put it right in their face. I chose the type of lure based on the water depth so it was running 1-2’ off the bottom or off the top of the shallow weed beds the fish were hanging in. It’s up to you to try a few different lures and figure out how deep they dive at the speed you want to troll and distance you have it behind the boat. Or, how far you cast and how deep it’ll dive. If I couldn’t put the lure right on the fish I trolled somewhere else, used different lures or used a different technique. It doesn’t do much good to drag your offering to far over the fish because most won’t come get it.


This was by far my favourite colour over the years and it was responsible for tons of walleye and pike all over Alberta and Saskatchewan.

[trigger7mm]

What is the name of that lure exactly? Thanks for the tip.

[Coiloil37]

Originally Posted by trigger7mm

What is the name of that lure exactly? Thanks for the tip.

Unlesss something changed they quit making that exact colour about 15 years ago. I emailed Rapala when I got down to my last pair a few years ago and they told me this;



Your image closely resembles the “Holographic Blue Shiner” that we still carry in sizes 04 (1-1/2”), 06 (2-1/2”), 08 (3-1/8”) and 09 (3-1/2”).

The item numbers are SR04HBSH, SR06HBSH, SR08HBSH and SR09HBSH.

[Bushleague]

I've use them all, and they pretty much all work... but the hands down best for me are the Storm Hot'n Tot, besides the unique action they have a metal lip so you can run them tagging the bottom without wrecking them.

The Hot'n Tot does need to be tuned quite often (best to check it after every fish or so) or they wont run straight and are prone to rolling over, so if I had a boat full of kids or other distractions I tended to use the Cotton Cordell Wally Divers, they were alot less maintenance and always worked as well as Rapalas or other more expencive options.

[highwood]

My favorites are husky jerks and tail dancers. Last year Fire Tiger color was easily the most productive, especially in the lakes with decent perch populations

[EZM]

Some excellent comments here ....

- I run mid sized cranks, deep divers, along the deeper side of structure or along a weed bed

- I slowly speed up until I see the rod tip vibrating, which shows me the lure has the right "action" to trigger a strike - I try and start out as slow as I can to get the action and keep it slow and do some rod dips and pumps every once in a while to get the "followers" to hit it.

- I use a deep diver and a good sign is when it hits the bottom every once in a while - that way I know the lure is running at or near the bottom - I also use a sharpy to mark running depths of my lures (I put 10'-12' right on the lip) so I can match my path to that desired depth

- lure color is secondary to size, size is less important than depth and action and the right depth - so that's how I prioritize what I'm using first and trying out. If something isn't working, switch it up.

- if the lure size is too small, sometimes they won't expend energy chasing a small meal, or you are getting ugly deep throat hook ups - so I try and go mid size or larger if I can

- favorite lures are 4"-6" sizes from rapala tail dancers, to cordells, to lil' ernies - sometimes a rattle in the body really helps trigger strikes, sometimes a tail feather seems to get them to commit.

- if they are short striking (get a bite while trolling but are not hooking up) sharpen the hooks AND go to a bit more speed and more dipping and pumping the rod. (I know it sounds counter intuitive - but it works!!!)

- general rule - overcast days - dark lures, copper and gold, and on bright sunny days fire-tiger, silver and bright colors (although, again, worth mentioning speed and action and getting to where the fish are are more important). Walleye seem to be on the bottom more often as opposed to being suspended - but there are no "absolute" rules here. I always use the fish finder and try down to the bottom first.

[FlyTheory]

4" Xrap in sucker or perch. Fish near the weeds.

[npauls]

A solid option that wont cost you an arm and a leg are the berkley flicker shads and flicker minnows. Cotton cordel wally divers are another good bait you can find at a decent price.

[Mayhem]

I've always done well with a Livetarget yellowperch n Rapala perch pattern Shad Rap cranks run using a line-counter reel (trolling).

Agree with Fishtracker's comments on spec, speed etc.

Something I heard to trigger fish into biting is placing strips or small peices of prism tape on the sides but have never tried it.

That said one Canada day at Calling had 3 guys in the boat trolling and one guy caught twice the fish on a particular color Rapala no one else had.

[58thecat]

Originally Posted by EZM

Some excellent comments here ....

- I run mid sized cranks, deep divers, along the deeper side of structure or along a weed bed

- I slowly speed up until I see the rod tip vibrating, which shows me the lure has the right "action" to trigger a strike - I try and start out as slow as I can to get the action and keep it slow and do some rod dips and pumps every once in a while to get the "followers" to hit it.

- I use a deep diver and a good sign is when it hits the bottom every once in a while - that way I know the lure is running at or near the bottom - I also use a sharpy to mark running depths of my lures (I put 10'-12' right on the lip) so I can match my path to that desired depth

- lure color is secondary to size, size is less important than depth and action and the right depth - so that's how I prioritize what I'm using first and trying out. If something isn't working, switch it up.

- if the lure size is too small, sometimes they won't expend energy chasing a small meal, or you are getting ugly deep throat hook ups - so I try and go mid size or larger if I can

- favorite lures are 4"-6" sizes from rapala tail dancers, to cordells, to lil' ernies - sometimes a rattle in the body really helps trigger strikes, sometimes a tail feather seems to get them to commit.

- if they are short striking (get a bite while trolling but are not hooking up) sharpen the hooks AND go to a bit more speed and more dipping and pumping the rod. (I know it sounds counter intuitive - but it works!!!)

- general rule - overcast days - dark lures, copper and gold, and on bright sunny days fire-tiger, silver and bright colors (although, again, worth mentioning speed and action and getting to where the fish are are more important). Walleye seem to be on the bottom more often as opposed to being suspended - but there are no "absolute" rules here. I always use the fish finder and try down to the bottom first.

I like your bling bling

Always have too much cuz ya never know what turns their crank and when.

[Simba001]

Firetiger Canadian wiggler has done great for me...

[trigger7mm]

Originally Posted by Simba001

Firetiger Canadian wiggler has done great for me...

The good old Canadian Wiggler. We caught fish on those 50 years ago.

[Freedom55]

Originally Posted by 58thecat

I like your bling bling

Always have too much cuz ya never know what turns their crank and when.

But when you do, it pays to have a number of the same pattern. Lose one and your day could be over.

Free

[Bushleague]

Originally Posted by Freedom55

But when you do, it pays to have a number of the same pattern. Lose one and your day could be over.

Free

Firmly in this camp. I dont generally cary a bunch of different patterns on me... but I've always got duplicates of what I know will work.

For most lures I keep two patterns, one natural and one bright. For others I keep one dark pattern and one light. On a few staples I might have all of these options.

[fordtruckin]

Originally Posted by Simba001

Firetiger Canadian wiggler has done great for me...

Now that’s a brand I haven’t heard of before…. Got to admit I was a bit nervous googling what is a Canadian Wiggler….

[AlbertanGP]

Originally Posted by mlee

Reef runners and cotton cordal walleye divers

Winner winner chicken dinner. They work really good on lakers too in combination with dive charts and a reel spooled with 10lb test.

[58thecat]

Originally Posted by Freedom55

But when you do, it pays to have a number of the same pattern. Lose one and your day could be over.

Free

Totally agree there, my kid was always routing through my tacklebox for that one lure that broke off.

Funny and I don’t know why the 00 Len Thompson 5 of diamonds was/is his go to and often produced.

He catches the stupid ones

[Coiloil37]

Originally Posted by Freedom55

But when you do, it pays to have a number of the same pattern. Lose one and your day could be over.

Free

The old classic, two is one and one is none.

I buy everything in bulk and there are always two of everything in my tackle box and probably a few more at home. Colour often plays a significant roll in a days success.

I know I trolled faster then most of you but for walleye and pike I always found 2.0-2.3 mph the ticket. Those are normal miles, not nautical miles. That speed got me the most hits. They also didn’t short strike and don’t take the lure to deep. Straight six lb mono or 10lb braid and I can’t remember the last time a pike bit me off, I guarantee it was in the 90’s the last time I was bit off. That speed was my go to for everything from a worm on a spinner behind a bottom bouncer to a Rapala. When in doubt, speed up.

Now a days I troll a little bigger crankbait if I throw one out at all and they get pulled much faster. That yo-zuri on the right will swim up to 20 nautical miles an hour and plenty of these fish will hit it at that speed.

Rapala shad rap in the middle for context.

[The Fisherman Guy]

Berkley Hit Stick!!!

Unreal walleye crank, casts farther than a Rapala and can be trolled very effectively. PROOF

[HuyFishin]

I always enjoy early season jerkbaits for walleyes.
Shallow diving lips and around 6” long lures


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Drewski Canuck]

I am an avid Canadian Wiggler ... fisherman. Open water late July and August once the fish have moved off to suspend under tulibee in about 30 FOW.

Wigglers can be very very effective in shallow water with ONE SMALL CHANGE.
Take off the Trebles. On the rear hook, put on a 5/0 Circle Hook, with the tip pointing upward. Now you can bash it through the rocks without snags, and you will get incredible results on very calm days when nothing else is producing.

But for bigger fish, and for fun, take a 3 ounce bottom bouncer and tie in 4 feet of 15 # florocarbon. Use a ball bearing swivel and pull a Cotton Cordell Ripplin Redfin. Get the floating version if possible. When ever you slow down or make a turn, the Ripplin Redfin starts to float up, and turns SIDEWAYS. Amazing triggering strike.

Drewski

[Smoky buck]

Here is my basic opinion of crankbaits and I believe most overthink it. Just like most lures fishermen are caught up on personal favs or popular lures for the location

For myself without recommending any specific lure is it is best to have of few different profiles in a mix of actions from a tight shimmy to a wide wobble. You want shallow diving, mid depth, and deep diver or at least a method of getting them in these strike zones. Size wise 3-6inches is a good range

Now color is a funny subject and honestly over thought by most fishermen. Do some research on how water depth filters out light and how it effects different colors it will make you think. Now also remember stained water and even waves effect light penetrating into the water too. Consider this when picking colors and how many colors are actually just shades of grey at even the slightest depths

My opinion consider is the pattern of the lure provides contrast in colors. The the pattern has contrast is will flicker with the action of a crankbait

But in all honesty I would say soft plastic swimbaits and lipless jerk baits would be my choice over crankbaits when casting

[dodgeboy1979]

i love the "hot n tot" series from Storm, let it tick bottom every so often.