Hello,


I want to buy some lures before walleye season opens. I am intersted in opinions on which are the prefered casting crankbaits and trolling crankbaits as well. Please give me your opinions. Thanks!

All in all, aside from Lake Erie, my "go to" baits are still the Rapala Shad Raps (especially the jointed). I've got a ton of other baits and have had success with most at one time or another, but the Shad Raps outnumber other cranks in my box at least 2-1.. I have had some success with the new RipShad as well, but it hasn't made it's way to the top just yet. Also like Wally Divers, Thunderstick Jr's (the old ones), and Hot-N-Tots a lot.

Get ready to spend some $$. I could probably buy a decent car for what's in my tackle bag(s)... :-)

for shallow work i use original rapala's and smithwick rouges. for medium depths, hot n tot's(not the ones with the plastic bill) deep little rippers and smithwick super rogues. and for deep work, reef runners, manns stretch 40 and 50 or any of the above behind an in-line weight.

"ya' don't need a weathervane to know which way the wind blows"

Just remember after all the artificials are bought and laying in your tackel box that approx. 80% of all walleyes are caught on live bait.....

Good luck,

S L Parker

I'd have to agree with Jake and the others on this one, tot's, deep little rippers, reef runners, rip shad, shad raps, original floating raps. IMHO, plastic is the way to go, with live bait having it's own place and time.


approx. 80% of all walleyes are caught on live bait.....I would have to respectfully disagree with this percentage, but I will say that live bait has it own time and place and in some applications is hard to beat.

Maybe in some lakes but if you are talking about Erie I know of people pulling plastics and spoons that are catching a whole lot of fish. Ive grown up knowing drift fishing and casting weight forwards on Erie but last year I learned trolling and caught bigger and more fish than I have in recent years throwing lead and crawlers. Just my opinion- also alot of charters are going to trolling for a reason.

oh by the way, this past weekend I got some fish trolling #14 Husky Jerks- Blue Glass Minnow. Last year at night my best was Clown pattern Smithwick Rattlin Rogue.

and 80% of your fish are probably gut hooked and have no chance of being released alive.

>oh by the way, this past weekend I got some fish trolling
>#14 Husky Jerks- Blue Glass Minnow. Last year at night my
>best was Clown pattern Smithwick Rattlin Rogue.

[b]Great Lakes/Big Water, cranks will win in the over-all scheme of things in almost every season of the year. What cranks these are does make a difference given the body of water fished. And all are everyones own opinion either through preference or just plane historic success rate.

Saginaw Bay. Winning Streaks, Rattle Tot's, Hot-N-Tot's

Lake Erie. Reef Runners, Wiggle Warts, Hot-N-Tot's, Rouges, Rapala Divers.

Little Bay. Thunder Stick Jr's. and similar long minnow imitators.

All of these of course are subject to variation as new products (such as Streaks and Nitro's) come on the market and are used on these bodies of water.

You can have your 80% and remember that 99% of them are small fish. Cranks catch larger walleyes.

About 95% of all the fish Bill Ortiz weighed in last year to win PWT Angler of the Year were caught on crankbaits...Each has their time and place.

I like Reef Runners for the Rainy River, but it seems on some of my lures when they hit rock bottom, some of my lures cracked at the bill and unusable. One other crank bait worked for me last year was the new Tail Dancer in the blue color. And it seems in this river you need some color of red on your lures, and if it doesn't painy it on.

Not to mention that the main reason 80% of walleyes are caught on livebait is due to the fact that that is what 90% of the fisherman use especially early in the season. I started experimenting with cranks right after ice-out last year and even won some tournament money doing it. We are just trained to do certain things during certain times of the year. This year the experiment is going to be small doll flies and jigs casted at the pigs in shallow water. If that works as well for me as it has for some other guys I know I may be trading my walleye rig in for a new bass boat LOL.

Fishing is: One jerk waiting for another jerk at the end of his line