Roger Cormier offers a wealth of walleye tips that produce other gamefish species as well.

Walleye tactics are ever-expanding, and walleye anglers have a multitude of ways to catch walleyes. Plus, a long list of variables—location, structure, weather conditions, time of day, forage options, seasonality—that dictate which lures should be presented on any given day, or as conditions change during a fishing day. Whether you fish walleyes on smaller, pressured lakes located near population centers, or travel to remote, big-water walleye destinations to fish, a well-rounded tackle selection is critical to success.

Presentations have evolved over the years from an emphasis on live bait options to more artificial choices that, in many instances, will out-fish live bait. Live bait tactics always play an important role, whether conditions and location necessitate you use a jig-n-minnow for pitching to shallow structure (or vertically fishing deeper reefs or flats); slip bobber rigs baited with a leech or ‘crawler for pinpoint locations; to drift over shallow, windswept reefs; or use spinner harnesses/live bait combos, slow-trolled along weed lines and across expansive flats.

River current adds another variable, requiring more weight be added to the presentation, or bringing specialized tactics such as hand-lining into play. And artificials have been “must-haves” for a long time when you talk about trolling crankbaits to catch fish.

While the introduction of scented plastics decades ago (and their continued evolution) provided an alternative to live bait, the biggest advancements in tackle utilized for walleyes have come in the form of lures for casting and pitching. It doesn’t matter if you’re fishing around river wing dams and other current eddies, or pitching along shallow, rocky shorelines in spring and fall on your favorite walleye lake. In many instances, the jig-n-minnow has been replaced by a small swimbait that is more durable—and often more effective—than live bait. A wide variety of crankbaits, and increasingly, jerkbaits designed for bass, prove to be a better option for catching walleyes on larger fisheries when a lengthy stretch of shoreline is your angling focus.

Casting artificials allows you to cover a lot more water than methodically dragging a jig-n-minnow along the bottom, so you’re presenting the lure to more fish—as well as the most aggressive specimens in the area. Furthermore, if you’re on a body of water with multiple gamefish species, you’ll enjoy catching these other species in tandem with walleyes.

North Country fisheries in the northern latitudes of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan typically offer more remote settings, less-pressured fish populations, dynamic numbers of various popular species and bigger fish. To top it off, scenic Northwoods beauty provides the perfect backdrop to any fishing day and helps us all escape from the hubbub of everyday life.

I’m drawn every year to Rainy Lake in far northern Minnesota, on the border with Ontario, for all these reasons and more. In spring, summer and fall, it’s one of my favorite places to fish. Here, artificial tactics shine, not only for plentiful smallmouth bass (this is one of our nation’s top smallie fisheries) and bruiser northern pike (numerous fish over 20 pounds swim in these waters), but also walleyes. Rainy is consistently rated one of Minnesota’s best walleye lakes, with catch rates per-angler-hour far exceeding the norm for most other Minnesota lakes, according to the state’s DNR. This is a walleye fishery where artificial presentations really shine.

Anglers will find walleyes in shallow water in May and June. With a behind-average ice-out this year, water temps should remain on the cool side into early June. As long as temps hover below the mid-60s, trophy pike as well as hordes of walleyes will remain in the shallows. When you add these two gamefish to ridiculous numbers of smallmouths living in less than 15 feet of water throughout the spring spawning period…well…you can imagine the fun! The best part is, casting artificial lures will catch all three species.

By midsummer, walleyes and pike migrate to the deep basin areas of this vast fishery. To be sure, anglers fishing on windy days along shorelines for smallmouths will catch walleyes, too—especially if the area they are fishing offers quick access to deep water. However, the most consistent walleye fishing happens on the numerous deep reefs that dot the various basins, along or atop rock humps that usually top out from 20 to 40 feet. Obviously, a jig-n-minnow fished vertically over pods of fish seen on electronics, is a reliable tactic, as are slip bobbers tipped with a leech or minnow, and live bait rigs featuring a slip sinker with a 3- to 6-foot snell and live bait impaled on a hook.

Nowadays, a deadly artificial presentation has overtaken live bait as the go-to option for many Rainy Lake walleye anglers: #7 or #9 Jigging Raps, and the recently introduced #9 Jigging Shadow Rap, are proving deadly on deep reef walleyes. This tactic, employing an ice fishing lure during the open-water season, has been in the arsenals of “in the know” walleye anglers for decades, and has becoming more popularized in recent years. It can be an “automatic” for hooking walleyes on structure, fished vertically over the same pods of fish you see on electronics that you would target with a jig.

On a lake near you, it can be equally effective if you drop it on a pod of fish you mark on your graph on a deep gravel flat, or just outside of a weed edge. Really, it works anywhere that you can properly present the lure in front of a walleye’s nose.

A specialized rod-and-reel setup is ideal for maximizing hookups with Jigging Rapalas in open water. If you don’t fish with the right balance, too many fish will pull the hooks—especially on a walleye fishery like Rainy that’s known for producing lots of “better-than-average” fish. Three- to 6-pound walleyes are numerous here, with plenty of potential for even bigger specimens.

The ideal line to spool is 6- to 10-pound-tesst braid (I like Sufix 832) because it transmits every detail of the bite and the bottom, paired with a 10-pound fluorocarbon leader, although some anglers choose a full spool of fluoro or even a full spool of mono for their line. If you run a full spool of these two options, tie a small barrel swivel in-line to prevent line twist. You can also get away with a stiffer rod blank with mono because the stretch of mono will offer forgiveness that the rod lacks.

The best setup for a rod is a 7’1” medium-power, moderate-fast action like the St. Croix Eyecon Jig-N-Rap series. To impart the correct action with the lure, give it a firm, fast rip upward and then allow the lure to fall on slack line. Walleyes often hit it on the fall or pin the lure to the bottom the instant it briefly rests there. On your next upward lift, you’ll feel the weight of the fish and set the hook.

This power and action of rod blank is key to absorbing the headshakes and rod-bending runs of bigger walleyes when they have such a heavy lure in their jaws. The Jigging Rap delivers a high hookup percentage with its three hooks, but fish can get leverage on the lure, depending on how it sticks to them. Alternatively, experiment with the Jigging Shadow Rap, which offers a slower, enticing fall and just two hooks (center treble and rear single) for hookups.

Wherever you may be fishing for walleyes, artificials are key players in your arsenal of tackle. If your travels bring you north to Rainy Lake, be sure to bring your full lineup, because lots of presentations will help you catch more fish on this incredible fishery!

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