Whether casting or trolling for walleye, Mark Martin’s favorite lure to use—by far—is a crankbait.

Whether I’m casting or trolling, by far my favorite lure to use is a crankbait.

A flip of the lid of any of my tackle totes will reveal that they’re almost all filled with Rapalas of all shapes and sizes, each model with a specific action of its own. I use them often—late summer through fall—no matter what species I am targeting, whether I’m fishing reservoirs, rivers, natural lakes or the Great Lakes. But not every crankbait is perfect for every situation.

Due to its shape, size and dive curve, one lure may be highly effective during the month of July, but not work as well by September. And, with loads of lures on the market today, the consideration of choosing the right one for the time of year you’re fishing can be overwhelming. But it’s not as difficult as you may think. Choosing the right crankbaits will help you catch more wallayes, no matter where and how you fish.

In the now, in the know

By midsummer, the majority of walleyes have moved to main-lake basins. They’re here because most of the forage is here as well.

Baitfish this time of year will often times suspend high in the water column over deep water, but some can be found along weed lines in the shallows. One crank may work better than the other in these two different situations. The key to catching success is getting a lure into the same section of the water column as the baitfish.

Before even letting out a line from within the gunwales of my boat, I’ll watch the screen of my sonar, all the while taking note of where I’m seeing forage. This is usually within the top third of the water column. Once determined, I’ll pick out lures I know dive into that same realm.

Because I never know what speed will trip a fish’s trigger day to day (sometimes hour to hour), I like to employ lures that can run both at slow speeds and faster.

There is a variety of crankbaits in the Rapala Tail Dancer series that can be fished slow to fast, diving at depths from 15 to 30 feet. If trolling, try using planer boards and Rapala Scatter Raps.

The waning world

As summer wanes and waters begin to cool, most forage begins to move shoreward, and the walleyes pursue. This is the time of year I start casting crankbaits around shallow structure during the daylight hours and troll small baits at night.

Rapala’s Shad Rap RS—a plastic version of the original Shad Rap—works well in the fall, as it is slightly heavier, allowing me to cast it farther into the wind. Lipless crankbaits vibrate madly and rattle on the retrieve. Both work well when fished along steep breaklines that have rock, wood, and weeds, and can be rip-jigged like a bladebait.

If the walleyes are up in the weeds or in water six feet or shallower, I’ll cast a crank that runs shallower yet. The Rapala Shadow Rap does just that. This is a great lure for casting during the twilight hours as the unique opaque colors reflect light, making the lure easy for fish to zone in on in low-light conditions.

Fall’s fanfare

By fall, both the forage and walleye have migrated shallower, sometimes in mere inches of water, on rock-strewn or weedy points. After dark is when the bite really gets going, but the water’s getting colder and the fish can’t move as quickly as they once could, so I cast lures that suspend and can be fished super slow. The Rapala Husky Jerk is my go-to lure for this situation.

Change is crucial

As you can see, there’s a crankbait made for every walleye-fishing situation under the sun (or moon). Cast ‘em; troll ‘em; fish them fast or slow; deep water, shallow and all points in-between. Just follow the migration, and use the lures that get into the fish’s strike zone.

For tips on fishing through seasonal transitions, look to MidWest Outdoors, available the first full week of each month at the newsstand or by subscribing on our website.