Favorite Walleye Lures

All fishermen have their favorite lures. Some use them to their detriment. A lot of fishermen will use their favorite lures even though they aren’t producing any fish. Is it habit? Is it nostalgia or is it just lack of knowledge about which lures are most productive for the area they are fishing.

Lets talk about best walleye lures and to narrow it down even further lets talk about best walleye lures for the western basin of Lake Erie. The best lures will vary from season to season and even from day to day if the weather has been bad and water clarity is not good.

Early season fishing (during the spawn) in the western basin is usually done with jigs and crank baits with an occasional troller thrown in. Early in the season you will find the walleye in the shallow water on and around the reefs. The most productive time of day is early morning because as the day progresses they move to deeper water. The best walleye lures for this time of year are jigs and crank baits. The selection of jigs is endless. You can even make them yourself. The two best crank baits and trolling lures for this time of year are Husky Jerks and Reef Runners.

Once the spawn is over the fish will move to the deeper water around the reefs and can be caught at the breaks (where the reef drops off into deeper water). At this time most fishermen switch to spinner baits , bottom bouncers and a few stick with the crank baits. The spinners can vary from the typical bass spinner bait (think Strike King or Boo Yah) to the Mepps inline spinner. Bottom bouncers (think Northland or St Croix) are available at any bait store and all the online fishing outlets.

As the season gets longer and the water warmer the walleye tend to hold in the deeper waters around the bass islands. At this time many fishermen switch to trolling. When trolling out of a boat properly equipped you can have 6 or more lures in the water at the same time. This allows you to present a variety of lures and colors. It also allows you to present these lures at different depths. My lure of preference for trolling is the spoon. Michigan Stinger spoons are a favorite but there is a huge selection online or at your bait store. Some fishermen prefer to troll with Reef Runners or Husky Jerks which can also be very productive.

So in summary. Jigs and crank baits early on. Once the spawn is over switch to spinners, bottom bouncers and crank baits. Later in the year troll with spoons, Reef Runners or Husky Jerks.