Walleye Bait Fishing - How To Use Live Bait To Catch Walleye

Walleye fishing is something that is done all over the country and Canada. Walleye are great tasting fish and because they are so popular, many anglers use different methods for catching them.

Live bait is just one way to catch the walleye, but you do have to have a good presentation. It does matter what type of live bait you use, but also the size. Every different season will mean different sized bait for walleyes. For instance, spring right after the spawn will mean you want to use live bait that is on the smaller size. Summer into fall is larger size live bait.

To understand how to use live bait to catch walleye, you have to understand the seasons. Spring is when the walleye spawn and feeding is not as important because there is one thing the walleye need to do and that is spawn to keep up the population. The walleye will feed, but the bait must be small. The males are only interested in eating small amounts at this time. Females made feed, but very little until after the spawn. Very small minnows will work the best for this feeding time. You will fish in areas where the walleye head to for spawning.

Summer feeding will pick up in late May to early June. At this time, your live bait whether it is minnows or something else will be larger. This is when the walleye are actively feeding and will continue until early September. You can use minnows or even night crawlers for baiting during the summer with good results. Once you find the walleye, it will be a matter of presenting the bait to the walleye. One you start getting into September, you are going to see a feeding frenzy because the fish are getting ready for winter.

As winter nears and the water temperatures start cooling, you can use minnows on the larger size. The walleye are eating in large amounts because during the winter, they do not move as fast and catching their food is harder. They will eat larger prey so it is best to offer something larger to attract their attention. If they see a small minnow or a larger prey fish, they will go after the larger of the two. This will continue until the walleye migrate to the deeper waters on big lakes where the water temperatures drop to under what the walleyes are accustomed to living in.

During the winter, you can use live bait, but it is hard to keep the minnows or night crawlers alive in the cold temperatures. During the winter, you will see more anglers using artificial lures and bait because they can control how it is presented to the fish. You wan to use bait that has a little wiggle and vibration to attract the walleye and make it worth their time to strike. You have different size bait for every season, but the bait that most anglers will use is minnows and night crawlers.