In the past 5 years 2023 was easily the year where walleye were targeted the least for us. We had big plans to chase gold all fall long but were stopped short due to injury. Regardless, we were able to put some decent fish in the boat with the biggest being a 28.5" and witnessed some interesting behaviour while targeting other species.
Spring
Jig / Minnow
The most used bait in our walleye tackle box produced the best again this season. The jighead minnow combo is a versatile bait that can be fished shallow, deep, and everything in between. You can swim it, pop it off bottom, or drag it. It really is versatile which is why it leads to so much success day in and day out. Baits used include:
Kalins Google Eye 3/8 Oz
Berkley Gulp! 4" Minnow
Summer
Despite not targeting walleye at all throughout the middle of the summer we did see big schools of fish roaming the shallows above weedbeds. On top of this we had a number of follows on musky sized glide baits! The craziest part was that these were on bluebird sky days and the fish were in less than 5 ft of water. Perhaps it had to do with it being a cold season but we are hoping to explore this more in 2024!
Fall
Jig / Minnow
A staple amongst walleye anglers the jighead and minnow bait has put more walleye in the boat over the past 5 years than any other bait for us. 2023 was no different. The only change we made this year was to experiment with 6" size baits compared to the normal 4 or 5". This produced in some cases where nothing else sparked interest. Baits used include:
Kalins Google Eye 3/8 Oz
VMC Sleek Jig 1/2 Oz
Zman DarterZ
Zman Scented Jerk Shadz
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