Two Walleye Killers...

If I were fishing walleyes and had lost all my lures/baits except two- I'd still catch fish, as long as one of the two was a Rat-L-Trap, and the other a "wobble jig"! In most cases here in NY and in Ontario on fishing trips- if the walleye aren't hitting one of these, they won't be hitting anything else either!

Bill Lewis Rat-L-Traps are the best of the lipless, flat sided crankbaits. Unique combination of rattles that you can actually hear as you reel it closer to the boat or shore! Fished fast or slow, they will run anywhere to 12 feet deep. One trick I like to use is to pause the reeling, let the lure sink, then lift it by raising the rod tip, let it drop, lift, etc--- jigging it. This works more often than not. For walleyes, I prefer 1/4 to 5/8 oz. Favorite color-- without doubt, is blue/chrome.

"Wobble Jigs" go by many different names- swimming jigs, sliders, etc. They all feather a broad, flat lead head that makes the jig "wobble" back and forth as it sinks. Much better than simple round head jigs, I think. These are my "go-to" lures if the fish are deeper than 12 or 14 feet, or if they aren't in an active mood. They come painted, but I buy them bulk unpainted and a bargain price, and have never noticed a difference. Fish them with a minnow or worm, or any plastic trailer. Very important- it's a jig!- fish it on the bottom. Actually let it lay on the bottom, for several seconds, before lifting it up a few feet, then letting it swim back down. Yea, you'll lose a few to snags, but I always figure if you're fishing walleyes and not losing a few jigs- you're not fishing deep enough! 3/8 to 5/8 oz. are best for me.

These two techniques account for 90% of my walleye around here. I hope they work for you! Best---- JoeW

[fatworm]

Great post, JoeW! I find myself commonly using tubes of similar color to your lures. I guess I'm just not a "lure fan". Bass however is another story. I bring out the whole set of gear when heading out for Bass!

Very informative! Thank you!

[Razor]

This is the first time I ever heard of Bill Lewis Rat-L-Traps. I went on the website and figured out that you can custom design your own trap.

[Jmarksman]

I would have to go with Fin Tec jig's and gulp minnow's or 3" smelt for jigging and working close to the boat. It has been a sure fire for me when working breaks up and down.

[bui boater]

the rattle trap is exelent for casting to those weed edges and deep dropoffs.i like chrome for sunny days and chartreuse for cloudy/overcast. i use em in lake between me and you maybe you heard of it? chatuaqua lake?

[dugger]

I do a lot of searching with trolling crankbaits, wallydivers and Raps when I catch one I throw out a marker bouy and start jigging 1/4 ounce3 inch white curlytail jigs or depending time of year, green or yellow here works great living in New Mexico there is but a few places to catch walleye but thets part of fun I guess catching over five lbs walleys is not a every day thing my biggest was a 11 lb monster and I seen a 15lb caught same day jigging if they are shallow I go to an 1/8 ounce jig head also down sizing my curly tail grub I do not use live bait as not only is it hard to find minnows some of the lakes it is not allowed unless caught out of the lake you are fishing

Originally Posted by bui boater

the rattle trap is exelent for casting to those weed edges and deep dropoffs.i like chrome for sunny days and chartreuse for cloudy/overcast. i use em in lake between me and you maybe you heard of it? chatuaqua lake?

Not one of my favorites, but a great lake to fish. Lot's of varied cover and a lot of different fish to target. It can get rough, though, if the wind is out of the SE! Best---- JoeW