The Northern Tackle Box: A Guide to Walleye and Pike Lures
When you head north into walleye and pike country, the entire ecosystem changes, and your tackle box needs to change with it. While there is some crossover, the lures that excel for these cool-water predators are often very different from standard bass or panfish tackle. Walleye, with their incredible eyesight and often subtle bites, frequently demand a finesse approach. Pike, on the other hand, are aggressive, toothy freight trains that respond to flash, vibration, and outright aggression. This guide will stock your northern tackle box with the proven winners for both.
Lures for Walleye: Finesse and Realism
Catching walleye is often a game of subtlety. They are famous for their light bites, and your lure presentation needs to be precise and natural.
The Jig and Soft Plastic/Minnow
This is, without question, the most effective and versatile walleye presentation ever created. A 1/8 oz to 3/8 oz lead-head jig tipped with a 3- to 4-inch soft plastic grub, paddle tail, or—the ultimate classic—a live minnow, is responsible for more walleye catches than all other lures combined. The key is to use a jig that’s just heavy enough to maintain contact with the bottom.
The Slip Bobber Rig
When walleye are holding on a specific piece of structure, like a rock pile or the edge of a weed bed, a slip bobber rig is the best way to present live bait to them. It allows you to suspend a lively leech or a shiner minnow just inches off the bottom, right in their strike zone, for as long as it takes to get bit.
Walleye-Specific Crankbaits
Trolling with crankbaits is a fantastic way to cover water and find active schools of walleye. Walleye crankbaits are typically long, slender, minnow-profiled lures designed to dive deep and run true. Classics like the Rapala Shad Rap and the Berkley Flicker Shad are must-haves.
Lures for Northern Pike: Flash, Vibration, and Size
Pike are the bullies of the lake. They aren’t picky, but they are aggressive. Your goal is to trigger their predatory instinct with big, flashy, and often noisy lures.
Spoons
The single greatest pike lure ever made is the classic spoon. A simple, wobbling piece of metal perfectly imitates a wounded baitfish. The red-and-white Daredevle Spoon is an absolute icon of Northwoods fishing for a reason. Cast it out, reel it in, and hold on tight.
In-Line Spinners
A large, thumping in-line spinner can call a pike in from a long way away. The flash of the blade and the vibration it puts out are powerful triggers. A #5 Mepps Aglia or a large Blue Fox Vibrax are classic choices that have been catching pike for generations.
Big Spinnerbaits
The same spinnerbaits you use for bass are fantastic pike lures, especially when fished along the edges of cabbage weed beds. The wire arm makes them remarkably weedless, and the combination of flash and profile is something a pike just can’t resist.
Lures That Work for Both
While many lures are specialized, some are great all-around choices. A 4- to 5-inch paddle tail swimbait on a jig head is a perfect example. It’s subtle enough to fool a walleye, but big enough to get the attention of a pike. It’s a great choice when you’re searching new water and aren’t sure which predator you’ll find first.
Choosing the right lure is the first step to success when chasing the predators we cover in our Guide to Walleye and Pike Fishing.
-Captain Sal
