Walleye are wily predators. In my experience, they’re also bipolar—secretive and often slow to bite on sunny days and manic, aggressive biters when the clouds or moon come out. This means the best lure to fish for walleye can fall on opposite ends of the tackle continuum.
On one hand, you’ve got subtle lures and live bait rigs that probe the depths where they lurk and opportunistically feed. On the other hand, you’ve got bigger lures that they’ll bash in dirty water and low-light conditions.
My recommendation: mix classic walleye lures that have produced for decades with some newer models that cover the bases for most tactics and conditions—whether you are jigging, swimming, cranking, or trolling. When I’m fishing for walleye, I carry an arsenal of the following.
Best Walleye Lures: Top Picks
- Best walleye jig: Northland Fireball Jig
- Best cheap plastic for walleye: Berkley PowerBait Original Power Grub
- Best swimming jig: VMC Mooneye Jig
- Best swimbait: Keitech Fat Swing Impact
- Best bass lure for walleye: Z-Man TRD
- Best vertical jigging lure: Rapala Jigging Rap
- Best floating crankbait: Rapala Floating Minnow
- Best jerkbait: Smithwick Rattlin’ Rogue
- Best wobbly crankbait to troll for walleye: Storm Hot-N-Tot
- Best Deep-Diving Crankbait: Bandit Walleye Deep Minnow
Best Walleye Jig for Bottom Bouncing
Northland Fireball Jig
MSRP: $3.29
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Why I love it
For many anglers, walleye fishing begins—and ends—with the simple jig. For years, I poured my own jig heads, melting down discarded tire weights and pouring the lead into molds at home. But the Northland Fireball beats my home-poured jigs.
Tipped with a live minnow or a 3-inch plastic grub, the Fireball is fire when I’m vertical jigging in a river or dragging live bait behind my kayak. I stock up on quarter-ounce jigs but keep some heavier ones in my tackle box for deeper lakes or faster currents. This is the best walleye lure for bottom bouncing.
Reasons to Buy
- Deadly when tipped with a minnow
- Adds visibility in deep water
- Cast, drift, drag, or jig it
- Also works with plastic grubs
Consider Another Model If
- You don’t fish minnows
- You swim your jigs
Bottom Line
If I could only own one walleye lure, it would be a jig like the Northland Fire Ball.
Basic Cheap Plastic for Walleye
Berkley Powerbait Original Power Grub
MSRP: $5.99
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Why I love it
As much as I love big lures, I’ve caught most of my walleye on cheap plastics—like a 3-inch Berkley Powerbait Power Grub. I give the Power Grub the lean because it’s impregnated with scent, so walleyes hang onto it longer.
The curly tail’s wiggle attracts fish, even at slow speeds. Just thread these puppies onto a quarter-ounce jig (like the Fire Ball above) and slowly retrieve them or jig them with a lift-fall retrieve off the bottom. I fish jigs and power grubs in snaggy waters and riprap–that way I don’t feel like I’m losing my life savings when I lose a lure. My go-to colors for walleye are chartreuse, white, and fire tiger.
Reasons to Buy
- Deadly jigged or swam
- Easier to use than live bait
- Inexpensive
Consider Another Model If
- You want a more natural minnow imitation
- Losing expensive lures doesn’t bother you
Bottom Line
Why pay a premium when a cheap bag of plastic grubs may land hundreds of walleyes?
Best Swimming Jig for Walleye
VMC Mooneye Jig
MSRP: $5.99
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Why I love it
Paired with a soft-plastic paddle-trail minnow, the VMC Mooneye Jig lets your lure swim naturally through the water column. This combination lets kayak anglers cover large swaths of water and target active and suspended walleyes that ambush minnows. Swimming jigs like the VMC Mooneye can trigger both feeding strikes and reaction strikes. Plus, they can catch fish throughout the water column—not just off the bottom.
If walleye are active, it’s more fun casting for them than jigging for them. That’s why I’ll carry VMC Mooneye Jigs and pair them with soft plastic swimbaits, such as the Keitech Swing Impact.
Reasons to Buy
- Cover more water
- Easy to fish
- Less expensive than crankbaits
Consider Another Model If
- You’re fishing on the bottom
- You’re getting snagged often and blowing the budget
Bottom Line
If you’re swimming soft plastics horizontally—not jigging them vertically—this jig head smashes active and suspended walleye.
Best Soft Swimbait for Walleye
Keitech Swing Impact
MSRP: $6.29
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Why I love it
With its pliable paddle tail, the Keitech Swing Impact mimics the minnows that walleye like to munch. In my experience, it’s a nice upgrade when walleyes want something more obviously life-like than twister tails and power grubs. The tail imparts plenty of action, and the ribbed body provides added vibration. Plus, these soft plastic swim baits work in both lakes and rivers.
When I’m swimming a jig horizontally, and not vertically, I choose the Swing Impact for its paddle-tail action. You can swim it slowly down drop-offs or work shallow flats in low light to trick walleye into smacking this minnow imitator. Or, you can snap-jig it by using short, aggressive snaps of the rod to make the Keitech Swing Impact pop up erratically and flutter back down like an injured baitfish.
Reasons to Buy
- Mimics walleyes’ favorite feed
- Paddle tail provides plenty of action
- Can be fished fast or slow
Consider Another Model If
- You prefer cheaper or more durable plastics
- You’re jigging the bottom
Bottom Line
If you cast the Keitech Swing Impact through a school of walleye feeding on minnow, they’ll probably wallop it.
Best Bass Lure for Walleye
Z-Man Finesse TRD
MSRP: $5.49
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Why I love it
Ned rigs may be bass magnets, but this finesse system also works well for walleye. I learned that by accident while fishing the Wisconsin River for smallmouth with a Z-Man Finesse TRD mounted on a Finesse Shroomz head. I caught just as many walleye as smallmouth bass on the “turd.”
The Finesse TRD (“turd”) uses Z-Man’s buoyant and stretchy ElasZtech plastic. The buoyancy slows your lure’s sink time—making it extra-tempting for old marble eyes—and it lets the bait stand up if it rests on the bottom. Plus, ElaZtech plastics stretch so much that even toothy walleyes don’t rip them to pieces on the first strike.
Reasons to Buy
- Productive finesse lure
- Catches multiple species
- Highly durable plastics
Consider Another Model If
- Finesse fishing bores you
- Fish are feeding on the bottom
Bottom Line
If walleye are hitting lures as they sink to the bottom, fishing this slow-sinking “bass lure” can coax more bites than a quick-sinking walleye jig.
Best Vertical Jigging Lure for Walleye
Rapala Jigging Rap
MSRP: $8.49
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Why I love it
The Rapala jigging Rap is a legendary walleye slayer for both ice fishing and vertical jigging. If you graph suspended fish under your boat, drop a Rapala Jigging Rap beneath and let it dance over their heads. Or, jig it off the bottom in cold water to coax reaction strikes from hunkered-down fish.
For the most part, Jigging Raps are best for cold water. I prefer them for suspended fish in deep lakes or winter conditions where I’m looking for a walleye lure to lift off the bottom and flutter back down.
Reasons to Buy
- Great for vertical jigging
- Time-tested walleye slayer
- Good for deep water
Consider Another Model If
- You’re not vertical jigging
- You keep your kayak in shallow water
Bottom Line
The Rapala Jigging Rap may be a famous ice fishing lure, but it’s just as effective when vertically jigged from a kayak.
Best Floating Crankbait for Walleye
Rapala Floating Minnow
MSRP: $10.49
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Why I love it
The Original Floating Rapala may be old-school, but it still produces when you need to work a minnow-style crankbait just below the surface. You can twitch it to trigger a strike with its classic wounded baitfish action, but I’ve caught more walleye on the Rapala Floating Minnow by trolling it over shallow weed beds or across shallow flats at dawn or dusk.
Bonus, Floating Rapalas catch other species of fish, too, so you can enjoy a smorgasbord of bass, trout, and even perch while walleye fishing in certain waters.
Reasons to Buy
- Cast them, twitch them, or troll them
- Fish them over or next to weedbeds
- Great for shallow water trolling
- Wider wobble attracts active fish
Consider Another Model If
- Fish are down deep
- Crankbaits are too rich for your blood
Bottom Line
If you’re paddling over shallow weeds early or late in the day, cast a Rapala Floating Minnow well behind your kayak to entice fish while trolling.
Best Walleye Jerkbait
Smithwick Rattlin’ Rogue
MSRP: $8.99
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Why I love it
Way back when, my nightshift buddies cued me into a secret at my local tailwaters: big walleye were crushing Rattlin’ Rogues after sunset. They’d show up to work at 10:00 p.m. with damp socks after catching and releasing 6- and 8-pounders before their shift. It didn’t take me long to try it myself.
I’ve carried Rogues ever since.
Especially in spring and fall, you can cast these jerkbaits across sandy flats and shallow points at night to hook walleyes trying to pack on the pounds before and after cold water slows down their feeding for months. To target aggressive fish patrolling the shallows, maintain a little slack in your line and alternate short jerks and pauses to mimic the erratic action of an injured baitfish. Most walleye hit on the pause.
Reasons to Buy
- Productive at peak feeding times
- Fun to fish
- Big fish potential
Consider Another Model If
- Fish are in finesse mode
- Big fish scare you
Bottom Line
Go with the Rattlin’ Rogue in spring and fall when walleye feed aggressively at night on flats and points.
Best Walleye Crankbait with a Wide Wobble
Storm Hot ‘N Tot
MSRP: $8.49
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Why I love it
Lake Erie sold me on these funny-looking crankbaits with the big-time wobble. For hours, we picked off post-spawn walleyes suspended in open water—often two or three at a time—while trolling Hot ‘N Tots behind my neighbor’s big boat.
Kayak anglers can have similar success with Hot ‘N Tots by trolling them in lakes after walleyes have spawned. In my experience, they fish best in chrome and fluorescent colors. These crankbaits shake it like hip hop dancers to draw attention, and I recommend trolling them through schools of suspended fish you’ve graphed or using them as a search bait in open water.
Reasons to Buy
- Classic walleye trolling lure
- Irresistible wobble
- Also catch salmon and lake trout
Consider Another Model If
- You’re not trolling
- You need to fish shallower or deeper
Bottom Line
This is a legendary trolling lure for walleye.
Best Deep-Diving Walleye Crankbait
Bandit Walleye Deep Minnow
MSRP: $9.99
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Why I love it
When the fish are hunkered down deep, the Bandit Walleye Deep Minnow may be your best chance to reach them. With a bigger bill and tighter wobble than the Hot-N-Tot above, the Bandit dives deeper, especially if you’re trolling it. You can also fish it as a jerkbait, mimicking dying baitfish with some variation of a snap, pause, jerk, jerk pause retrieve.
On average, the Bandit fishes better in colder water, and my favorite color for clear water lakes is their Blue Chrome.
Reasons to Buy
- Classic big minnow profile
- Dives to 27+ feet
- Great for trolling
- Tight wobble for less active fish
Consider Another Model If
- Fish are keyed into smaller minnows
- You’re fishing shallow water
Bottom Line
If you’re trolling deep water for walleye, the Bandit diving walleye crankbait is a standout.
Walleye Lure Buying Advice
Walleye can be tough fish to figure out. For one thing, they swim in a range of rivers, lakes, and reservoirs–and can be caught in deep water, shallow water, muddy water, and clear water. The other thing is, they’re often passive when it’s sunny but surprisingly aggressive in low light and dirty water.
With so many variables in play, I recommend carrying a range of walleye lures to cover a range of waters and feeding conditions:
- Jigs and live bait rigs work well for bottom-oriented walleye
- Live bait rigs and crankbaits can be trolled behind a kayak
- Fireball jigs and Jigging Rapalas work well for vertical jigging
- Casting swimbaits, minnow-style crankbaits, and jerkbaits across flats and points can catch aggressive walleye, especially early and late in the day
- Ned rigs, swimbaits, and power grubs can catch walleyes suspended in lakes or holding in current breaks in small to mid-sized rivers
- Floating Rapalas can catch walleyes in shallow weedbeds and sandy flats
- Deep-diving crankbaits like the Bandit Diving Walleye Crankbait and Storm Hot-N-Tot can reach walleyes in deeper water
To dive deeper into lures and tactics, read the comprehensive guide to walleye fishing.
Best Walleye Lure Brands
Why Trust Us
A regular contributor to Kayak Angler, Jory Brass grew up fishing walleye country in the Midwest. Now with more than 40 years of experience under his belt, he’s caught marble eyes across the U.S. and personally carries each of the lures in this article in his tackle boxes.
Feature Image: Jory Brass
