Top 10 Ice Baits for Lake Erie Walleye
- Bay de Noc Swedish Pimple Bay de Noc’s Swedish Pimple is one of the most well known ice lures of all times. It’s a heavy lure, but it has enough action that it can be used in several of conditions. When ice fishing, it’s always nice to be able to see your bait on any electronics you are using, which the Swedish Pimple does very well. It comes in a multitude of colors for any situation. The Swedish Pimple is probably the best all around ice lure for walleye.
- Silver Streak Rattle Streak Silver Streak’s Rattle Streak is a bait I helped design. It went through many changes over the course of five years, but the final product is completely dialed in. It has a custom, perfectly pitched rattle and the variety of colors and sizes is second to none. The Rattle Streak comes in UV, Glow and Plated finishes. With many ice lures, the different sizes can lose swimming and fishing quality, but with the Rattle Streak, all sizes maintain a great swimming action. These can be fished with pretty much any technique and can catch several different species.
- Rapala Jigging Rap The Rapala Jigging Rap is another classic lure you really shouldn’t be without. From perch and crappie to walleye, you can fish these as aggressively as you want, or not aggressively at all. The Jigging Raps really seem to work everywhere, for all species.
- Reef Runner Cicada The Reef Runner Cicada is probably the most unique bait on this list. Most anglers wouldn’t think to use this or don’t even have it in their ice fishing arsenal. It’s a classic open water, blade-bait style and typically very overlooked for ice fishing. The Cicada can cover anything from crappie to pike, but is especially nice for walleye and perch. These can be worked hard or moved subtly, all while the action stays on point. One thing to keep in mind, though, is to be careful if you are tipping it with live bait, too much can kill the Cicada’s action.
- Custom Jig and Spins Slender Spoon The Custom Jigs and Spins Slender Spoons can be jigged in a variety of ways to achieve an erratic or subtle action. Their descent is slow, great for fish who are finicky or when there is little to no current. The smaller sizes of Slender Spoons are made from a very thin material, making them a true compact flutter spoon. The 3/16 size is thicker and can be used in deeper water and where there is a heavier current. The colors options and sizes available make the Slender Spoons a great ice bait for anything from panfish and walleye to larger gamefish.
- Acme Little Cleo Acme’s Little Cleo started as a casting spoon, but long ago anglers figured out that it works really well through the ice. The smaller sizes are very compact and, generally, they tend to dance a little better. Along with having a large variety of colors available, the Little Cleos perform properly and effectively when tipped with minnows.
- Bay de Noc Do Jigger Unlike the Swedish Pimple, from the same manufacturer, the Bay de Noc Do Jigger is thinner and more of a cutter-type lure. Used more when there isn’t much current or you don’t need to get deep quickly, the Do Jigger has a much slower descent with an erratic action. It is made in a multitude of sizes, but the small ones tend to dance a little better in the current. The larger sizes, though, have enough mass that they can be fished more aggressively and used in deeper water.
- Silver Streak Blade Bait Most anglers probably don’t have the Silver Streak Blade Bait in their box for ice fishing. Typically, it is used for open water fishing. In ice fishing, these are great at luring fish in when used aggressively. When you are fishing in stained or off color water, the Blade Bait can also be an absolute killer. They have a larger mass, so you can fish them deep and in water with a current, while still keeping true to their slow descent and slight wiggling action.
- Clam Blade Jig Clam’s Blade Jig is often the deadstick in a two-hole, “1, 2 punch,” set up. This lure is not generally going to bring the fish in, but it’s great when fish are looking for more of a finessed presentation. The Blade Jig is great as the “closer” when ice fishing. The larger, stronger hook allows anglers to easily hook a minnow through the lips or right through the back. A lot of similarly sized jigs don’t carry a hook large enough to do this. The Blade Jig is available in UV, Glow, Glitter and Plated colors.
- Rapala Rippin’ Rap The rattle on a Rapala Rippin’ Rap is loud enough to bring in fish from a long distance. The color combinations and size options make this a great option for a primary lure in dingy water. There is also an Ultralight model available which is great when a smaller presentation is necessary.
