What size bait should I use for walleye?
Track the forage, which grows all season. In spring the lake's young-of-year baitfish do not exist yet and last year's survivors are the small ones, so 5–8 cm (2–3 in) minnows and compact jigs match what fish see. By October those young-of-year perch and shiners have doubled, and the walleye — now bulking for winter — want 10–15 cm (4–6 in) offerings, with genuine giants taking 20 cm (8 in) minnowbaits at night. The perch-shaped caveat: walleye are not gape-limited monsters like pike, and a 75 cm (29.5 in) fish still happily eats an 8 cm (3 in) minnow, so upsizing is about selecting for bigger fish and matching fall forage, not a requirement for catching them. When bites are tough, downsizing remains the first lever to pull, all year.
The full story
This answer is one piece of a longer lesson — setups, diagrams and the reasoning behind it.
More questions about Diet
- What do walleye mainly eat?
- Why do cisco and smelt lakes grow the biggest walleye?
- Why does the fishing die during the mayfly hatch?
- Does the walleye's menu change between day and night?
- Do walleye eat crayfish and gobies?
- Do walleye eat bluegills, frogs — or their own young?
- Will walleye eat a dead minnow — and do they eat fish eggs or scuds?
Same topic, other species
- Why do such tiny jigs catch such big crappie? — Crappie
- Do big largemouth only eat big baits? — Largemouth Bass
- How often does a muskie eat? — Muskellunge (Muskie)
- How does a shiner or shad forage base change the game? — Yellow Perch
- Dead or alive — does a pike care? — Northern Pike
- What do young smallmouth eat before they switch to fish and craws? — Smallmouth Bass
- What do lake trout eat? — Trout (Rainbow · Brook · Lake)