If you are like most cold weather anglers in the Northern States and Canada, one fish stands out from the rest as the trophy target each ice fishing season, Walleye! These coveted game fish are the prize species for avid ice fishermen from Montana to Massachusetts. Nothing beats pulling a fat walleye through the ice and celebrating gloved high fives with your fishing buddies.
Aside from having the normal cold weather ice fishing gear, you will absolutely need to have a tackle box with the proper walleye lures. There are a few essential ice fishing lures for walleye and we list them in this article.
Best Ice Fishing Walleye Lures
- Sebile Vibrato Baits
- Nils Master Jigging Shad
- Live Target Golden Shiner
- Rapala Jigging Rap Walleye Fishing Lure
- Bay de Noc Swedish Pimple
- Rapala Jigging Shad Rap
- Custom Jigs & Spins Pro Slender Spoon
- Goture Ice Fishing Jigs
- Dynamic Lures HD Ice Fishing Lure
Sebile Vibrato Baits
As its name implies, the Vibrato has a natural vibrating action. But unlike any other vibrating lure it vibrates on the fall, when jigged, twitched or retrieved steadily. The unique constant vibration is due to the design of the body being deeply compressed with a wider belly and a thinner back, causing it to vibrate regardless of how it is fished.
Equipped with two treble hooks, one on each side, the Vibrato is ideal for light-biting fish where two trebles will ensure more fish caught. A full wire runs through the length of its body, connecting both hooks and the line tie, assuring a solid and secure connection between you and your trophy.
Nils Master Jigging Shad
Proven to catch monster walleye, pickerel, pike, and jumbo perch. The Nils Master jigging shad series is specifically designed for vertical jigging through ice or in open waters. Also available in glow-in-the-dark colors which are more visible in murky water conditions.
The design, paired with the aggressive color schemes, provoke fish to strike.
Live Target Golden Shiner
The Golden Shiner Rattlebait is a must have for every tackle box. The internal composition is perfectly balanced for a yo-yo style retrieve. Virtually all freshwater game fish, including Bass, Pike, Trout, and Panfish will inhale this lure.
The harmonic rattle is so loud, it can be heard chiming from below the surface. For a winter Walleye bite, use this lure on the vertical drop through the ice.
Rapala Jigging Rap Walleye Fishing lure
Originally designed as a Winter lure, the Jigging Rap has proven itself as a year round vertical jigging lure. Swimming in tantalizing circles, the Jigging Rap reaches fish that other methods can’t. When Winter jigging through the ice or to catch large fish holding on deep structure, the Jigging Rap is truly effective.
Bay de Noc Swedish Pimple
The Swedish Pimple is a superb ice fishing jigging lure. Their proven ability to take walleye, trout, Coho salmon, northern, bass, crappie and many other fish species makes owning this lure a must for most fishermen. As a general rule the larger sizes are for game fish in deep water lakes.
The smaller sizes are for pan fish or trout, bass, etc in shallow lakes. All sizes will produce game fish and pan fish if both types inhabit the same waters. Ultra-lite and light action rods, with balanced reels spooled with 2 or 4 lb test line teamed with a Swedish Pimple has brought many large pan fish to the dinner table.
Rapala Jigging Shad Rap
The Jigging Shad Rap has more pronounced movement, with slow circle down action. Raising in a sharp “snapping” motion will cause the lure to circle faster. A quick “vibrating” motion can also be used at fixed depths to prompt strikes from otherwise lifeless fish. A deadly weapon under the ice, or fishing open water for suspended fish, also the right choice for working deep, submerged structure. Single reverse hooks on both ends with center treble and eyelet that can be tipped with your favorite lure. Zinc weighted, shad profile in natural, glow and UV color patterns.
Custom Jigs & Spins Pro Slender Spoon
New paint patterns and wickedly-sticky hooks make a great lure better!
Since its introduction a few years ago, the Pro Series Slender Spoon has fast become one of the most popular ice fishing lures of all time.
With its erratic, slow flutter on the fall action, the Pro Series Slender Spoon produces strikes when other spoons simply do not.
Goture Ice Fishing Jigs
A favorite for walleye ice fishing. The head and tail are provided with hooks which make it difficult for the fish to escape. The jigging fishing lures are perfectly balanced to create an enticing circular swimming action.
This fishing lure set is composed of high quality components for superior performance in the water; the classic minnow body design gets you to the fish quicker. Unlike fishing lures with a tip-up, this lure should be used with a jigging rod.
Dynamic Lures HD Ice Fishing Lure
Dynamic Lures has produced one of the most versatile Ice Fishing Lures on the market. With its hollow construction, Dynamic was able to create the perfect combination of sound and action that anglers depend on in the winter months.
This vertical jigging lure was created specially for trout and other small to medium sized fish. This lure is not your typical ice fishing lure. This is a high action lure that brings in vicious bites. If you are looking for an advantage on the ice, look no further than the HD Ice.
Final Thoughts
These are all of the deadliest ice fishing lures for walleye on the market. If you’re not keeping these amazing lures ready in your ice fishing tackle box, then you’re really missing out. These are the only lures we use for catching walleye through the ice, so definitely go check them out!
If you have some suggestions we might have missed, feel free to comment at the bottom and tell us which lures are your favorites.
Interesting stuff about ice fishing lures! I’ll probably share this with some of my friends. Thanks again for posting it.