The Best Walleye Lures: Top 8 Baits of 2024 Ranked and Reviewed

For the past few decades, swimbaits have become a staple for catching walleye, but not until the introduction of the Pulse-R have anglers had a swimbait that kept its amazing action at a slow speed, allowing the angler to crawl this bait slowly on the bottom while still generating plenty of movement. While working the Pulse-R at super slow speeds, the tail actually rotates a full 180 degrees on the kick. Another great feature of this soft-plastic lure design is the unique ribbed body – all of the individual ribs move in the water, creating tons of vibration for the lure’s size. The Pulse-R, the first of our best walleye lures, is also available in a whopping 24 different color patterns.

Our second soft plastic pick is another offering from the B-fish-N lure line and looks very similar to the Pulse-R with one major difference – the tail. The Moxi features the same ribbed body design and a thin profile, but it has a longer and curly styled tail, which not only creates eye-catching movement, but it also thumps in the water, creating a massive vibration that fish just have to come and investigate. Available in 18 different color patterns and proven with years of research and development, this soft plastic offering is sure to improve your walleye fishing.

The Berkley GULP! Minnow has been our go-to soft plastic for years and is one of the best walleye lures out there. It is the closest imitation to actual live bait, thanks to the liquid scent it is packed in, and the soft but ultra-durable feel. Put one of these on a jig or even troll it, and leave the bucket of live bait at home! The GULP! Minnow comes in 2.5-inch, 3-inch, and 4-inch versions and 9 different colors.

The Rapala Rippin Rap has had a surge in popularity when it comes to catching walleye through the ice. With a lipless and deep belly design, this bait was made to rip, swim and crank. When this bait is ripped vertically it flutters to the bottom thanks to its skinny-sided design. With an insanely hard thumping/vibrating action and the BB rattle chamber, the Rippin Rap will call the walleyes from far and wide beneath the ice, and they will come to investigate. Great for stained water, where a particular noise and vibration can sometimes make the difference, but also effective in clear water. Run this thing at any depth, and when you do hook into that hawg walleye have no fear, the lure has fast-piercing VMC hooks and that fish isn’t going anywhere! There’s a full range of Rapala walleye lures that all catch fish and this is one of the best.

The Macho Minnow is a very effective spoon that can be fished on the ice. It’s an amazing lure for catching walleye and other species. The Macho Minnow also works great for perch, crappies (see here for our top crappie lures), pike, bass, and trout as well!

Using the Macho Minnow with a “Lift-Fall” approach, the Macho Minnow will fall with an erratic tumbling and darting fashion, creating the appearance of a distressed or wounded baitfish, this will also cause a clicking noise from the kicker tail which will also produce a lot of flashes, not just from the tail but also from the holographic baitfish pattern on the body. Another tip for using this bait that can be very effective is to tip the hook with some form of live bait – minnow heads, waxies, mousies, or use the Northland Tackle minnow head and perch-eye imitation plastics. Just be sure not to impede the action of that kickertail!

The Rapala Jigging Rap is perhaps the most famous and commonly used lure to catch walleyes not only through the ice but in recent years for vertical jigging during the open water season as well. This lure should be in every walleye angler’s arsenal. The rear-angled fin on the tail of the Jigging Rap makes the lure swing out and hop and glide in a circular fashion with an incredible one-of-a-kind appearance that fools even the wariest of walleyes. This action excels in open water, but the bait also performs extremely well as a bottom bouncer in a yo-yo fashion, kicking up silt and triggering bottom-hugging walleyes to strike.

With multiple sizes varying from 1¼ “ to 3½”, you have a lot of wiggle room depending on what the fish want. The Jigging Rap is available in a whopping 26 colors.

The Deep Down Husky Jerk is an excellent choice when you need a deep-running crankbait. Thanks to its oversized deep diving lip, this lure can reach depths of 20 feet when trolled and up to 10 feet while casting. This lure is perfect if you want a crankbait presentation that runs straight and true, even when running it fast and deep in the water column.

This lure always features neutral buoyancy which allows the user to pause the bait and the lure will remain suspended, neither falling nor rising. The Deep Down Husky Jerk also has an internal rattle chamber, creating a loud and rhythmic attraction that calls out to all fish in the area. Each lure is tank tested and tuned to ensure it runs perfectly true on the water and includes premium quality and razor-sharp VMC hooks.