Live Bait vs. Artificial for Winter Walleye: What Actually Works?

When it comes to walleye fishing, there are a few tried and true methods used to catch a limit for a fish fry. Some people like to stick to the traditional ways of using live bait like worms. Others embrace some of the newer options on the market and swear by using artificial bait for these fish. But which option is best for you when winter rolls in?

When winter hits, water temperatures start to drop. When this happens, walleye metabolisms slow down substantially. They move around less, and they feed less frequently. Because of this, they’re going to prefer smaller, slower-moving prey when they do decide it’s finally time to eat.

In these conditions, walleye typically spend most of their time in deeper pools, main lake basins, and other areas with stable temperatures and oxygen levels. These areas are usually the same places that their prey likes to be in as well, making them ideal spots to look for.

One thing to note here is that it’s not uncommon for walleyes to only feed during small windows of time throughout the day, usually being right at dawn and right at dusk.

All of these factors play into one main concept to keep in mind. Whatever you end up fishing with, you need to keep it slow and small. In winter, walleye are far less likely to chase after their food, and likely won’t go after anything too big since that would be too much work.

There are a lot of different reasons to use live bait for winter walleye, and some great options to pick when the time is right.

Minnows really shine this time of year for walleyes. They will produce subtle tail flicks whether you’re jigging or just dead sticking. Typically, your minnows are going to be an inch or two long, which makes them easy for walleye to feed on without working hard. They also have the benefit of having a natural scent, which, when paired with the subtle movements they make and their smaller profile, creates a winning combo for winter walleye.

When it comes to actually fishing with live bait for winter walleye, there are really two main options. The first is jigging, which all walleye anglers are going to be familiar with. Grab your favorite walleye jig and hook your minnow onto it. Some people hook the bait through the head, while others prefer the back. Both can work, just try not to kill the minnow so that it can still move around and create those subtle movements.

This method works best when you’re finding walleye in some deeper water areas. When jigging, don’t go too crazy with it. All you need to do is some subtle lifts off the bottom with plenty of pausing in between. If you get aggressive with the jigging cadence, you’re more likely going to scare fish away instead of actually catching anything.

Another method to try with live bait is dead sticking. Set-up-wise, this will be pretty much the same as jigging (that said, you can use a regular hook instead of a jig in shallower areas). However, instead of having a jigging cadence, you just set it and forget it.

This is a setup that is most commonly used when walleye are holding to the bottom or are suspended slightly from it. You can set up your presentation to be anywhere from a few inches to a couple of feet off the bottom, depending on where you’re seeing fish holding at.

Live bait can absolutely work well, but so can artificial bait. There are plenty of reasons and scenarios to use artificial instead of live bait for winter walleye.

Even though the bait itself isn’t going to move independently like live bait will, artificial baits still have plenty of movement ability. There are tons of different styles and designs, with many having different limbs and parts that create enticing movement. It’s also a lot easier to maintain a consistent size with artificial bait, whereas minnows are going to vary from scoop to scoop.

Artificial baits are also a lot more durable than live bait. Live bait is usually going to work for one bite (maybe two if you’re lucky). Most soft plastic options are going to last for a much longer period of time, making them more efficient to use. Additionally, many come with scents to help engage that sense for fish.

There are a few great options for soft plastics out there when fishing winter walleye. Minnow style plastics are a great choice, as they’ll imitate wounded shiners, perch fry, and other small baitfish. Fluke style baits can work really well, too, especially for suspended walleye. Small paddle tails are a good option when you want to add a bit more movement to your presentation, rather than just a normal jigging setup. Worm and grub style baits are solid choices, too, as they can imitate some of the smallest prey a walleye will be going after.

As for methods, vertical jigging is again a great option. You can use a variety of different soft plastic styles with jigging, depending on how aggressively the walleye are feeding. Slow dragging the bottom can be another great option for open water conditions, but only use this if you know the walleye are willing to chase after their food more than normal for these conditions. For some of the smaller grub style baits, you can definitely try a hover and stall method, where you basically dead stick the bait and let the natural movement of the water move the smaller appendages on the bait.