Walleye bait

[Bigjay73]

What's the best non-live minnow bait for dead sticking while ice fishing for walleye? I'm thinking of doing an overnight on the western slope, no live minnows allowed.

 

[Sask hunter]

In the winter all I have ever used is dead minnows

 

[seeth07]

In the winter all I have ever used is dead minnows

If you are jigging next to it, yup all need most of the time is just a dead minnow hooked thru the back and it's amazing how many fish will grab that instead of your live action bait you are jigging

 

[nastynate]

I'd defer to an ice fishing guru on here as I don't do that a lot, so my 2 cents are coming from fishing under a float on open water, but I would make sure you tie your jig on to make sure it sits horizontally. I like hair jigs or gulp minnow. Those vmc mooneye jigs have a nice big eyeball that I think may make a difference.

In the summer, I'll my nephew's ultralight ugly stick in a rod holder with a gulp minnow (or real one) a few feet off the bottom while he runs around in the boat. Surprising how often you look over to see that thing throbbing...

And after seeing the above responses I was thinking no natural bait at all... but yeah- dead minnows are great too!

 

[Steiny77]

We've caught quite a few on Rapala jigging raps.

 

[Antique0lc]

We catch them on worms and creature baits, or trolled cranks . They always seem to be on the bottom during daylight.

 

[Gellar]

Salted minnow on your dead stick or tip up, jigging rap on your other stick.