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Because walleye are predators, the walleye baits you will want to use are slightly different than with many other fish. Also, certain conditions in the walleye themselves make your choice of baits more important. There are some special aspects and well known habits of walleye that, if you are aware of them, you can have a lot more luck in fishing for them.

First of all, walleye baits should be geared towards the special eyesight of the walleye. Note that, unlike some fish, walleye don’t hunt by smell; these predators have an incredible sense of sight by which they track down food. This is due to the membrane behind their retinas that cause their eyes to look milky and glassed over, as though they were actually blind. Instead, this gives them an advantage in brilliant sun, allowing them to reflect light they don’t need that would blind other fish. At the same time, in very dark places, where other fish would not be able to see, this membrane helps to filter in every bit of light possible, allowing walleye to see their prey when it cannot be seen in return. Therefore, if you have large enough walleye baits (but not too large to fit in their mouths), as well as brightly colored lures (chartreuse and any kind of neon colors work well), you are more likely to catch walleye, especially in deep or murky waters or when it’s dismal out or dark.

Another special provision you’ll notice when catching walleye is that they have incredibly sensitive nerve endings lining the sides of their bodies, which allow them to feel any sort of vibration made by small fish nearby. This means that your walleye baits, especially if you are bottom bouncing or have a spinner, can create those vibrations and attract walleye very clearly. These conditions make it easy to target walleye over other fish because other fish don’t have the same sensitive eyes and nerves as this species and won’t catch onto your fishing tactics.

Note that recently hatched walleye will feed on things like plankton before moving up to insects and other small aquatic life, and larger fish will go for minnows, other small fish, worms, or just about anything that fills their stomachs. If you want to target the larger of the species (at least six to ten inches in length), your walleye baits should consist of minnows rather than any kind of insect. Walleye of this size will eat like they are starving, feeding their need to grow at a rapid rate. In fact, even fully mature walleye will eat like crazy because they continue to grow throughout their lifespan and need to nutrients to maintain that growth.