The 3 Best Baits For Northern Ontario Walleye

Use these baits to help you catch Ontario's favourite fish species no matter the depth and time of year with open water.
angler fishing ontario walleye

So, you booked your angling vacation to a Northern Ontario fishing lodge and they have an abundance of walleye.

What baits should you consider essential? 

The following walleye bait recommendations will help you catch those golden bars at any depth and at any time of year there's open water.

anglers fishing ontario walleye

Northern Ontario walleye are not hard to catch, they really are easy especially when you have the guidance and experience of a lodge guide showing you the ropes and putting you on the walleye and offering you some intel on how to find them on your own the rest of your trip if that is your choice. Lodge guides are priceless and help you save a ton of time locating walleye. This is your vacation, right?

Treat yourself to the experience and knowledge of these guides, that is how they make a living and they will indeed put you on the fish.

angler fishing ontario walleye

1. Ball Head Jig

walleye jighead

Our number one bait for walleye is the simple yet effective ball head jig. Sizes from one-eighth to three eight ounces are standard depending on time of year, lake or rivers you are fishing and walleye location. Jig colour options are your choice but orange, chartreuse, pink and purple are hot almost everywhere across Ontario regardless of water clarity. Tip these jigs with a leech, nightcrawler or minnow and your set.

2. Curly-tailed Grub

walleye curly-tailed grub

Number two, a three to four-inch curly-tailed grub, simple yes, but deadly on walleye. You can vertically jig these baits, hop and crawl them off bottom or simply cast and slowly retrieve them and walleye will eat them. Again, colour options are your choice and what gives you confidence. Yellow, white, chartreuse and black tones are some of my favs. 

3. Crankbait Or Jerkbait

walleye crankbait

And lastly, a three-inch minnow-shaped hard crankbait or jerkbait will find walleye fast and make them bite. Depending on the depths the walleye are located, you can troll these baits, cast and twitch them or simply cast them and reel them back to the boat and walleye will find them. A great option when fishing new lakes or rivers and locating the most active walleye.

Remember, Northern Ontario walleye are NOT hard to catch.

Find them, catch them, and enjoy eating them.

About Karl Kalonka

It's possible Karl's love for fishing began as early as the age of five. His parents took the kids on weekend trips across Ontario fishing for panfish, catfish, and bass. "I started with a bobber and worm from the time I was five years old," says Karl. These days, he has the enviable task of doing what he loves for a living, travelling across Ontario fishing, filming and producing two outdoor series, Extreme Angler and Crappie Angler TV.

Recommended Articles

Beyond the Walleye: Cracking the Code on Timiskaming’s Coffee-Coloured Giants

High-tech sonar and pink lures uncover a world-class smallmouth fishery.

World-Class Fishing and Wild Wonders of Timmins

Where trophy walleye are found within city limits and wilderness adventures include sleeping with the wolves.

The Pipestone Foursome: Unlocking the Multi-Species Treasure Trove of Cedar Island Lodge

From explosive topwater smallmouth to rare northern largemouth and deep-dwelling lakers, the diversity of Northwest Ontario is put to the ultimate test.

Top Ranked Flies For Catching Brown Trout

How to set up a fly rod, pick streamers, and catch some trout.

Catching Ontario Walleye

Pro Tips for Bait and Walley Presentations

Ten Mile Lake Lodge

Enjoy Northern hospitality fishing for splake, brook trout and lake trout

Don’t Be Afraid Of Muskies

Muskies are fish of 10,000 casts and are found in large bodies of water in Northwestern Ontario.

The Tigers of Sunset Country

The most picturesque of all freshwater fish.

Top 5 Baits for Smallmouth and Largemouth Bass

What baits do you use to target bass? Find out why these 5 are the best!

Hidden Musky Gems

The Musky Hunter shares 3 favourite musky hot spots across Ontario.

Nipigon Brook Trout

Experience some high caliber trout fishing in Northwestern Ontario.

20 Years With Fish TV!

Fish TV discusses their favourite Ontario catches

Fishful Dreams Do Come True

Landing my favourite species on back-to-back casts at Cedar Lake Camp

Sun Trout and Ice

Algoma's Elliot Lake for days of Sun and catching Trout on the Ice.

Lake Temagami Fishing

Sharpshooting Trophy Lake Trout At Loon Lodge.

Musky Mayhem in the Kawarthas

Top notch musky fishing on Buckhorn Lake can be found in the heart of the Kawarthas.

The Eyes Have it

How to Use a Natural Resource as Bait

Manitoulin Island Fishing

Lake Huron offers a wide variety of freshwater species

Eagle Lake Fall Muskies

Discover why in the late fall Eagle Lake is a prime location to catch giant muskies in Sunset Country.

Keeping You In the Fishing Game

Tips For What To Have On Your Boat