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

Casting and Blasting at Temple Bay Lodge

A grouse hunt & trophy fish paradise.

Spring Walleye

Try These Tips on Your Next Ontario Walleye Fishing Trip

Salmon Fishing

The Michipicoten River is a Sleeper for Chinook

Green Wilderness Lodge

Fishing on Lake Mattagami

Fishing Big Rideau Lake

This is a bucket list fishing in Ontario at a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Terrific Topwater Bass of Lake Onaping

Lake Onaping Lodge in Northeastern Ontario.

Extreme Weather Walleye

Red Pine Lodge located on Ivanhoe Lake and is full of walleye.

Reflections of Borden Lake

The lake is home to walleye, pike, whitefish and smallmouth bass.

Polarized Sunglasses

Why Quality Shades are a Must-Have Piece of Fishing Gear

An Angler’s Perspective on Northern Ontario

Find Your Favourite Fishing Adventure in the North.

Piecing Together the Muskie Puzzle

How looking for loons can lead us to the big fish!

Ice Shelter Saviours

3 Essential Tips For Maintaining Your Shelter This Ice Fishing Season

Cedar Lake Showdown

Cedar Lake, like so many other Ontario waters, is loaded with muskies.

Multi-Species Fly-Fishing

The Top 5 Flies to Have in Your Fly Box.

Beaverland Bass on Marten River

In search of smallmouth bass at a traditional Northern Ontario fishing camp.

Equipment that's NOT Fly Fishing Related

Here are the (often forgotten) items anglers should have in their kit to ensure maximum success.

Plan Your Fishing Success

Fish ON-Line makes planning fishing adventures easy

Take a Kid Fishing!

Make it a really big deal and create future anglers who enjoy the sport as much as you do.

Top 5 Flies for Brook Trout

Favourite fly patterns from The New Fly Fisher

Muskies in Paradise

Lake Nipissing has a reputation for holding some of the largest muskies in Canada.