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

Fantastic Fishing At Melwel Lodge

A father daughter fishing trip for smallmouth bass in Ontario's Algoma Country.

A Fly-in Adventure for Walleye and Pike

Where Comfort Meets Wilderness on Esnagi Lake

WOW Summer Whitefish

Whitefish hit harder in the open water season than in the winter

Ice-out glory 

Fish you can target as soon as the ice leaves the launch

New Horizons

How Fly Fishing Tricked Anglers into Enjoying New Species

Shoreline Strategies

Try These 2 Techniques For Targeting Winter Brook Trout

World Class Walleye

Fishing Day Trips on the Bay of Quinte

Spring Fishing Tips For Any Angler

Increase your chance of fishing success

7 Ways to Land Your Catch

With a little patience and a little know-how, landing fish doesn’t have to be a nail-biting experience.

Musky Mayhem in the Kawarthas

Experience top notch musky fishing on Buckhorn Lake in the heart of the Kawarthas.

Go Vertizontal in Northern Ontario

A World Class Ice Fishing Technique

Spring Has Sprung

Grassroots organizations like the Georgian Triangle Anglers Association have stocked trout in Georgian Bay for over 30 years.

Perfect Fall Fishing

Fishing Bass in Kawarthas & Northumberland

Fish Photos 2

Learn to take bolder photos with these tips!

Coffee, Fish, Repeat

Fishing for Smallmouth Bass and Muskie

Buck Lake Lodge

Fishing Walleye at Witches Nose

Hawk Lake Lodge

Drive-in fishing with giant fish results

Planning for Pike

Start Planning for Trophy Fishing

Lost Lake Bass Blast

Experience Lost Lake Wilderness Lodge and fish on a remote lake filled with Smallmouth Bass.

Chiblow Lake Smallmouth Adventures

The Extreme Angler visits Algoma Country