Shopping for hard baits can be an intimidating experience. There are so many options out there, it can be difficult to find the exact type of baits we need. To make it even more confusing, many of the options look so similar. What’s the difference between a Rapala Shadow Rap and a Rip Stop? Wait, what’s the difference between a Shadow Rap and a Shadow Rap Shad? To help make hard bait shopping easier, I break down all the aspects of selecting the perfect hard bait.
As anglers, when we talk presentation we get so wrapped up in the fun stuff that we can really lose sight of what makes a presentation successful or not. Our favorite question to ask is “what color is working?” Rightfully so, the more colors in our tackle box the more prepared we feel.
What really makes a presentation successful? What makes a particular lure “hot”? Color is just one of the aspects. In fact, it’s one of the least important aspects. Today I’ll break down all the aspects of selecting the perfect hard bait for the situation.
Overview
To make a successful presentation, you need to know your audience. Walleyes by nature do not have the capabilities to really distinguish the fine details of a presentation. They are not your 9th grade English teacher who needs to go through three red pens when you submit your final paper.
Walleye are not looking to make sure the blue properly touches the orange or that there’s not too much black in the presentation. No, they’re looking for a meal that’s worthwhile for them.
When walleye are looking for a meal they are looking for three things. The first is a meal they prefer. If they’re used to keying on shad, the shad is going to be a meal they prefer.
The second is availability. If there is a giant school of bait fish sitting right in-front of them all day, they’ll strike when they feel ready. By contrast, if they have not seen forage for three days the first meal that passes them is going to be viciously attacked!
The third is vulnerability. If a perch is dying right in-front of their face and unable to flee this would be a fish that is highly vulnerable. This means it’s an easy meal and the walleye are likely to strike quickly.
I select my hard baits based on how they play into these three factors walleye use when determining to strike or not. Let’s break it down.
Factor 1: Running Depth
The most important factor when selecting your hard baits is the depth at which they run. I haven’t seen too many walleyes bust a top water over 12 feet of water. That being said, a deep diving lure that gets down to 15 feet isn’t going to work well over submerged weeds in 6 feet of water.
This is easy, especially with the resources at anglers’ finger tips. When selecting our location, we know the types of depths we are going to be fishing. Once we have that information it is easy to know what cranks are going to successfully hit the running depth we need to be successful. Running depths for each individual lure are often printed on the package they come in and they also can be found easily online at the manufacturer’s website.
As anglers, we can manipulate the depth our lures run at through various other methods. A great example of this would be lead core line, that allows us to get lures much deeper than their standard running depth. If the size and profile of baits you’re looking to fish are too shallow to fish the correct depth, know that you’ll need to use one of these methods to obtain your desired depths.
Factor 2: Size
The next factor is size. While muskie anglers may report catching trophy walleyes on 8 inch plus lures and crappie anglers may pull some in on the smallest of crankbaits, there is a sweet spot.
When I’m selecting sizes, I tend to favor going on the slightly larger scale. Again, when fish are deciding if they want to go for the meal it is all about if that meal is worth it for them. When a larger profile bait is sitting in-front of their nose, they’re likely to view that bait worthwhile.
Granted, bigger is not always better. If there is an abundance of small bait fish, this is generally what the fish are going to be keying on. When the fries are all over the water column, the fish may not be looking for the cheeseburgers.
Experiment with sizes to find what the fish want. I spent four years going to school at South Dakota State in Brookings and I was able to pattern one particular lake very well all four years. Of the four years; for three of them, #7 or #9 Shallow Shad Raps were the way to go. Fish rarely favored a #5. My sophomore year was the opposite. I could hardly get any fish to go on the larger sizes, but they were hammering the #5s. This just shows you need to let the fish tell you what they want, not the other way around.
Factor 3: Profile
Profile is where the “names” of lures start to vary for some anglers. There are two main profiles, shad and minnow. The shad profile is shorter and more of a circular shape. These would resemble shad, bluegill or other deeper bodied baits. Anglers are often going to refer to these as “crankbaits”.
Good examples of shad profile crankbaits are going to be just like they sound. Rapala Shad Raps, Berkley Flicker Shads, Phantom Lures VooDoo Shads and other similar baits all fall under this category.
The minnow profile is going to be long and slender. These are going to resemble minnows, smelt, herring, shiners and other similar species. Anglers often refer to these as “jerkbaits”.
Good examples of the minnow profile jerkbaits are again going to be just like they sound. Rapala Husky Jerks, Berkley Flicker Minnows, Phantom Lures Abyss and Smithwick Rogues are all great examples of baits in this category.
Factor 4: Composition/Behavior
Many anglers think that what their bait is called impacts how they fish it. A “jerkbait” you fish with a series of sharp jerks and crankbaits you straight reel and burn it in. There is truth to this, but it’s not rule. Really it comes down to what your bait is made of and this impacts how it behaves in the water.
Balsa baits are going to have their own characteristics. Rapala Shad Raps and Original Rapalas are prime examples of these types of baits. These baits are not going to have rattle chambers, are lighter and float back to the surface when not in motion.
Baits that are made of a hard plastic and are categorized as “suspending” are the opposite of this. These baits are going to suspend in the water column, often have rattle chambers and will have more weight for casting.
When I’m fishing a balsa bait, I know that I have to keep it moving to keep it at the depth I want. I generally fish these at a steady pace, but don’t be afraid to mix in some quick pauses, sharp twitches or speed surges. I like to fish these baits when fish are more active as these are more of my “power” presentations.
When I’m fishing a suspending bait, I can fish it with “power” or more finesse. There is no reason to think you can’t fish a “jerkbait” with a straight retrieve. I do all the time. This also means you can fish a “crankbait” that has suspending properties the same way.
I really hit the ‘vulnerability” when I’m fishing suspending baits. When fish are more neutral or in a negative mood, I go with a suspending bait. This allows me to fish baits slowly and let it hang right in the noses of fish. I may let it sit for five seconds or more. Fish might not be willing to chase, but if a big meal is sitting inches in-front of their nose, it’s hard for them to resist.
Factor 5: Color
We’ve gone this whole way down and we’re finally talking about color. Yes, I did this on purpose. That’s how little you need to factor it into your presentation.
There are days that yes, color seems to matter. It tends to matter more when fishing clear water in clear conditions. The biggest factor it has in fishing is angler confidence. When anglers have confidence in a bait, they fish it differently. They use the best retrieves, they vary their retrieves and they are ready for hooksets.
If you read enough of my articles and watch enough of my videos you’ll find that there are colors I like. This is because these are colors I have confidence in. Yes, they’re fish catching colors, but mainly they’re colors I have experienced the most success.
Custom colors and “hot” colors have some worth, but it’s not the end-all-be-all when it comes to presentation. Make color a factor when selecting your baits, but don’t make it the biggest or only factor.
Factor 6: Particulars
The very fine details are the last to examine. I spent two years experimenting with different hook colors on my hard baits. I experimented with red front hooks, all red hooks, all black hooks and special hooks such as marabou.
I bought multiples of the exact same bait and bought replacement hooks for them. I made sure I had the same hook manufacturer and type to avoid any bias there.
I then took four baits and made them all different. One had original hooks, one had a red front treble, one had both red trebles and one had a hair or other form of attract type rear treble. I fished different baits on different days so a certain one wouldn’t get more “prime time” action than others. I took careful notes on hours in the water and fish and size of fish caught.
The results of this study I did were, well to put it nicely, blah. When I had good fishing, I had good fishing on all the baits. When fishing was poor, I had had poor fishing on all the baits. You need to keep in mind, factors 1-5 all were the same. This was simply an experiment for my sixth factor. The results of this show the fine details of your presentation are much less important than the main factors.
Don’t fret over the fine details of your presentation. The walleye don’t. It’s their opinion that matter most anyways. Good fishing!
Related Readings
I mentioned that color was the 5th factor I evaluated when looking at crankbaits and I feel this is not one of the major factors you should use to determine your bait selection. I elaborate on this discussion and evaluate three case studies in Does Color Matter to Walleye?
Location is critical for finding success any time of the year, but it is critical in the fall. Find out where to look for your next touchdown in Staying in the Red Zone for Trophy Fall Walleye.
In the fall, it is difficult to go “too big” when it comes to finding trophy caliber fish. Find out how I target these trophies in Over-sized Baits for Over-sized Fall Walleye.
Related Videos
In the first video, I detail the type of structure you are looking for fall walleyes on.
In the second video, I discuss my two favorite lures and when I select each one.
In the third video, I discuss how to increase the life of your crankbaits and fish them the most effectively!
In the fourth video, we discuss the importance of knowing the specifications of your lures and how to make sure all your components are correct.
In the fifth and final video, we discuss the variety of other lures available on the market that can be effective in catching walleye.
