The Walleye Nations Creations Reaper is quite simply put, a trophy walleye magnet. This bait was at the epicenter of the incredible trophy walleye bite on Lake Oahe in the fall of 2023, smashing the state record not once but twice.
Fish It Like Nick
“The Reaper does one thing, catch big walleye,” said Nick Harrington, Owner of Lip Ripper Fishing. “If you’re looking for one bait that can entice a giant, the Reaper would be this bait.”
Designed on western Nebraska fisheries, this bait has big water and big fish in mind.
“The walleye fishing in western Nebraska, particularly for big walleyes, is overlooked by many anglers across the region,” explains Harrington. “Big Mac fishes right alongside some of the biggest waters in the country and is driven by alewife to produce some massive walleyes, which is what this bait was made to do.”
The Reaper has a large profile and wide action, combining size, flash, and vibration to fish as one of the biggest baits in the market.
“To anglers who are unfamiliar I would compare the Reaper with the Rapala Deep Tail Dancer, but the combination of flash and vibration makes the Reaper fish even bigger,” compares Harrington. “This isn’t something you put down to catch a limit of 15 inchers, when your rod drops back with a Reaper it’s often a pretty serious critter.”
The Reaper comes in at 4 ½ inches in length, stout size 4 hooks, and dives to over 20 feet when trolled.
“It’s no secret this bait produces giant walleyes,” concludes Harrington. “When you break the South Dakota state record twice in one season, that’s a bait you know gets the big bites.”
Bait Details
Profile: Minnow
Forage Emulated: Smelt, Lake Herring/Ciscoe, Alewife, Perch
Body Composition: Plastic with Rattles
Favorite Waterbodies: Lake Oahe, Lake McConaughy, Merritt Reservoir
Get Geared Up to Catch More Walleye
Want to learn more about the gear we use when targeting walleye? Whether it’s on the Missouri River, Glacial Lakes region of South Dakota, western Nebraska reservoirs, or anywhere else across the Midwest we share our favorite baits and how we fish them on our Getting Geared Up page!
