Trolling Crankbaits For Walleye in Lake Ontario
Trolling crankbaits for walleye is a must-learn skill for any angler serious about landing big fish. Among all the techniques available for targeting walleye, trolling hard plastics has proven to be one of the most effective—producing trophy-sized catches time and time again. Personally, I’ve caught more massive walleye, ranging from 8 to 13 pounds or more, using crankbaits than with all my other fishing methods combined.
While factors like trolling speed, water temperature, fishing pressure, water clarity, and location can vary, one thing remains constant: trolling crankbaits works. Whether you’re targeting walleye during spring transitions, summer haunts, or fall feeding frenzies, this method consistently delivers results.
Dialing in the Details
While the concept of trolling crankbaits is straightforward, success comes from perfecting the details. Key factors to consider include:
- Speed Control: Walleye are notoriously particular about trolling speed. Most anglers find success between 1.5 and 3.0 mph, but subtle adjustments can make all the difference. A GPS or speed sensor is invaluable for maintaining consistency.
- Depth Targeting: Use dive charts or line counter reels to ensure your crankbaits are running at the correct depth. If fish are suspended at 20 feet in 30 feet of water, make sure your lure is in the strike zone.
- Water Clarity: In clear water, walleye tend to be more cautious, requiring precise presentations. In murky water, they’re less discerning, making it easier to use brighter or bolder-colored baits.
- Tuning Crankbaits: A properly tuned crankbait is essential. It should swim straight and roll consistently. If your lure veers to one side, adjust the eyelet slightly with pliers to correct the action.
The Best Colors for Crankbaits
The effectiveness of trolling crankbaits lies in their ability to cover vast amounts of water while mimicking the movement of baitfish, a primary food source for walleye. This approach allows you to search for active fish across multiple depths and structures, whether they’re feeding near the surface during low-light conditions or holding closer to the bottom in deeper waters.
The rolling side-to-side action of a well-designed crankbait is highly attractive to walleye, triggering their predatory instincts. When trolled at the correct speed and depth, these lures imitate struggling baitfish, presenting an irresistible opportunity for walleye to strike.
Color selection can make or break your day on the water. While trends may vary depending on light conditions, forage, and water clarity, certain color patterns are proven winners for Lake Ontario walleye.
- Clear Water: Natural tones dominate. Black-silver, blue-silver, and green fluorescent mimic the appearance of baitfish like smelt or shiners, enticing even the most wary walleye.
- Stained Water: Bright or high-contrast colors work best. Chartreuse, orange, and firetiger patterns are excellent choices, as they are easier for walleye to detect in reduced visibility.
- Low-Light Conditions: Glow-in-the-dark or UV-enhanced lures can be game-changers during dawn, dusk, or cloudy days.
One of the most important traits of an effective crankbait is its rolling movement. Watch the bait in action. The eyes of a properly designed crankbait should appear to roll up and down as it swims, mimicking an injured or disoriented baitfish. This motion triggers predatory instincts, encouraging walleye to strike.
Walleye Crankbaits on the Move
Every crankbait emits a unique combination of vibrations and sounds as it moves through the water, and many anglers believe these factors can be even more critical than shape or color. Each trolling crankbait behaves differently, and success often depends on identifying the specific action that walleye prefer on a given day.
Experimentation is key. If you’re not catching fish, switch baits and pay attention to how they perform in the water. When testing crankbaits, look for a pronounced whipping action in the tail—a movement that mimics the erratic motion of injured prey. This enticing action can trigger the predatory instincts of even the most cautious walleye, making them hard to resist.
Water Temperatures Determine Crankbaits to Use
The temperature of the water significantly influences which crankbaits will be most effective:
- Below 55°F: In cooler waters, walleye respond best to stickbaits with smaller diving bills and slimmer profiles. These mimic the natural shape and action of cold-water prey, providing a subtle yet effective presentation. Popular choices include:
- Rapalas
- Thundersticks
- Bombers
- Smithwicks
- Husky Jerks
- Reef Runners
- Above 55°F: As water warms and walleye move into deeper parts of the water column, crankbaits with moderate action and larger diving bills excel. These lures produce more flash and vibration, mimicking the energetic movements of baitfish in warmer waters. Top-performing options include:
- Storm Deep Jr. Thundersticks
- Deep Diving Little Ripper Reef Runners
- Rapala Shad Raps
Understanding these seasonal and temperature-driven preferences is crucial for optimizing your lure selection and catching more fish.
Even Wary Fish Can’t Resist
Modern crankbait technology has advanced significantly, incorporating features designed to outsmart even the most cautious walleye. Nearly all major lure manufacturers now add rattle systems to their designs, creating distinctive sounds that can provoke strikes from predators. These rattles simulate the noises made by baitfish, adding an extra layer of realism to your presentation.
But it’s not just the sounds that make today’s crankbaits so effective. Advances in high-definition finishes and 3D detailing have elevated the realism of lures to new heights. Features like:
- Lifelike scales, gills, and fins
- Holographic patterns
- Highly detailed 3D eyes
…combine to create lures that look almost indistinguishable from live bait. This attention to detail doesn’t just attract anglers in the tackle shop—it also entices the wariest walleye into striking.
By combining the right action, sound, and visual appeal, crankbaits can turn even reluctant fish into aggressive feeders, making them an indispensable tool for any walleye angler.
Trolling Speed
Speed is certainly as important as anything. Some days we have trolled 1.3 to 1.6 knots while other days 1.8 to 2.0 and yet some days at 2.0 to 2.4. Sometimes a giant oval pattern of steering instead of a straight line will give you two different speeds when you are trolling crankbaits for walleye. If the slow side gets hits, it will give you an idea of what your walleye crankbait trolling speed should be going in a straight line while trolling crankbaits. The same is true if the fast side produces hits.
Follow the Bait Fish
When it comes to fishing for walleye, one golden rule stands true: follow the baitfish. Baitfish are the lifeblood of the ecosystem, and both trophy walleye and brown trout rely on these schools for sustenance. Just as predatory fish are drawn to structure for cover and ambush points, so too are baitfish attracted to structure for protection and habitat.
The Henderson Harbor area is an angler’s dream, offering an abundance of structure, baitfish, and trophy walleye. Whether it’s rocky points, drop-offs, or submerged vegetation, this area provides the perfect environment for holding both bait and predators. Along with trophy walleye, the diversity of fish species in the region ensures steady action, making trolling crankbaits an exciting and rewarding technique.
If you’re targeting walleye in areas with structure, don’t just aimlessly troll. Focus on identifying bait schools on your sonar and position your crankbaits to mimic their movement. The closer you can get to the baitfish, the better your chances of hooking into big fish.
Other Fishing Techniques
While trolling crankbaits remains one of the most productive methods for catching walleye—especially trophy-sized fish—it’s not the only option. Other effective techniques include:
- Jigging: A classic method for targeting walleye, especially in deeper waters or when fish are holding tight to structure. Vertical jigging with minnows or soft plastics can produce great results.
- Casting: Particularly useful for shallower areas or when walleye are actively feeding near the surface. Use crankbaits, spinnerbaits, or soft plastics for a stealthy approach.
- Trolling with Worm Harnesses: This method excels in warm water, where walleye respond well to live bait presentations. A crawler harness paired with a bottom bouncer can be deadly in areas with rocky or sandy bottoms.
While all of these methods can yield good catches, there’s a consensus among charter captains and pro walleye anglers: if you’re after the biggest fish, crankbaits are the way to go. Noise-making hard baits that produce vibrations, flash, and realistic movements are particularly effective at enticing trophy-sized walleye.
Trolling for Other Species
One of the great advantages of stickbaits is their versatility. These lures, initially designed for walleye, are also highly effective for catching a range of other species, including brown trout, lake trout, northern pike, catfish, and bass. This multi-species functionality makes stickbaits a valuable addition to any angler’s tackle box, especially when fishing in diverse ecosystems like Lake Ontario.
Early in the brown trout season, stickbaits shine in shallow water conditions. Anglers often favor non-diving, smaller-profile stickbaits to target these “football browns.” The subtle action of these lures mimics smaller baitfish near the surface, enticing aggressive strikes from hungry trout.
Trolling Crankbaits and Stickbaits
While crankbaits are a top choice for trophy walleye, stickbaits have their time to shine, especially during spring fishing derbies. Many anglers have landed their biggest brown trout during these events using stickbaits, which offer the perfect combination of vibration, flash, and natural action. These lures can effectively cover a wide range of depths when paired with trolling rigs or lead-core setups, allowing you to adapt to various fishing conditions.
Adding Stinger spoons to your trolling spread alongside stickbaits can further increase your success. The spoons’ erratic wobble complements the steady action of stickbaits, creating a diverse presentation that can trigger strikes from a variety of fish species.
Patience and Persistence
Trolling crankbaits for trophy walleye requires more than just the right bait—it demands patience and persistence. These giants don’t always bite on the first pass or even the tenth, but when they do, the reward is well worth the effort.
Consistency comes from dedication: learning the patterns of the fish, fine-tuning your presentation, and sticking with it even when the bite is slow. Trust in your crankbaits, keep your focus on areas holding baitfish and structure, and stay persistent. Over time, your hard work will pay off with trophy catches that make the effort unforgettable.
By combining your knowledge of baitfish habits, structure, and the effectiveness of crankbaits, you’ll be setting yourself up for consistent success on Lake Ontario’s walleye-rich waters.
Original Article By Captain Bob Dick
About The Author
Captain Bob Dick owns and operates Moby Dick Charters out of Henderson Harbor on Lake Ontario. Captain Bob specializes in sport fishing for trophy walleye, browns, lake trout, king salmon, northern pike and smallmouth bass. He has lived and fished the eastern end of Lake Ontario and tributaries his entire life and is a member of the NYS Outdoor Writers’ Association.
