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4 Best Minnows for Walleye Ice Fishing

4 Best Minnows for Walleye Ice Fishing

It’s the perfect day for ice fishing. You’re ready to hit your favorite lake and haul in a bunch of walleye.

But what are the best ways to get their attention? What are some of the most effective baits when ice fishing for walleye?

Generally, minnows work best for bringing in the walleye. But there are many different kinds of minnows used as bait. What are some of the best minnows for walleye ice fishing?

Keep reading to find out!

Should You Use Live or Dead Minnows?

live minnow for ice fishing

Most anglers agree that using live bait is the most effective method when fishing for walleye. This is because walleye are not easily fooled and the best way to get their attention is by hooking a live bait fish and allowing it to move around naturally in the water.

That said, there are times when using dead minnows is also effective. Sometimes walleye living in popular fishing spots will become wary of live bait. Instead, they will target dead minnows, perceiving them as less of a threat.

If you’re not sure whether to use dead or live bait, you may want to experiment with both and see what works best for you.

4 Best Minnows for Walleye Ice Fishing

1. Sucker Minnows

Setting up Tip Ups with Big Sucker Minnows for Great Lake Walleyes

Suckers are one of the top bait choices when ice fishing for walleye.

These minnows can be purchased in different sizes depending on the size of the walleye you’re targeting; in most cases, you’ll want to go for 3- to 4-inch minnows, as these will attract a variety of small and medium walleye.

If you’re hoping to catch larger walleye, in the 18- to 30-inch range, go for the 5- to 6-inch sucker minnows.

Suckers are great if you’re using live bait because of their hardiness. If hooked properly, they will last a long time in the water even if the water is cold and they haven’t eaten anything.

Keep your extra suckers in a good-quality bait bucket  when not using them. This will help them stay alive and keep them fresh for when you’re ready to hook them to your line.

As you can see in the video above, live suckers are a great choice for ice fishing tip-ups. Their natural movements in the water will serve to draw in the walleye and will save you from having to constantly jig the line to catch the fishes’ attention.

2. Shiner Minnows

Fishing a Live Shiner Jig

Shiner minnows are another optimal walleye fishing bait. Like suckers, they can be used live or dead. They come in a variety of sizes to fit your particular fishing needs and preferences, though they are most commonly on the smaller side and are mostly used for smaller walleye.

There are several different types of shiner minnows. Some of the ones more commonly used for walleye fishing are golden shiners, emerald shiners, and common shiners.

Shiners are not as hardy as suckers; they won’t last as long when hooked to your line and exposed to near-freezing temperatures. So, if having live bait all day long is important to you, then you might want to go with another type of minnow.

That said, dead shiners work just as well as live shiners at bringing in the walleye. In fact, if you are fishing in a highly-fished body of water, the walleye may have become wary of live minnows and may be more likely to go for the dead ones instead.

Again, keep your extra shiners in a bait bucket when not using them. They may not last the entire day, but you can still use them if they are dead as long as you keep them fresh.

3. Fathead Minnows

Species Profile # 35: The Fathead Minnow (Pimephales promelas)

Fathead minnows are generally small, perfect for targeting small walleye in cold winter waters. Fatheads are one of the most common live baits as they can be used year-round for many different fishing applications.

These tiny minnows only grow to about 3 inches long at most, but don’t let the small size fool you. Their spunky movement in the water is great for bringing in a variety of small and medium-sized walleye.

It is best to use larger fatheads, in the 2- to 3-inch range, when targeting walleye. Smaller fatheads will appeal more to other types of fish, such as perch and crappie.

Fatheads are fairly inexpensive when compared with other types of bait minnows. They are widely available and relatively hardy despite their small size.

By placing them in a quality bait bucket, you should be able to keep your supply of minnows alive throughout most of the day. They will last longer than shiners on the hook provided that you have hooked them properly.

Fatheads are highly active in the water; their furious swimming and darting patterns are enough to attract even some of the most skittish walleye.

4. Chub Minnows

MICRO FISHING: Catching, growing and keeping creek Chubs and minnows for walleye bait

Chub minnows can grow up to a foot long, but they also come in many smaller sizes which are perfect for catching walleye.

It’s best to use chubs that are between 3 and 6 inches, depending on the size of walleye you’re targeting. For ice fishing, smaller is generally better, but you probably won’t want to go much smaller than two inches when targeting walleye.

There are different types of chubs, many of which will work well as bait for walleye fishing. Some of the most commonly used types are creek chubs and redtail chubs.

Though chub minnows are a popular choice, they aren’t as widely available as the other minnow types discussed in this article. For this reason, you may not be able to find them at your local bait shop, and if you do, you can expect to pay a little more for them.

That said, chubs are a favorite meal among walleye, and you can expect to catch a lot of fish when using chubs as bait. If you don’t want to pay the money to buy chubs, you can always attempt to catch them yourself, as shown in the video above.

When ice fishing, keep your chubs in a bait bucket until you need them so they stay fresh. If you are looking to catch large walleye, then chub minnows are one of the best types of bait you can use.