Catching with Confidence

When you dream about catching a big walleye, what bait is tied to your line? I bet it’s one of your “go-to” lures. One that takes up more of your tackle tray space and more of your angling budget than others. Your “confidence bait.” I’ve dreamed about more eight-pound-plus walleye on Rapala Scatter Raps than I can count. I’ve caught a few that way in real life, too. Confidence baits work for reasons that go beyond product quality and innovation. They get in our heads. They inspire hope and excitement. They make us believe that we are truly just one cast, twitch or pass away from a really big fish. That belief means we are more likely to tie them on first. We’re more likely to experiment with them, at different locations, depths and speeds. We’re more likely to be patient and fully focused. Hall-of-fame angler, author and editor Gord Pyzer is one of the most versatile and experienced anglers I know. But even Pyzer, who can break down the technical side of nearly any walleye presentation, gets a twinkle in his eye when discussing the details of one of his top confidence baits. “I’ve probably not ice fished for walleyes at any time over the last decade and not had at least one Jigging Rap tied on at least one rod,” he says. Gord has the details of his confidence bait down to a science. He will tell you how to first use the bait to attract the fish – experimenting with abrupt jigs, free falls and pauses. Then how to trigger – with twitches, nods and shivers. What every detail and response looks like on sonar. And personally tested options for fine-tuning the presentation that go beyond “out of the box” potential. “I almost always remove the treble hook from the belly, attach a Fastach clip and then reattach the treble. When you do this, you can quickly remove the treble, run the shank through the clipped off head of a salted minnow and put it back on the lure.” It’s that level of effort and attention that we give to our confidence baits. And that’s one big reason why they work. Every angler has their own roster of “go-to” baits that have gained favour over time by hooking big fish and cracking tough bites. If you’ve ever wondered what other anglers tie on first, here’s what some accomplished local anglers have to say about their top confidence baits, for both ice fishing and open water: Danny Toth 2014 CWT Angler of the Year My top lure of all time is a #9 Pearl Shad Rap. I have one that is full of puncture holes from large walleye chewing on it. This bait perfectly mimics and resembles the large forage of larger walleyes. It always runs true right out of the box and dives perfectly to 12 feet - where big suspended walleyes strike. Tony Shirley 2015 CWT Angler of the Year One of my all-time favorite presentations for open water walleye has to be the slow death hook. Andrew Klopak 2016 CWT Angler of the Year If there was just one bait, it would have to be a deep diving crank bait. I love trolling Reef Runners. I find that they have the best action to trigger the big girls to commit. Location is key and being able to confidently get the bait in the strike zone is a must. Karen Soke and Lance Marcotte For us, it’s vertical jigging. If we can mark fish on our finders and hold above them, we can usually figure out how to get the walleye to bite. There is no better feeling in the world than to have the confidence in a presentation that has come through for us in numerous tournaments. Mike Davey On open water, it’s a slip bobber and leech for me. When the conditions are right, this is my favorite way to fish. I don’t use the bobber every time, but when I do throw it, more often than not a key fish or two comes in the boat. Wayne Gee I am a jig-fishing man. On the Red River and Pine Falls, you need noise, vibration and flash. I like the Extreme Tackle flasher jigs and the Reel Bait flasher jigs, and I always have a double salted minnow for extra flash and vibration. Eric Labaupa Through the ice, I usually drop a Pearl Gray Shiner patterned Rapala Rippin' Rap first. Most of my walleye ice fishing is done on Lake Winnipeg, and it perfectly resembles the goldeye, tullibee and white bass forage base. Ginette Goulet For ice fishing, my favourite is a Live Target Rattlebait. I can always work it the way I want, to bring in the walleye from far away. David Obirek Late last hard water season, I was introduced to the Lip Ripper jig. I used the yellow 3/8 oz. on Lake Winnipeg and it didn't disappoint. I stayed steady with it the remainder of the ice season and it was an instant confidence booster. Steve Sasaki Rippin’ Raps are my hard water confidence bait – especially the UV Pink colour. When jigged quickly, they list and dart like no other. They are great at mimicking a dying baitfish. Plus, the internal rattles are softer sounding and much different than other rattle baits.