(Special thanks to Minnesota guide Nick Cekalla for sharing this helpful info)

First things first, you need to understand the seasonal movements of both walleye and baitfish if you want to find and catch fish consistently this time of year.

THE FALL WALLEYE TRANSITION

When water temperatures are in the 50’s and folks are starting to pull their docks out of the water, you know you’re in for some of the best trolling of the entire year. The walleyes are following bait as they move from the basin into the shallow areas near the shorelines. Following the fish as they make the migration to these shallow fall locations can be critical.  

As a rule of thumb, a large population of walleyes live out on deep structure (15-30 feet) during the summer months. Once we get into the late summer/early fall period, those fish begin transitioning up towards shallow water, which is eventually where you will find them again in late fall.

The tricky part is finding them when they are in the between areas.

During the transition, one spot that usually holds walleyes is sand or rock that’s somewhere between their summer haunts and the fall locations we spoke about earlier. The biggest key indicator is the presence of baitfish.

Often times, these rocky or sandy flats can be vast in size, so you’ll need to cover a lot of ground to find the productive water. Once you’ve found the areas with baitfish, you know the walleyes are likely present or will be showing up very soon. Some of these transition areas will hold baitfish before they are pushed up to the shorelines.

I know you’re probably thinking, “Hey! I thought this article was going to be about fall TROLLING TIPS for walleyes, not location!”

Well, hold tight, because location is the very important first step if you want to have success with fall trolling.

You can watch this video for the same information if you prefer watching to reading:

DAYTIME MOVEMENT PATTERNS

It is not just understanding how these fish are moving seasonally from their deep summer haunts up to some of the more traditional fall spots, but it is also critical to understand how these fish move throughout the day.

Often times, fall walleyes are going to be off the steeper edges in the morning and during the daytime hours. Once we get into the evening and the nighttime hours, they move to the tops of the breaks. Simply, they make this move because that’s where the baitfish is during the low light period.

Baitfish is critically important because in fall, walleyes are actively gorging themselves in preparation for winter – find the buffet, find the walleye!

FALL TROLLING WALLEYE BAITS & TACTICS

First, let’s look at some baits and trolling tips for the early weeks of fall.

When the walleyes are just beginning their fall transition and are still mostly located out in the basin areas, some of the best lures options include #5 and #7 shad-shaped crankbaits.

You can also have a ton of success trolling deeper diving crankbaits like the Northland Rumble B or the Rumble Stick. These bait have a more erratic action compared to the shad style baits. They move a lot more, which displaces more water, and sometimes, that’s what the fish keying in on.

Next, let’s dig into the shallower trolling strategies you might use near shorelines or on expansive flats.

In these conditions, the #5 shads really shine. Target the break lines that are adjacent to the big feeding flats. The bait will run around 10 feet down and is a great option for controlled contour trolling. It’s a great overall crankbait for shallow water when temperatures are in that 60-65 degree range.  

As you get deeper into fall and water temperatures get into the 50’s, you switching to a minnow-shaped crankbait will help you catch more walleyes. They have a slower, subtle rolling action that the fish can’t resist in chilly water.

That’s a fairly simply, yet effective system for fall trolling walleyes.

When the fish are out in the basin, you can lean heavy on the Rumble B’s. Once they move in towards the shorelines, the Rumble Shads becomes extremely effective. And finally, when the water temperatures start to really plummet, the minnow-shaped crankbaits become a secret weapon, trolled in shallow water on shoreline structure.

CRANKBAIT TROLLING SPEED

One of the biggest keys to getting bit this time of year while trolling crankbaits is having your speed dialed-in correctly.

Most folks want to know about the “magical best speed” you should be running your baits, but the plain and simple truth is finding the best speed is a game of trial and error. The best speed can vary from day to day or even hour to hour, so play around until you get the fish to bite.

If you are going 2.5mph and they are creaming your bait, keep it up – don’t slow down! The faster you go, the more water you’re covering and the more walleyes you will contact. That said, if they aren’t biting, you might need to slow down, sacrificing efficiency for strikes.

Typically, in late summer, you are trolling the basins in the 2.1 to 2.4mph range. Once you fully transition into fall and water temps continue to drop, you should continue dropping your speed lower and lower.

In fall, fish are gorging themselves and eating a lot of baitfish, but they aren’t willing to move as quickly for your bait as their metabolism drops.

In the 60-degree temperature range, you’ll want to be around 2.0mph. Below that, 55 degrees and lower, you’ll start slowing all the way down into that 1.4mph range for night trolling minnow crankbaits.

That said, don’t take any of this as LAW. As we mentioned before, the biggest key to finding the best trolling speed is simply trial and error. Slow it down, speed it up. Figure out what those fish want on that particular day.

Instead of listing a bunch of lures and adding some weak information, we’re going to go ultra in-depth on five of the very best spoons you NEED in your tackle box this winter.

We’re going to talk about why I like these specific lures, how you need to use them to have success, and we’re also going to share some underwater footage of each of these lures in action, breaking down the idiosyncrasies that you need to understand to catch fish with these spoons.

You can continue reading below for the full write-up, or you can watch the video version of the same content – regardless, any product links will be available just below the video:

1. Buck-Shot Spoon ▹ Amazon ▹ FishUSA
2. Leech Flutter Spoon ▹ Amazon ▹ FishUSA
3. Swedish Pimple ▹ Amazon ▹ FishUSA
4. Glo-Shot Spoon (Fire Belly) ▹ Amazon ▹ FishUSA
5. Glo-Shot Spoon (Flutter) ▹ Amazon ▹ FishUSA
6. Freedom Minnow Spoon ▹ Amazon ▹ FishUSA

First and foremost, you need to understand that there are two distinct categories of spoons – vertical spoons and fluttering spoons. There will to be some hybrids spoons have characteristics of both, and there will also be some oddball spoons that are just completely different.  

Here’s more info on the two categories:

VERTICAL SPOONS

Vertical spoons, as you would expect, are fished vertically. They might flop around a little bit, but overall, they are going to stay up-and-down directly underneath your hole. Many variations of vertical spoons have rattles or some sort of glowing mechanism to draw fish in from a distance, but you will find some that are more finesse and don’t have the extra attractants.

FLUTTER SPOONS

Flutter spoons – conversely – have a lot more action and flutter away from the hole as they fall through the water column. This unique action will call fish in from a distance and can also cover water as it travels outside of the cone angle of your flasher.

With either category of spoon, you’re going to seal the deal in a similar fashion. Once a walleye comes to take a look, you will slow down your presentation and shimmy/shake the lure to entice a bite. Sometimes, it’s a minnow head on the bottom treble, other times, it’s a feathered treble or some other trick that elicits the strike. 

Okay, now that you understand the two primary categories of walleye spoon, let’s jump into our first pick:

NORTHLAND BUCK-SHOT RATTLE SPOON

▹ Amazon ▹ FishUSA

Let’s start out with a vertical spoon. One of my absolute favorites is of course the classic buck-shot spoon.

This thing has been around forever, and it’s a tried-and-true fish catcher.

You can fish this bait efficiently because it gets down in a hurry with its slim profile. Once it is down there, you want to shake it hard!

One mistake I see a lot of people make is that they do not give the spoon enough action. It has brass rattles on the inside and the more you shake them, the more the fish are going to be attracted to your hole.

You want to get your wrist really moving – that’s going to create the most noise, which will call fish in from a distance.

Of course, once the fish is underneath your hole and looking at your bait, you want to slowly shake it and work it upwards.

You have the aggressive approach pull the fish in, then you are sealing the deal with something that is less aggressive. As you raise the fish up-and-up, the fish will follow the bait. If you think about the vantage the walleye is looking at your lure (from underneath), the profile is going to look quite small compared to the sideways view. That’s one of the reasons this spoon gets bit when the bite is tough.

This is one of my most productive spoons, no matter what species I’m chasing – but especially for walleyes.

LEECH FLUTTER SPOON

▹ Amazon ▹ FishUSA

Next on the list is a walleye spoon that falls into the “flutter” category – the leech flutter spoon.

You’ll want to drop this bait down on a slick line (free-fall), which will allow it to flutter several feet away from the hole. You are covering as much distance as you can right away.

Chances are, it’s going to flutter so far away from your hole that you will not see it on your traditional 2D sonar cone angle.

Once it reaches bottom, you’re going to lift it up, then let it fall again. Rinse-and-repeat, letting the spoon flutter all over the place. This allows you to cover more water when you’re jigging in one isolated location. You’re covering a larger surface area vs. just the small little patch of bottom just below the hole.

The flashing and fluttering action is going to call fish in, but it’s the profile of the lure, the color and the “finishing” on the treble hook that’s going to seal the deal for you.

I’m a big fan of the feathered treble that comes stock on this spoon. It has excellent action as it undulates in the water. In a lot of cases, you can fish this spoon without a minnow head thanks to the feather.

I would love to see more bait manufacturers use the feathered trebles on their spoons, but you can always add them yourself.

The Leech Flutter Spoon also comes with a little snap, which comes in handy.

I’m a big fan of using snaps with my walleye spoons spoon during the ice fishing season. I feel like it gives the lure some extra action. It’s also nice to not have to re-tie every time you want to change spoons – especially when it’s extra-cold outside.

Those are a couple nice premium add-ons that make this bait fishable right out of the box.

They come in some cool, unique colors, including some wild “glow” options. They have metallic spoons, too, if you are fishing in clear water.

BAY DE NOC SWEDISH PIMPLE

▹ Amazon ▹ FishUSA

Next up, we’re going with an oldie but goodie.

There have been many spoon introduced over the past several decades that catch a lot of fish. Some were extremely popular back in the day, but you don’t hear much about them anymore… and it’s not because they do not catch fish anymore.

Anything that caught fish 40 years ago, 60 years ago, 70 years ago, will probably catch fish today.

The reason you don’t hear about them anymore is because there aren’t big companies spending thousands of dollars to market them on social media or on television. They still catch fish though!

One of those lures is the Swedish pimple.

Many of you have probably used this spoon before, but if you are new to walleye fishing and you haven’t given it shake, I would highly recommend picking up a few and trying them out.

This lure has a subtle fluttering action. It’s not going to get quite as far away from the hole as some of your more traditional flutter spoons, but it gives you a little extra flash and vibration to call fish in from a distance.

Additionally, it has a nice slender profile that does an excellent job of imitating a small minnow, which is perfect for when you are trying to elicit a walleye strike!

The Swedish Pimple also has the small flappers just above the treble hook, which is going to create some additional noise and action, which might get you a few more bites.

I am a huge fan of the Swedish Pimple, and I’ll use it throughout the ice fishing season – from first ice to last ice. It might be old, but it still catches fish!

NORTHLAND GLO-SHOT SPOONS

Fire Belly: ▹ Amazon ▹ FishUSA

Flutter: ▹ Amazon ▹ FishUSA

One thing that I like to do when I am selecting walleye spoons is pick something that is going to work well in a VERY specific situation.

I have been experimenting with lures that have glow sticks in them

My verdict: They can be extremely effective in low light periods. Whether it’s sunrise, sunset, or night fishing.

By far, my favorite baits have come from Northland’s Glo-Shot series. They have a good profile – which is key. Some of the other glow lures on the market have bulkier builds that don’t look as appetizing in the water.

I am not knocking any other company, but Northland has this program dialed in. For example, the Fire-Belly Spoon looks almost identical to the Buck-Shot spoon, which is a proven fish catching profile.

Instead of rattles, it has a glow stick.

Northlands has a few different color options, too. Their yellow sticks fall into the middle of the spectrum from brightness. Green is very, very bright, and red is a lot more mellow.

Red is going to work better is clear water, whereas you might find more success with green in darker, dirtier water dirty. The yellow sticks are the happy medium that can work in many situations. Choose your glow stick color based on the water that you are fishing.

They also have a fluttering glow spoon option.

Like I said before, where these glow baits really shine, no pun intended, is when you are fishing the low-light periods or water that’s darker and dingier – places where walleyes have a hard time zeroing in on your spoon.

Depending on which profile you use (flutter spoon vs. vertical spoon), you are going to fish them differently. With the Fire-Belly Spoon I like to fish it similarly to the way I fish the Buck-Shot Spoon.

With the flutter option, I am going to fish it the same way I’d fish the Leech Flutter Spoon. Different strokes for different profiles and actions.

FREEDOM MINNOW SPOON

▹ Amazon ▹ FishUSA

Last on the list of my top 5 walleye spoons for ice fishing is something straight out of left field.

Chances are, you’ve never tried the Freedom Minnow Spoon – in which case, you’re missing out!

What’s interesting about this spoon is that it looks nothing like any of the other lures we’ve talked about so far on this list.

It’s action is completely different. It does completely different things.

The spoon itself has an s-shaped body and has a shaft going up the middle of the bait. There is a bead above and below where you tie onto the bait. The beads create a little extra noise call fish to your hole.

While most flutter spoons rip straight up and then flutter away from the hole, this bait does the opposite. It almost fishes more like a Jigging Rap, Puppet Minnow or Shiver Minnow style lure.

It jumps away from the hole on the up-rip, then flutters back to center.

It’s a unique look that you won’t find in many baits.

It creates a lot of flash and vibration, calling fish in from a distance.

If you’ve used a Jigging Rap, you might be tempted to put the minnow head on the front treble hook, but that would be a mistake. First of all, you don’t necessarily NEED to use meat with this spoon, but if that’s your preference, then you need to put it on the back hook.

If you add the minnow head to the front treble, it’s going to mess up the action. Also, when you mark a fish and you are working it upwards, back of the spoon is going to be tipping downwards towards the fish, so that’s when you want the chunk of meat to sit.

It has a couple different line-tie locations, whether you want to fish the spoon vertically or horizontally.

The Freedom Minnow Spoon is a cool option you might want to check out if you’re looking for something that almost nobody is using on your favorite lake.

BEST WALLEYE SPOON COLORS

If you’re new to walleye fishing through the ice, you probably have no idea which sizes and colors you need in your tackle box. Here’s a few quick rules of thumb:

More often than not, you won’t go wrong with a 1/8th ounce spoon.

If you are fishing a vertical spoon like the Buck-Shot, you may want to up-size to a 1/4th ounce size. It’s a little bit bigger, a little bit louder, and it will call fish in a little bit better. But the profile isn’t too bulky for when you’re trying to get a walleye to strike.

With any other spoon, it’s going to depend on how big the walleyes are that you’re targeting, and the forage in the system. For example, I love using 1/8th ounce spoons on Red Lake (smaller walleyes), especially when the water is on the clearer side, but on fisheries like Lake Winnipeg (giant walleyes), the best anglers are using massive lures.

Another time I’ll use bigger baits: The fish are a lot more aggressive on early ice and late ice when there’s more oxygen in the water.

But once you get into mid-winter, it’s cold and the fish are lethargic. That’s when an 1/8th ounce spoon is going to be a staple. I’ll even consider downsizing to a 1/16th ounce on some occasions, which is a size most would only consider for catching perch through the ice.

On the topic of color, I like to use metallic silver and metallic gold in clear water, and then brighter colors or glow options in dirtier conditions. But that said, do not rule out bright colors in clear water, especially the gaudy UV colors.

Pink UV is probably my #1 color on Mille Lacs Lake.

Can’t say I know why it works so well, but it’s a walleye killer!

Hopefully this writeup had enough information to help you decide which walleye spoons to buy this winter. Everybody has their own favorites, but I like to experiment with new stuff and see if I can’t find that next “magic” bait before the masses.

When I find the next best walleye spoon, I’ll make sure to let you know here!

Best of luck this winter