The Rundown
Best Overall: Rapala Jigging Rap (click to view)
“The Jigging Rap works as both finesse and searching bait. Its wide range of actions gives anglers the ability to switch their style up when fish are being difficult.“
Best Premium Option: LIVETARGET Golden Shiner (click to view)
“The Golden Shiner features lifelike profile and details. Its vibrations can be sensed by fish far away and forces them to come to investigate.”
Best Budget Option: Acme Kastmaster Spoon (click to view)
“The Kastmaster Spoon is precision machined and won’t bend, break, or rust. It’s an inexpensive, effective and durable option.”
Ice fishing for walleye can be a feast or famine endeavor. From locating the fish to enticing them to bite, some days are more complicated than others. With the right lures, though, you can increase your success rate, get more consistent hookups, and call fish in from farther away.
You want to look for lures that have a way to both calls in fish and tempt them into striking. Lures that you can work with a variety of actions are also excellent choices.
There are many walleye lures on the market, and narrowing your choices to the best options can be tricky. So we’ve put together this list to help you make an informed buying decision and know which lure is tailored for you.




What Is The Best Ice Fishing Lure For Walleye?
Top 8 Ice Fishing Lures
Best Overall
Best Premium Option
Best Budget Option
Acme Kastmaster Spoon
Precision machined and won’t bend, break, or rust
Erratic action without line twist
Best Live Bait Jig
Northland Thumper Jig
Baitfish paint job and realistic 3D eyes
Ultra-sharp hooks for consistent hook sets
Best Flutter Lure for Walleye
Custom Jigs And Spins Pro Series
Bent spoon design gives crazy flash and flutter
Works whether tipped with bait or not
Best for Covering the Most Area
Best Hybrid Lure
Best Sinking Spoon
Clam Leech Flutter Spoon
Erratic sideways motion on upwards pulls
Feathered tail for extra attraction
Table of Contents
Best Ice Fishing Lures
- Best Overall: Rapala Jigging Rap
- Best Premium Lure: LIVETARGET Golden Shiner
- Best Budget Lure: Acme Kastmaster Spoon
- Best Live Bait Jig: Northland Thumper Jig
- Best Flutter Lure for Walleye: Custom Jigs And Spins Pro Series
- Best for Covering the Most Area: VMC Tingler Spoon
- Best Hybrid Lure: Lindy Rattl’n Flyer Spoon
- Best Sinking Spoon: Clam Leech Flutter Spoon
Rapala Jigging Rap
Best Overall Walleye Ice Fishing Lure: The one lure that can do it all, with a variety of motions and sizes for even the pickiest walleye.

Check Price on Amazon
KEY FEATURES
- Most versatile lure in actions
- Works as both finesse and searching bait
- Durable and powerful construction
The Jigging Rap is one of the best-designed, most versatile ice fishing lures available. Acting as a searching lure and a finesse lure, the wide range of actions gives anglers the ability to switch their style up when fish are being difficult. Overall, it’s the one lure every walleye angler should have in their arsenal.
CLICK TO SEE MORE
LIVETARGET Golden Shiner
Best Premium Walleye Ice Fishing Lure: Most realistic lure you can find.

Check Price on Amazon
KEY FEATURES
- Lifelike profile and details
- Internal rattles for added attraction
- Sinks quickly to imitate fleeing baitfish
The LIVETARGET Golden Shiner is a fantastic choice for walleye anglers, thanks to its incredibly powerful rattles and lifelike attention to detail in the design. The vibrations of the lure can be sensed by fish far away and forces them to come to investigate. Overall, it’s a perfect choice for anglers looking to force walleye to go in and smoke their lures.
CLICK TO SEE MORE
Acme Kastmaster Spoon
Best Budget Walleye Ice Fishing Lure: A tried and true classic that produces any time of year for any species.

Check Price on Amazon
KEY FEATURES
- Finish that doesn’t diminish over time
- Erratic action without line twist
- Precision machined and won’t bend, break, or rust
Spoons are an angler’s best friend, and nearly everyone has one or two in their tackle box. Inexpensive, durable, and effective, a good spoon is an essential tool to have with you ice fishing for walleye.
CLICK TO SEE MORE
Northland Fishing Tackle Thumper Jig
Best Live Bait Jig: Perfect for baiting live minnows, this lure adds the flash and weight you need to attract big walleye.

Check Price on Amazon
KEY FEATURES
- Flutter blade adds flash to your bait
- Baitfish paint job and realistic 3D eyes
- Ultra-sharp hooks for consistent hook sets
Sometimes live bait brings in the biggest walleye, but only the best jig heads consistently provide results. This one from Northland Tackle securely fastens your bait to it, provides extra flash and action, and consistently sets hooks when others may fail.
CLICK TO SEE MORE
Custom Jigs And Spins Pro Series Slender Spoon
Best Flutter Lure For Walleye: The ultimate lure for flash and flutter, great for calling in fish from a long way away.

Check Price on Amazon
KEY FEATURES
- Bent spoon design gives crazy flash and flutter
- Super sharp VMC treble hook
- Works whether tipped with bait or not
Walleye can be called in with flashy lures, and this Slender Spoon provides all that you could need. Its fluttery movement underwater is hard to resist for them as well, and even big walleye will come in and crush the lure. Overall it’s a solid choice in any water condition, thanks to the myriad colors and patterns available.
CLICK TO SEE MORE
VMC Tingler Spoon
Best For Covering The Most Area: A lure that defies gravity and falls longer than any other, making it an ideal target for longer.

Check Price on Amazon
KEY FEATURES
- Super slow falling action
- Stays in the strike zone longer
- 3D eye and a super sturdy hook
Walleye tend to strike on the falling action of your lures, so a lure like the Tingler Spoon that falls slower is a great choice. With a ton of flash, a ton of flutter, and a wide sweeping motion, the lure covers a ton of ground around your hole and will attract fish to you. It’s an excellent choice for enticing big walleye to strike for an easy meal.
CLICK TO SEE MORE
Lindy Rattl’n Flyer Spoon
Best Hybrid Walleye Ice Fishing Lure: The best of both worlds wrapped up in a fluttering, rattling, gliding lure.

Check Price on Amazon
KEY FEATURES
- Winged body design
- Integrated rattles and gliding movement
- Glow eyes and ultra-realistic holo-foils
A new lure in the walleye community, the Rattl’n Flyer is a hybrid lure that combines some of the best attributes of the best walleye lures. Huge vibrations, gliding, and fluttering movement, and wide search patterns all make it a contender for one of the most effective and versatile walleye lures available.
CLICK TO SEE MORE
Clam Leech Flutter Spoon
Best Sinking Spoon: These leech-shaped spoons are hard for walleye to resist with a body shaped like common prey.

Check Price on Amazon
KEY FEATURES
- Erratic sideways motion on upwards pulls
- Standard or Glo finish color options
- Feathered tail for extra attraction
The Leech Spoons from Clam has been successful enough with walleye to spawn a series of different sizes for various fish. It’s no wonder the lures drive fish nuts with their leech-shaped body profile, brilliant flash, and enticing flutter. It’s the perfect lure for when walleye are feeling aggressive and a solid option at all times.
CLICK TO SEE MORE
Tactics To Catch More Walleye
Be Mobile
One of the keys to walleye fishing is getting to where the fish are. Walleye typically move around a lot, even if they hold in particular areas. So drill many holes, and be prepared to move when the fish just aren’t biting. Chances are, they are just somewhere else.
That being said, with a big shack, it can be hard to be mobile. Use lures that can call in fish in these situations to not need to move as much. You can also venture out to other holes to check for fish, then return to your shack to warm up. The more ground you cover, the better your chances are of landing the fish you’re after.
Map Your Fishing Locations
Knowing the lake and lake bottom is essential for efficiently catching walleye. If you’ve mapped the lake bottom, it’s easy to know where the fish are likely holding. These are the areas you’re going to want to drill and set up to fish.
Look for drop-offs and humps in the lake. Walleye tend to hang in the deeper water right next to these. It gives them an excellent ambush opportunity to attack prey fish in the shallows, and it’s where they’ll be expecting to find food.
A good ice fishing fish finder is also beneficial for locating fish.
Try Different Techniques
If a lure isn’t working, try a different one. Be sure to try different actions as well. Walleye don’t always go after big darting motions, so before you give up, not need to slow it down. Sometimes they prefer subtle movements, as these can be perceived as easier baitfish to go after.
Use Live Bait When Nothing Is Working
When all else fails, live bait is the best option. Sometimes it’s the only thing that can tempt a walleye into striking. Shad and minnows are great options for throwing on a jig. Call in the fish with typical search lures, and fish an additional dead rod you don’t often jig with live bait for more success.
Questions & Answers

What size lures for ice fishing walleye?
Size #3 to #5 lures are usually the best ones for walleye. Not only are these the right size for their mouths, but they’re the same size as the fish’s normal prey. Walleye primarily feed on minnows, shad, and perch, so using lures in that size range and paint jobs are typically your best bet to hook them. The natural presentation goes a long way in fishing, especially on cautious fish.

How do you attract walleye to ice fishing?
Jigging lures is the best way to attract walleye to your baits—flashy lures and those that rattle or produce vibration underwater. The fish’s lateral lines sense the vibration from fluttering baits and rattles, and flashes can be seen from far away. So this is a great way to call in the fish even when you aren’t on top of them.

What is the best depth for ice fishing walleye?
Walleye spend most of their time between 15-25 feet depths, right along with transition areas where the water shallows quickly. So drop-offs and humps in the quiet lakes they prefer are perfect places to look for walleye, as they’ll usually be holding in the deeper waters right along those transition edges.

What is the best color lure for walleye?
Not all freshwater has the same colors or clarity. Opt for flashy silver colors in clear water since they most closely resemble the flash minnows give off. In darker or murky water, use bright colors like chartreuse and hot pink to make your lures easier for walleye to locate. Flashy silvers and dull colors are hard to find in stained water.