Top 5 Walleye Cranks

Your “top 5” favorite trolling cranks for big water (Sakakawea) would be (Brand, Model, Size, Color):
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Looking for Christmas gift ideas for new boat owner…..

Thanks.
Pete

There are so many brands, styles and colors of cranks that will work that narrowing it down to five is almost impossible, but these are a few of my favorites on Sakakawea and you can’t go wrong with any of them. Walleye preference often changes from day to day or even hour to hour but they all catch fish. I usually use lead core line and snap weights to run them deeper than their normal dive depths but they all work great for long lining as well.

1. #5,7 or 8 Rapala Shad Rap Perch color
2. #5 or 7 Berkley Flicker Shad Chartreuse Pearl color
3. #5 or 6 Salmo Hornet Gold Metallic Orange color
4. #7 Rapala Tail Dancer Flash Perch color
5. Reef Runner Deep Little Ripper Gold Clown color

Thanks Much.

I agree, there are thousands of options out there. Seems we fishermen bite harder than the fish…..

Really looking for variety of mfr’s and styles to get my son up and running (adding to a meager tackle box; guys he fishes with run a lot of bottom bouncers with cranks running behind.

Your selection is exactly what I am lookng for!!

Appreciate it.

Pete

Karry’s list is solid. If your son’s going to be trolling a lot of deep water you could also add in a nice spool of leadcore OR a combo of snap weights (off-shore makes a nice kit) and some metered braid (power pro depth hunter, etc.) to help get him started. That might be a significant step up from running BB’s for him.

1. Salmo Hornet
2. Rapala Tail Dancer
3. Salmo Frisky
4. Rapala flat rap
5. Storm hot n tot
Not my exact top 5, but with these 5 lures you would be able to cover the whole summer. In all my lures I buy I like to get a perch and chrome blue. If they are pulling behind bottom bouncers the Rapala flat rap, Rapala original floating minnow and Rapala husky jerk works great.

Our best baits on LOTW the last couple of years have been:

1. #5 and #7 shad rap.
2. scatter rap minnow(! surprise maybe)
3. Salmo bullhead(also maybe a surprise).
4. #5 and #7 scatter rap.

Colors have varied and probably will vary by day/body of water.

trophy19 wrote:

guys he fishes with run a lot of bottom bouncers with cranks running behind.

This may be the key. I never troll stick baits like Rapala original floaters, husky jerks, flat rap, etc. That said I left ND and don’t put a bottom bouncer in front.

For me it’s about depth control. If it doesn’t dive deep enough then get it deeper(bottom bouncer, leadcore). If you can get it there, you’re choices open up.

Rapala marketing and the Lindners should make me a shareholder. Other brands work but I’m suckered

Shad rap(#7 and #8) other bodies of water and earlier season #5
Deep husky jerk(2 hook early, 3 hook later season)
Regular Tail dancer
Deep Tail dancer(pulls pretty hard, run these on baitcasters)

Yup,
He wants my line counter reels…. not happening (unless I’m in his boat ).

Have an open invitation to join him so looking forward to making a few trips to ND next summer.

What is that….only 7 months away?

trophy19 wrote:

Yup,
He wants my line counter reels…. not happening (unless I’m in his boat ).

Have an open invitation to join him so looking forward to making a few trips to ND next summer.

What is that….only 7 months away?

Like I said, give him some power pro depth hunter and you’ll never have to worry about him asking for those LC’s again.

For big water I start with these
1.Flicker Shad pearl white
2.scatter taildancer purpledesent
3.Shad rap perch
4.original floater perch
5.Smash shad purple

Had some luck with Shad Raps this year-when do you guys use 5s 7s or 8s? By season weather or what?

I usually start with #5’s early in the season and upsize throughout the season, but the reality is, you never really know a walleye’s preference until you experiment.

If it’s behind bouncers then Rapala original floaters and hj’s. Fire tiger, shad, and something with purple.

Otherwise, a good selection jointed shad raps and flicker shads. Get him a few and then a gift card to tackle direct or cabelas.

Doesn’t matter the crank, as long as it’s firetiger