The walleye world’s changing at a frenetic pace. Every year, we’re deluged with a bewildering array of new electronics, more open-water trolling accessories, and a growing variety of lure styles and color patterns. Technology grows increasingly more complex in order to make our lives simpler and our fishing more effective.

As we proceed into the new millennium, those of us who remember when walleye fishing was as simple as a hook, line, and sinker can take comfort that some things, like fundamental livebait rigging, never go out of style. At times, the effectiveness of squiggly, wiggly, lively livebait just can’t be duplicated by all the hardware at our disposal.

When the goin’ gets tough—cold fronts, clear water, fussy fish—step back in time to a simpler age when patience and perseverance prevailed. That means minnows, leeches, nightcrawlers, and other livebaits presented in as natural and tempting a fashion as possible.

Anatomy of a Slipsinker Livebait Rig

When we think about presenting livebait for walleyes, the slipsinker livebait rig immediately comes to mind. It is undoubtedly the most popular rigging variation among mobile anglers. A sliding weight threads onto your line, takes your bait to bottom, and keeps it there during backtrolling and control-drifting presentations. A snelled, baited hook is positioned a set distance from the sinker, using a barrel swivel (most popular), O-ring, split shot, or bobber stop to prevent the hook from moving up to the slip sinker.

When a walleye takes your bait, however, nothing prevents the line and rig from sliding back in the other direction, through the hole in the sinker, once you release tension on the line. Walleyes are free to mouth the bait, run a short distance, or simply lie there awhile before taking the bait deep enough to be hooked. Since they can’t detect your presence through slack line, they don’t get spooked. When it’s time to set the hook, you engage the reel, take up slack, and set the hook. The perfect presentation for fussy fish.

Slipsinker rigs can be constructed with hooks, floating jigheads, on-line floats, tiny spinners, and other variations. Fish them with slow lift-drops, or pause and let them rest on bottom when you’re sure fish are around. Thus they tend to work best when walleyes are anywhere from belly to the bottom to perhaps three feet above. Their real strength, however, is presenting lively bait in a natural fashion, unfettered by unnecessary hardware.

Anatomy of a Three-Way Rig

Three-way rigs are another popular variation of livebait rigging, quite popular with river anglers and bank fishermen, though underused by many mobile anglers who fish from boats. Three-ways typically incorporate heavier weights (several ounces) than slipsinker rigs, though they also can be used with lighter weights. Their strength, however, is using enough weight to get down and stay down in fast current, deep water, or at rapid trolling speeds.

A three-way swivel forms the junction between the main line, leader, and dropper line. At the end of the dropper, is attached a lead weight substantial enough to keep the bait or lure down on bottom under prevailing conditions. Match the length of the dropper to the desired distance you wish to position your bait or lure off bottom. And as with slipsinker rigs, snell length should match the distance you wish your lure or bait to run behind the swivel.

The alleged knock against three-ways is that they’re less finesseful than slipsinkers because the sinker is fixed to the line; since it can’t slide, walleyes therefore may be able to detect its foreign presence and are more likely spooked to drop the bait. Not really the case. Due to its triangular construction, feed a little line and allow the rig to collapse a bit when you detect a bite. This provides a slight pause before a walleye feels the weight.

Three-ways excel for fishing in place from an anchored position, or when casting from the bank and letting your livebait sit in one spot. (Don’t feed much line to biting walleyes in rivers, since current will create a large bow in the line.) Yet three-ways are perfect for trolling minnow-imitating crankbaits, spinner snells, flutterspoons, floating jigheads tipped with livebait, and even plain hooks with livebaits any time you wish to position them from 1 to as much as 10 feet above bottom. Simply adjust the length of the dropper to match the distance fish are off bottom; when you feel your sinker touch bottom, you know exactly how far off bottom your bait or lure is running.

Lets examine primary livebait rigging components and several variations of the two primary rigging systems.

Lead—Get Down and Stay Down

Walking slipsinkers are shoe-shaped lead weights with a hole at the narrow upper end, through which you thread your line. They’re designed to skip over bottom, minimize snagging when at rest, and enhance your sense of feel to interpret bottom conditions.

Thirty years ago, Lindy Little-Joe introduced the walking slipsinker design, incorporating plain lead sinkers. Today, Lindy, Northland Fishing Tackle, Quick Change, Let-M-Run, Pull-A-Part, and numerous other companies offer plain lead along with brightly colored sinkers in numerous forms. The most popular sizes for general conditions are 1/4, 3/8, and 1/2 ounces, though 1/8 is available for shallower water, and heavy 3/4- and even 1-ounce sinkers are more appropriate for deep water. Some anglers prefer bright fluorescent yellow and orange sinkers to help attract fish in dark water.

The most significant recent innovation also comes from Lindy with their No-Snagg sinker. The long, thin, curved sinker has lead at the bottom, flotation at the top, and a wire feeler leg. These unique characteristics cause the sinker to slip, twist, and roll over and across snags that would eat other sinkers. Pricey at about $4.50 for two sinkers, but definitely more snag resistant.

The venerable sliding egg sinker also makes a good livebait rigging sinker and is available in heavier weights. Eggs generally are used for casting presentations with slipsinker rigs, perhaps as light as 1/16 or 1/8 ounce in lakes, and up to several ounces in rivers.

Split shot clamp on the line above a hook. While not a slip rig, their light weight is great for casting crawlers, leeches, and minnows, and letting them rest on bottom in still water. Often called BB shot because that’s the most popular size, they’re also available in sizes B, 3/0, and 7/0 from companies like Water Gremlin and Bullet Weights. Rubbercor sinkers do the same thing—just in larger sizes up to several ounces.

Bottom bouncers are synonymous with spinner rigging, but they also make excellent livebait rigs in snaggy conditions. The safety pin wire shape keeps livebait slightly off bottom, while the wire leg skips across snags and follows contours. Perfect for slow rigging as long as you maintain tension and don’t let the bouncer fall on its side. Bait Rigs, Northland, Quick Change, Lindy, Gapen, and hordes of basement manufacturers offer bouncers in various configurations and colors. Bullet Weights’ Ultra Sound Bouncer design features a swiveling upper arm to minimize fouling of the line as the bouncer is dropped to bottom. And it rattles. Bouncers from 1 to 3 ounces typically cover a wide range of walleye fishing conditions.

Bouncers also can be sliprigged, much like a walking sinker. This generally requires the addition of a snap swivel at the eye attachment point. Then the main line is threaded through two swivels. Straight bouncers (no wire bend) like the Quick Change Lite Bite come ready to use as slip bouncers, and they feature a snap clevis for easy weight change.

Bell and pencil sinkers are classic heavy weights used by river anglers for casting or trolling. They come in a wide array of sizes from tiny 1/16-ouncers to 5 or 6 ounces and more. Walleye anglers typically use them with three-way rigs, to cast from a river bank, slowly troll or anchor in rivers, or troll a bit more quickly with spinners or minnow-imitating crankbaits in lakes and reservoirs. Sinkers from about 1 to 3 ounces provide a versatile range of rigging options.

Walleye anglers use a lot of lead in various forms. While lead-free options are available from companies like Bullet Weights and Dinsmores, they likely won’t be popular with walleye fishermen, due to their increased cost, unless lead substitutes are legally mandated.

Line—Minimizing Water Resistance While Maximizing Strength

For livebait rigging, your main line doesn’t necessarily have to be invisible. That’s the function of the snell. Your main line, however, should be thin enough to minimize water resistance while maintaining adequate strength and sense of feel, enabling you to fish effectively in deep water. You should also be able to sweepset small hooks, maintain tension, and fight walleyes in fairly open water, away from cover like wood or weeds. Livebait rigging lines are selected for their finesse, not power.

Thin 6- or 8-pound-test monofilament line offers the correct balance of characteristics for most livebait rigging conditions, and as a bonus, minimizes visibility due to its thin diameter. Clear or green lines tend to be most popular with walleye anglers, though some line watchers may use high-vis lines, which many walleye anglers fear will spook walleyes in clear water. For slow trolling or drifting, limp lines like Trilene XL are not necessary; you might be better off with more durable XT for its increased abrasion resistance around rocks. Softer (less memory) XL or a thin superline might be better for casting lightweight split shot rigs, for adding distance to your cast.

Good monofilament candidates for livebait rigging include Trilene XT, Stren, Stren Sensor, PRADCO Super Silver Thread, Ande Premium, Maxima Ultra Green, Spiderline Super Mono, P-Line PXS, and Sufix Magic Touch.

Superlines also can be used for livebait rigging if you correctly adapt to their nonstretch characteristics. Their thin diameters and superb sense of feel enable you to feel every rock and pebble, and to anticipate snags before they grab and hold, minimize water resistance for fishing in deep water, and sense even light bites. Fussy walleyes, however, might also be able to feel your presence. Feed line instantly at the slightest hint of a bite.

When you’re slipsinker livebait rigging with superlines, the monofilament snell provides the only cushion between you and the fish, to help camouflage your presence, and to absorb shock during hooksets and fights. Gently sweepset hooks. Back off your drag and fight fish gingerly to avoid ripping hooks out of lips and gums. Since there’s no stretch to absorb when you lift the sinker up and down while backtrolling, minimize rod tip motion to avoid overworking livebaits in large up-down arcs.

Berkley FireLine and Spiderline Fusion dominate the fused superline market, and they easily accommodate most knots. Spiderwire superbraid is thinner but requires careful knot tying, typically with a palomar knot. The lighter versions of PowerPRO braid have walleye applications as well.

Numerous fluorocarbon lines have just hit the market, but are so new that few anglers have fished with them. Fluorocarbon’s main claims to fame are low visibility, abrasion resistance, UV resistance, and strength under a steady pull. They somewhat lack in shock resistance, and tying knots can be tricky; thoroughly wet the line and use a steady pull to cinch down knots. Expect to pop a few knots during tying.

Fluorocarbon candidates include Berkley Vanish, Stren Fluorocarbon, Fin-Nor Seaguar, and Sufix Invisiline.

Leaders—The Invisible but Durable Connection

Your snell should be as light, thin, and flexible as possible to avoid stifling the natural motion and attraction of livebait. Yet it also must absorb shock of hooksets and fights, especially if you elect to use one size lighter line on the snell than your main line, to avoid losing the sinker if the hook becomes snagged on brush or rocks. So durability and abrasion resistance, not just invisibility, are important as well.

Just like main lines, 6- and 8-pound abrasion-resistant mono makes great snells. For ultrafinesse in clear water or severe cold fronts, consider dropping down to 4-pound. If wood or rock snags are a problem, beef up both your main line and snell one size, and switch to light-wire hooks; 10-pound-test generally enables bending Aberdeens or other light-wire hooks, often getting your entire snell back. But it also has more water resistance due to its larger diameter, perhaps requiring increasing sinker weight one size as well. As always, balance tackle combinations to suit conditions.

Match snell length to the situation, too. Most commercially pretied walleye snells are about 30 to 40 inches long, comprised of 8- to 10-pound mono, a barrel swivel, and a #4, #6, or #8 hook to cover average conditions with minnows, crawlers, or leeches. Clear water or spooky fish, however, may require lengthening snells, downsizing hooks, and lightening line; 6- to 10- foot snells are en vogue with elite riggers. Long snells also allow floating jigheads to rise off bottom during extended pauses in boat movement.

At the other extreme, short snells tend to minimize snags in wood cover. Consider using weedless hooks as well. To fish three-ways in river current, use a short snell to keep your bait near the sinker, so it doesn’t flail around and snag.

Once again, abrasion-resistant lines tend to be best for snells, unless you truly need to reduce visibility as much as possible during tough conditions. Then switch to something soft and supple like Trilene XL, but retie snells often. In recent years, short spools of fluorocarbon leader material have been popular on saltwater flats—an obvious snell candidate due to its low visibility and toughness. Try it, but don’t expect it to be quite as thin or flexible as mono. Dense fluorocarbon also sinks. Worth experimenting with. So are fly leaders—71⁄2- to 9-foot lengths of mono that are thick at one end, tapering to a smaller diameter at the other. They’re available in numerous light line weights from companies like Berkley, Orvis, L. L. Bean and Cortland. Convenient, but pricey.

Superlines for livebait rigging snells? Don’t think so. They’re thin and flexible, but opaque and therefore visible. For spinner snells that keep moving, they have durable applications. But for livebait rigging where fish are able to study paused or set rigs, they’re probably not good snell choices.

Pretied livebait rigs are available from manufacturers who cater to walleye anglers. Livebait snells, packaged snells with sinkers and swivels, or component kits are widely distributed by Lindy-Little Joe, Northland Fishing Tackle, and Quick Change Tackle. They’re also regionally available from other manufacturers and tackle shops. Many offer spinner snells as well. Mustad features a line of long Ultra Walleye Snells with small, sharp hooks for added finesse. Owner’s 6-foot Walleye Plus snells feature premium hooks with hot glow shanks.

The major players offer a variety of pretied snell configurations with different hook sizes, floating jigheads or on-line floats, tiny spinners, snell lengths, and sometimes even line weights. Even weedless snells. And you can generally depend on the quality of the mono. Bargain bin snells? Well, you never know until you set the hook.

Hooks—Look Sharp, Hook Sharp

Improvements in hook sharpening technology in recent years have exploded onto the walleye scene, offering sticky-sharp hooks right out of the package. If there’s one major update most walleye anglers could and should make, this is it. As you use up old hooks that require sharpening, replace them with the new high-carbon-steel, razor lazer-sharp cone-cut chemically-sharpened Accu-Point Ultra-Point (whew!) variety of small premium hooks. You won’t waste time sharpening hooks, and you’re assured maximum hooking ability every time.

Because livebait-rigging hooks are small, powerful hooksets aren’t needed to make them penetrate. Sweepset in most conditions. Extra-sharp hook points need only a little pressure to start penetrating. Once started, all you need is constant pressure to work them in past the barb.

Livebait, octopus, or walleye hook designs are the most popular rigging hooks. Each manufacturer has its own designations. Carry a variety of sizes, and match hook size to the bulk of the bait. Effective combos feature sufficient hook gap to allow good hooking ability, yet not so much weight as to overcome the bait’s natural swimming or wiggling ability. Generally, use a #8 for leeches, a #6 for nightcrawlers, and a #4 through 1/0 for minnows, depending on bait size. Hooks with tiny barbs along the shank help hold livebait in place and are good options where barbless hooks are required.