Walking Bait for Bass Fishing – It’s about the Allure

Walking Bait

Walking Baits are surface contact lures known for their side to side walking lure action. Walking Baits are also known for covering water.

Anatomy: Walking Bait lures are treble hook lures with a slender stick bait design with two or three treble hooks. Some suggest a split ring for the line tie provides the best side to side lure action while others will remove the split ring and use a loop knot.

Rattle: Most contain a rattle for noise.
Silent: Some do not have a rattle sometimes called Silent Walking Lure.
Gill Plate: [Figure 2] Small head with a cupped mouth that makes additional commotion called “spits” as it sprays providing a little extra to the action.
Slim: Some are skinny.
Feather: [Figure 2] Some have a feather already placed on the rear hook.

Variants & Other Names:

Spook: The name of the original walking bait.
Walk the Dog: An alternative term for the walk retrieve sometimes used as the lure name.
Walkers:
Pencil Popper:
Topwater Plug:

Lure Action. Side to side erratic movements produced when using the walk retrieve.

Search Bait: Common.

Pros’ Choice: Common.

When to Fish a Walking Bait

Walking Baits are surface contact lures typically selected when:

Targeted Depth:
- Shallow: Common
- Deep(Offshore): Not common, some suggested in high lure visibility with a larger noisier walking bait lure if using a top water lure.
Fishing Speed:
- Fast: Commonly considered for fishing fast with the faster retrieve creates more commotion and covers more water.
- Slow: Not commonly considered for slow fishing but it can be slowed down with longer pauses between each walk movement.
Lure Visibility:
- High Lure Visibility: Common.
- Low Lure Visibility: Common, some suggest it as a good top water lure for murky water and some suggest larger and noisiest lure choice.
  - Engaging Lateral Line: Not significant.
  - Engaging Hearing: Rattle is typically that produces noise.
  - Engaging Sense of Smell and or Taste: Not a consideration.
Targeting Cover: Some suggest all lures are good near cover where walking bait lures are good when contacting:
- Grass: Not common.
  - Weedless: Treble hook lure thus not weedless.
- Rock: Not common.
- Wood: Not common.
- Dock: Not common.
- Off Cover: Common, as to cover water, for example on a flat structure or shoreline structures.

Specific Walking Bait Decisions

Selecting the Walking Bait Lure Type, as a treble hook lure type, there are the following key decisions:

Shape: Not much variation in shape.
Sink Classification:
- Top Water:
Size: Some consider the size of the forage mimicking and the size of targeted bass, in other words, some suggest larger lure when larger bait fish or when targeting larger bass:
- Small: 2.5″ to 3.5″
- Common: 4.5″ to 5.5″
- Large: 6″ or more.
Lure Weight: As .
- Light: 1/4 oz to 3/8 oz
- Common: 3/8 oz to 1/2 oz
- Heavy: Over 1/2 oz

Lure Color: As lure color selection is mostly tied to the lure visibility download the Acute Lure Color Breakdown™ Infographic.
- Forage: Mimics an injured bait fish.

Rigging Decisions

As a treble hook lure type, the common rigging considerations includes:

Hook Size: Besides replacing any bent or rusted hooks some, albeit not common, look to upsize or downsize or upgrade the manufactured provided hooks.
- - Small: #6, #4
  - Common: #2, #1
  - Large: 1/0, 2/0

Main Line: Monofilament as it floats or braid as it has neutral buoyancy but braid will get caught in the hooks so a leader is suggested. Some suggest using a loop knot to maximize the action.
- Light: Not common.
- Common: 15 lb test to 20 lb test
- Heavy: 20 lb test to 30 lb test especially if using braid.
Leader: Common when braid is used for main line to have monofilament leader while less common to have a fluorocarbon leader.
Rod:
- Baitcaster Rod: Common with Power = Medium (some suggest Medium Heavy) and Action(Taper) = Fast (some suggest Moderate Fast)
  - Reel: Some consider 7.1:1 or 7.3:1 as a faster reel for the times they want to get the lure back to the boat quickly to recast to a new spot.
- Spinning Rod: Not common.

Walking Bait Presentation

Presentations for walking bait are commonly considered a horizontal presentation and a slack line presentation with the following considerations:

Cast Techniques:
- Common:
  - Overhand: Common, for long distances.
  - Roll Cast: Common, when targeting near visible cover, shorelines, or any cover to which can’t cast past.
- Less Common: N/A
Initial Lure Action: Some suggest a pause to trigger a reaction bite while some suggest engaging the walk retrieve right away.
Retrieve Techniques:
- Common:
  - Walk Retrieve:
Secondary Action: Some suggest a pause every 3 or 4 walk actions.
Hook Set: Typically, pull/sweep hook set after identifying fish on followed by landing the bass. Some suggest counting to 3, then, if a missed strike, speed up the retrieve to mimic a bait fish being more distressed.
Repetition at Spots: Less common possibly after a missed strike.

Additional Considerations

Seasons: Some suggest summer and fall, generally when warmer water temperatures.
Wave Height: Not Common for high waves albeit some suggest trying a larger noisier walking lure.
Sight Fishing: Not Common, except when seeing bass active feeding on the surface for example when they push bait fish to the surface.
- Spawning: Not common.
Follow Up Bait: Not common
Largemouth: Common, some suggest slower with long pause after a missed bite.
Smallmouth: Common, some suggest faster is better and speeding up after a missed bit

Walking Bait

When to Fish a Walking Bait

Specific Walking Bait Decisions

Rigging Decisions

Walking Bait Presentation

Additional Considerations

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