One of my favorite crankbaits nowadays to use for all situations is the Berkley Flicker Minnow. I’ve been a fan of the shads of all brands through the years, but since I’ve been using the Flicker Minnows the past couple years I find myself using shads less. It kind of depends on the fish and their mood. When the weather is stable or heating up, I find myself liking to use more aggressive baits then the standard shads. That’s where these walleye crankbaits come into play. In the spring, I tend to use the smaller baits like the #5 or #7…but when it gets into summer, it’s all #9s or mostly #11s. These pencil baits are the real deal, and most recently, were responsible for a NWT win on Devils Lake when paired with leadcore for DEEP hanging walleyes.
The #11 is the longest bait in the Berkley arsenal, at 4 1/2 inches in length. On the package it says it gets to 23 foot of water, which is about right with my setups. That’s not a bad depth, but when it gets deep into summer, you’re going to need snap weights or leadcore to get those baits down in the zone. In my opinion, and I’m no lure maker, but I’d love to see these with a bigger bill to get it closer to 30 feet while long lining.
The wobble is contagious, and a flat out walleye killer. We’ve found that the PRO SERIES is the most productive line of colors. It has a flashy, reflective side that fish seem to love. We’ve had good luck with these at all depths, and it’s been known to be very productive on medium and large sized walleyes.
If you like trolling for walleyes and you don’t have any Berkley Flicker Minnows in your tackle bag, you owe it to yourself to give a few of these baits a try. You’ll be glad you did.
