So my buddy wants to throw out some lighted bobbers at night for walleye....the concept is easy enough and I've got the gear to do it. That said what your preferred bait for this application? I haven't night fished for walleye in at least 15 years and back then I just threw twisters and rapalas.

Around here they use night crawlers.

You have your three main baits.

 

Worms, leeches, and minnows.

 

My favorite all time live bait is the leech.

 

Haven't used in years but when I fished rivers I'd use them under a pencil bobber and I'd throw it up stream and work it back down with the current.

 

 I need to get back in some rivers.

My buddy finally got back to me and said we will be using leeches...that's his preferred bait.

On 7/28/2025 at 10:09 AM, HawkeyeSmallie said:

You have your three main baits.

 

Worms, leeches, and minnows.

 

My favorite all time live bait is the leech.

 

Haven't used in years but when I fished rivers I'd use them under a pencil bobber and I'd throw it up stream and work it back down with the current.

 

 I need to get back in some rivers.

Not sure what part of the state your in but im in the northwest corner of Iowa and do a good amount of river walleye fishing in the fall. Got a couple decent spots 5 minutes from my house.

I slip bobber fished for walleyes regularly for 15 years, frequently at night.

 

Its important to use tackle that isn’t going to tangle or get hung up; since it’s dark, problems are amplified at night.

 

We used a leech 95% of the time. Set the slip bobber depth so the bait was 12-18 inches off the bottom.

 

My fishing was always on a lake, not on a river. Current adds a new dimension, so I can’t help you there.

 

Be prepared to battle bugs. They can be pretty awful at night, especially when there’s no wind.

On 8/2/2025 at 10:55 AM, gim said:

I slip bobber fished for walleyes regularly for 15 years, frequently at night.

 

Its important to use tackle that isn’t going to tangle or get hung up; since it’s dark, problems are amplified at night.

 

We used a leech 95% of the time. Set the slip bobber depth so the bait was 12-18 inches off the bottom.

 

My fishing was always on a lake, not on a river. Current adds a new dimension, so I can’t help you there.

 

Be prepared to battle bugs. They can be pretty awful at night, especially when there’s no wind.

Oh I will be slip bobber fishing in a lake not river, my river fishing for walleye is either a slip sinker rig with live bait or jig and plastic. As far as the bugs go I've spent alot of nights fishing growing up on the gulf coast and since then cat fishing so I know how bad they are, your right if you get a calm night it can be terribke.