Gold At The End Of The Rainbow: Must-Have Rapala Colours For Walleye - Part 1: Crushcity

Rapala has released a wide spectrum of new colours sure to be a hit with walleye anglers. To help you choose the best colour patterns for where you fish, we spoke with three RapalaVMC pros, each from a different province, who fished early product releases last year.

This blog, the first in a two-part series, overviews the pros’ top colours from Rapala’s CrushCity minnow-profiled plastics, and shares tips for catching early-season walleye. Part Two will focus on expanded colour offerings and new lures added to Rapala’s hard-bait collection.

This realistic, minnow soft plastic is a top choice for all three pros. Captain Shawn Banks, who primarily fishes waters within eastern and southeastern Ontario, opened the conversation with the following comment.

“My number one go-to soft-plastic for walleye the past couple of spring and early summer seasons has been the 3-3/4-inch CrushCity [The] Jerk. Ever since Rapala introduced this bait, it has not disappointed on a single outing….There are six new exciting colours for this season, including Tennessee Shad, Purpledescent, Green Pumpkin Disco, Goby, and Gizzard Shad. My go-tos in the existing colours are Neon Pearl, Smelt, Electric Shad, and Glow Shad. Colour choice is going to become a personal preference, but I tend to steer toward more natural colours for clearer waters I fish in the Ottawa Valley.”

Banks likes fishing The Jerk aggressively for post-spawn walleye. Rip jigging it on a 1/4- or 3/8-ounce VMC Moon Eye Jig allows him to cover water and find active, feeding fish.

“The CrushCity [The] Jerk is incredibly durable and resistant to tearing, and made of Super TPE, meaning one single bait could last the entire day."

CrushCity soft plastics are made using a Rapala-exclusive manufacturing process. Known as Smart Injection Technology, this innovative approach ensures ultimate control over every component (e.g., salt, scent, colour, fleck) impregnated into each bait. This guarantees extremely consistent, precision-moulded soft plastics, which means every CrushCity bait taken from the same package appear as clones to one another, both in and out of the water.

The Suspect’s new 3-3/4-inch size ranks high for Manitoba’s Peter Weidmann. Purpledescent, Electric Shad, and Goby are some of his favourite new colours. Reliable originals include Neon Pearl, Baitfish, Glow Shad, and Hot Pink Pearl. This eclectic range of colours ensures he’s prepared for fishing tea-stained, silted, and clear water conditions.

“In the lakes where I feel it’s more shiner-predominant, I toss the Goby,” Weidmann said. “Electric Shad is another good shiner imitation.”

When dace and mud minnows are abundant, Weidmann does well with Sungill. This is one of his favourite colours to use when he’s fishing The Jerk.

Don’t get caught sleeping on white and pink combinations, though. Patterns like Hot Pink Pearl are outstanding for Lake Winnipeg walleye, says Weidmann.

The 3-3/4-inch profile is also becoming a top favourite for Banks. He says it pairs especially well with the new VMC Shaker Minnow Jig, which is offered in three hook size options per weight (i.e., 1/8th in 2/0, 3/0, and 4/0). Three of his favourite colours are Neon Pearl, Baitfish, and Glow Shad.

“The bait itself is soft and extremely durable as it has been manufactured using [Super] TPE technology,” Banks said. “I like to use this bait on the lightest jig I can get away with, fan casting and covering water, and it seems that it works everywhere.”

The Suspect has caught Banks suspended fish in a river system returning to a lake, including on the Bay of Quinte. The bait’s just as effective for catching walleye worked over top or along weed edges in bays when he’s been fishing the Kawarthas and on Georgian Bay.

“I’m a fan of The Creeper,” Weidmann said. “A twister tale is the first piece of rubber I ever remember throwing and catching a fish on, and The Creeper is just so simple to fish. When I have guests in the boat, and we’re casting, a lot of times that’s all I give them. It’s a simple retrieve, you’re just swimming it back.”

Yabbie is this top colour choice. Motor Oil is a close second.

A 1/8-ounce Neon Moon Eye Jig is a good match for The Creeper for shallow spring walleye. The light jig ensures The Creeper falls slowly with its tail lazily twirling, says Weidmann. Windy conditions can require using a 1/4-ounce jig.

Like Banks and Weidmann, Alberta’s Steve Meredith uses all CrushCity minnow plastics for walleye. He also emphasized many of the same comments as his peers, including the importance of considering water clarity and forage base when choosing a colour.

A long-time devotee of any Rapala colour combination showcasing purple, Meredith was pleased to see Purpledescent in the CrushCity lineup, and immediately started putting walleye in the net using The Mayor and The Jerk in this potent indigo, opaque silver pattern.

“Hot Firecracker, have you seen that one?” Meredith asked rhetorically. “It’s got a chartreuse colour to it, which we’re all used to for walleye, but it’s got different coloured sparkle in it.” 

Silver, red, and blue metallic sparkles give Hot Firecracker a distinct visual, making it stand out. This is a good thing, says Meredith, who subscribes to the theory that using a presentation that walleye are not used to seeing can get anglers more bites.

Fire Flame is another hot-selling new colour, he says. It features the deadly orange-chartreuse combination, along with a multi-coloured array of sparkles.

“There’s also the Perch colour in the CrushedCity lineup,” Meredith said. “As we know, walleye love to eat perch, so this one is kind of self-explanatory.”

These are just some colours Meredith will be using when fishing the new 2-1/2 inch The Mayor for springtime walleye. He’s done well fishing The Mayor using VMC’s RedLine Swimbait Jig, Neon Moon Eye Jig, and Grip-R Jig.

“I like to go with the lightest jig possible, but still maintain consistent contact with my bait,” he said. “If fishing shallow water, walleyes, I’ll be in and around 1/8 ounces if the weather’s calm.”

These two potent minnows now come in several new sizes, all of which are must-haves for walleye. Between the Mooch Minnow and Freeloader, anglers have their pick of pro-choice colours, including Smelt, Ghost Morning Dawn, Sungill, Perch, Goby, Electric Shad, and Tennessee Shad to name a few. Not yet mentioned is Green Pumpkin Chartreuse Pepper, which is another colour Meredith relies on for catching walleye.

“The Mooch minnow, it’s been slaying them all season,” Meredith said. “One big tip is you can change the action by cutting of one or both tabs of the tail for less action, and at times it makes a difference on what the walleyes want depending on their mood. With both tabs cut off you get more of a Freeloader action. Last spring we put so many post spawn walleyes in the boat when nobody about us was!”

Pair the Mooch Minnow and Freeloader on the VMC jigs mentioned above, and you’ll catch plenty of walleye. They’re also outstanding for the shaking a minnow technique; read this blog for details.

Using quality fishing equipment makes a big difference on the water. Sensitive fishing rods and line, for instance, are critical for proper soft-bait presentations. Here’s a listing of some gear the pros use to constantly catch walleye.

Rods: 13 Fishing Myth spinning rods, especially the new Shaker and Jigging Rap models (also offered in the Oath collection).

Visit our CrushCity product page to easily find all of the outstanding colours and soft plastics mentioned in this blog — and click the links above for 13 Fishing rods and reels, Sufix fishing line, and Rapala tackle storage. Also, keep an eye out for Part Two in this blog series because you’ll definitely want to learn what the pros have to say about catching big walleye on the new Harvest Shad, Shad Rap Elite, Husky Jerk, and other reliable Rapala lures.