# Salamanders for Walleye Bait?



## Habitat Hugger (Jan 19, 2005)

I have a stock dam that has been dry for a couple of years, but now that it is full I put $20.00 of fatheads in it. It usually doesn't take long fior them to reproduce into millions of fatheads. 
We put a minnow trap in it baited with a couple chunks of dog food and the next morning it was absolutely full of salamanders, from a couple of inches long up to 8 - 9 inches long!
I fished the Governor's cup back in 82 or 83 and that year the cup was won by a team using salamanders for bait. These mud puppies were the rage for the rest of the summer, everybody wanted them but they were hard to get, but I've never seen or heard of anyone using them ever since, maybe because their availability. The long defunct bait shop in Coal Harbor had them for a while at some enormous price if I recall correctly.
Does anyone use them or have experience in using them? I think they used a small trable hook hooked through the sally's back with a large slip bobber, fished in shallow water in the weeds. 
If anyone in the Bis area wants some I'd be glad to catch you a boat load of them. I think they are still legal. They might also be good for catfish in the river later on in the summer when the cats are catting.


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## hammerhead (Dec 22, 2004)

From what i was always told salamanders do not make good walleye bait. However salamanders at their younger stages of life, before they emerge from the water, make good walleye bait. I believe they are called water dogs.


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## Backwater Eddy (Jun 16, 2003)

Waterdogs in the 4-6" range are excellent walleye bait, but fairly seasonal in there patterns of use.

You Lindy rig them, often over deeper water breaks or humps and islands. For many years they were the secret bait of insiders like Gary Roach...for huge mid summer and early fall walleye.

You want them in the gilled stage only, smaller is good for walleye, larger for big pike, bass, and catfish.

All fished alive and just hooked through the tip of the nose and allowed to swim along.

If you have quantity's of them I know a bait dealer who would be interested in them. It may depend on your location if he will trap them or if he will just buy them off you? Drop me an email if you do.

[email protected]


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## Old Hunter (Mar 8, 2002)

A red floursecent Little Joe spinner and a sally is also deadly for northerns.


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## Backwater Eddy (Jun 16, 2003)

Heading into fall sumo sized predators all love Waterdogs.

Rig them, slow troll them, or jig them, really depends on the situation. As was mentioned pike love them too, as do bass.

We just received in 300 nice 4"-8" Waterdogs at Gander Mtn in Fargo, You can bet I'll be taking them out for a walk and see if they bark up a few sumo cats and walleyes for me in the weeks ahead.


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