Its hard to knock the effectiveness of a simple hook and split shot rig one some some bodies of water, mostly inland lakes where finding walleye can be more predictable. When someone from Minnesota or Wisconsin tells you all he needs is a hook with a minnow on the other end, in a lot of situations that person wouldn’t be pulling your leg. Course when you go fishing on Little or Big Bay de Noc, Saginaw Bay and Lake Erie it is a little different situation, and you have to adjust on the fly to catch these tasty gamefish.
What is the main difference between one of the Great Lakes and an inland lake in those states, or even here at home? Just look at Brest Bay for an example. Its not a huge bay by any big lake standard. When compared to most inland lakes though, the BBay offers a large fishing area, where the walleye roam, and roam from day to day. That solitary minnow hooked in the tail fin with a split shot 18 inches above will catch you that single maurdering pickerel, but in most cases some color and flash will get the job done faster and with more regularity.
Walleye ice baits vary in styles and sizes, and you need to adjust quickly for the temperament of the fish. Everyone knows about the jigs, the swimbaits and spoons, but here is a fourth category to consider, the hybrid.
The hybrid baits are a combination of fish catching stuff, if a SUV can be a hybrid, it should be ok to call these baits the same name. Sometimes called a dropper rig, that can marriage a popular bait that you already have with a hook a couple of inches below. Popular baits to use are spoon and swim jigs, just take off the treble hook and clip in the dropper line. Here is a picture of some droppers that I have made up with Indiana blades that can be bought anywhere a store sells crawler harness making materials.
It can be hard to beat the jig for icing eyes too. Some are made just for ice fishing, of course they can be used in open water effectively too. Some are thought of only as an open water bait, which of course is silly, because they can be used effectively under the ice, as well. Without going into a lot of detail right now, these companies make some excellent jigs for winter walleye fishing. Along with all the bait styles mentioned today, I will go into a lot more detail through the upcoming days in types and styles.
Probably my favorite bait for catching walleye is the spoon. While most jigs are used for spooky walleye, and swimbaits for the aggressive fish, the spoon can be used for both moods and those neutral fish as well. They are also easily used as an anchor when coupled with a dropper line with a dead stick or a tip up. Like the swimbaits I have, I have them broken down in Plano 3700 trays by size. As a general rule the trays with smaller baits in them are used on inland lakes, and for going big on the big lakes. Its never wise to just assume that the rule is firm in cement though, 
sometimes that 1/4 oz jig or even a hair smaller is an effective bait on the big water too, and vice a versa.
Swimbaits are a bait all their own. They don’t look like much more than a heavy minnow bait. They can keep your line tight and when dropped feel like something just thudded to a stop at the other end. When jigged effectively, they can dance and swim below the ice. Because they do offer so much movement, these baits are used for more aggressive fish. They can also be used for calling fish in, they may tackle the bait, or they might lose interest after closer inspection. That is when its handy to have 
a dead stick or tip up close by in another hole, even with that old split shot and minnow rig. Swimbaits range in size and you can target crappie, perch, walleye and pike with these baits. Most walleye baits will range from 3/16th to 3/4 of an ounce in size. Its a good idea to have a couple of both in these sizes to match the mood of the fish below.
Those will get you started, at least your curiosity. Will be breaking these categories down even further in the upcoming days. I was in Cabela’s yesterday and the guys in the fishing dept have some of the gear out already, more will be coming in as we get closer to Thanksgiving. If you cannot wait for more info here, you can email me here by clicking on the address ( fishingwithmace@yahoo.com ) or head over to Dundee and