Not so for bait. Minnows for first-ice walleye should be lively and at least three inches in length. At night, most walleye track prey by picking up vibrations with their lateral lines. In addition to creating more vibration, larger minnows are easier for walleye to see. Their ability to draw in walleye from a distance at night is almost legendary.
Big suckers stay strong on a hook longer than any other baitfish.
They account for the bulk of larger walleye taken by winter anglers in my neck of the woods. Even on nights when walleye are more in tune with smaller minnows, a group of anglers should still have a few suckers down for their incredible fish-attracting ability. Place them on lines in the centre of your ice-hole spread. This allows you to catch walleye on the outside edge as they move towards the suckers. While the continuous vibration of a sucker minnow is good, a free-swimming sucker is not.