An old fishing buddy told me to cut off the tail of the Minnows right before I put them in the water as bait. Does this really work?

It really can be, especially when nobody else is doing it, and the bit slows down.  Walleye can be very fickle, kind of like some women…

If you are too predictable, you become boring… and you get a lot more attention when you do things out of the ordinary.  Likewise, if you are fishing with a bunch of guys, and everyone is using live minnows, try cutting the tail right off of one, hook it in frong of the dorsal fin (make sure to hide the hook), and drop him down to the proper depth, and “jig it a little” to create that action.

Not only is this a different presentation that will make Walleye curious, but a stream of blood is never a bad thing when you are fishing.  It will use “scent” and a different movement to stimulate bites, fast!

Have fun!