Magic in a box: ice flies & jigs. This angler unhooks a nice walleye.
There is such a thing as finding magic in a box. Just ask any ice fisherman.
Most of us carry our ice fishing flies and jigs, and our larger jigging spoons in a small plastic box. We walk on and off the ice, and have learned to keep what we carry to a minimum, It’s just a matter of common sense.
We learn to experiment with different lure colors and lure sizes, but tying knot in one-pound line is nearly impossible. Even when tied indoors, it often takes me 10 minutes of fumbling about to get the knot tied with the wimpy light line.
I always carry a few crappie and perch spreaders in my box. Most come with pre-tied long-shank No. 10 hooks. Add a bell sinker to the bottom of the spreader, bait the spreader hooks with minnows or grubs such as goldenrod, corn borers, mousies or wax worms. The combination of a bit of color and the smell of meat can many these rigs productive when fished near bottom.
Color, size and a bit of bait makes all the difference in success. Just experiment.
Keep the line tight, and replenish the bait whenever a fish is caught, even if the fish doesn’t keep the bait. My thought is it’s better to go with fresh bait than to try to scrimp and lose valuable fishing time because some fish won’t hit bait that has been mouthed by another fish.
It would be easy to state my favorite game fish to catch through the ice, and there would be two choices – bluegills and walleyes. The bluegills provide the biggest problem for me because of having to use light line and retying lost lures. That isn’t a major problem with walleyes.
Walleye fishing is easier. Use a level-wind or spinning reel with six-pound line, a three- to four-foot limber rod, and jigging lures. Fishing lures are being made faster than I can keep up with brand names, but most of my walleyes are caught jigging a jigging Rapala, Sandkicker, Devle Dog, Swedish Pimple or Do-Jigger (made by Bay de Noc Lure Company, the manufacturer of the Swedish Pimple).
The trick is to sweeten up the jigging lure with a minnow. I often put a small minnow on each hook, and the jigging stroke is critical. Many people use a three- or four-foot savage upward jerk of the rod tip, but I must prefer a lighter touch. A three-inch lure movement is plenty, especially if the hooks have been baited.
A too-violent jerk does nothing but make the minnows come off the hook. They lay dead or dying on the bottom of the lake. Play the jigging rod gently. Lures like the Sandkicker (originally made for whitefish jigging) are a great walleye lure.
Sometimes just making the lure “shiver” in one place is enough to make fish bite.
Lower the baited lure to bottom, reel up the slack line, and lift the jig two or three off bottom and let it settle back down on a tight line. Let the baited lure hit bottom, wait a second or two, and move it upward again. Most often, the strike occurs as the up-stroke begins and be ready to set the hook. Sometimes walleyes will hit the lure as it begins to fall, and it should be fairly easy to feel the strike or see the line jerk sideways. Again, set the hook hard.
Ice fishing for trout has always be a fun way to spend a day. Here, I prefer a white or silver Swedish Pimple, and one- to two-ounce lures will work. Buy some frozen smelt, thaw then out and cut off a small chunk of fillet. Put it on one needle-sharp hook, and lower the rig to bottom – often 100 or more feet deep.
Again, pound that baited jigging lure into the bottom. If it kicks up a puff of marl or sand, so much the better. Lake trout can hit a jigged lure extremely hard or simply grab it and hold on. If something doesn’t feel right, set the hook.
Ice-fishing lures are large, small and somewhere inbetween, come in all the colors of the rainbow and in different shapes, and oddly enough, most of them will catch fish.
As is true with all other lures, most lures used for ice-fishing are made with that sole purpose in mind. Granted, they may catch other game fish but their basic use comes once winter cold puts a solid mantle of safe ice on area lakes.
I’m like most people … there often are too many lures in my ice-fishing box of tricks. Too many of anything makes for difficult choices, and I tend to know exactly what I’m going to be fishing for. And mind you, I’ve got some lures in my on-the-ice tackle box that are no-name lures purchased well over 50 years ago, and I still have them because they catch fish.
This box of wee lures was found about 10 years ago after having gone missing for nearly 30 years. It just up and disappeared, and I searched for it and its contents, through almost everything I own. When I finally found it, the box had been stored in with a box of Winchester AA shot-shell cases. I’m clueless about why I stuck it there.
Use lures of the right size for the species of game fish you’re trying to catch.
Many of my ice flies and ice jigs for bluegills and sunfish are tiny. One-pound mono is ideal for these tiny lures, and my vision keeps me from tying them on out on the lake. I’m a great bel
Some general rules apply. Use a hook hone, and keep hook points sharp. Any contact with rocks on the bottom can quickly dull the points.
Bigger lures can twist your line, and a quality ball-bearing or snap swivel can help eliminate line twist. Deep-water fishing can be much more difficult than fishing in shallow water. One trick that pays off occasionally is to set the hook whenever anything doesn’t feel quite right.
I look at this box of ice-fishing lures, and the box brings back countless memories of long ago fishing trips. I see 10-inch bluegills flopping on the ice, the soft but determined hit of a walleye, and the rugged deep-water battle of a lake trout that doesn’t want to leave the bottom.
All of these thoughts, and many others, are found in this small box of ice-fishing lures. Isn’t it amazing that a box of lures can bring back so many memories?
Think cold weather and ice, and have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
