Favorite bait from this season?

Well with the ice season over for many and starting to wind down for the rest it got me thinking about what everyone’s favorite bait was this ice season?

For me I have one that will definitely be moveing from my ice fishing gear right into my boat to help me torment crappies all year and that’s the Slab Rap. It didn’t take long for me to gain confidence in it for crappies. The last picture is liturally the first drop I made with it this year. I really liked it in areas that had small bluegills mixed with the crappies because they would leave it alone for the most part, but the aggressive crappies would come in and seal the deal.

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My favorite bait once again this season was a VMC Tumbler spoon in Pink UV, small one for Crappies and big for Walleye. Close second would have to be a JR’s glitter buckshot spoon in Pink Squirrel for Walleye. Everyone has their confidence colors and mine on the ice is for sure Pink.

I’ve had a lot of fun with the #7 Slab Rap this year.

Vmc ice fly

the big slab rap was a favorite of mine this year. learned the hard way to swap out the dinky junk hooks on them. lost lots of nice fish from hooks bending out

#7 Slab Rap in gold, perch, and hot perch for walleye.

Don’t want to jump on the band wagon but slab rap all the way. It out fished spoons which I always thought were the go too.

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Ill agree that slab rap was pretty kick ars as well with a quick note. This year across more than a few bodies of water fish just seemed to prefer smaller size meals. And this fits perfectly into that, cause I had really good luck if not better on the smaller jigging raps.

Northland rattle spoons, red back.

I spent 2 weeks up on LOTW in January and 2 weeks up there in February… I have over 40 lipless rattle baits and about 4 Plano boxes with assorted fluttering style spoons, slap style spoons, jigging raps, etc… Most productive “lure” was a VMC size 4 plain red hook with an 1/8oz split shot on a rattle reel…

In fairness, I did call in fish with a rippin rap (and caught fish with that) and caught fish on the Custom Jigs and Spins Slender Spoon (glow white, dimpled gold, bronze, and silver) in both 1/8 & 1/4oz sizes…

Any VMC spoon in glow goldfish. That color slayed for me this year.

VMC Fly with a Maki Jamei and a maggot has been my #1 producer this year.

A 1/12 oz gold Kastmaster on a 29 inch Meatstick got me more than a few meals this winter.

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Mine would be the 1/16oz slender spoon with the treble hook swapped out for a shrimpo. Sure caught a lot of crappies and big gills/pumkinseeds on that this year

Jumbo Smelt 25 lbs

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I discovered The Big Shaker Killer on walleyes

I discovered how effective small micro spoons tipped with spikes are for big gills this year! Northland Tackle UV forage minnow spoons 1/32oz in Electric perch and Green perch were my colors of choice. During the UPL Pokegama tourney, I had a big bull gill stay on the Vex screen for 5 misses…yes, 5 misses!!!…. he was being sneaky trying to carefully pick off each spike from the treble. On the 6th try I was patient letting the rod tip bend down, not setting the hook, and waiting until he sucked in the entire treble hook. Then stung him!!! The profile of the Forage minnow spoon kept him interested for that long. Crazy!

I own far too many jigs and spoons to get a clear favorite. If there’s ever a tough panfish bite and a small glow-white VMC tungsten fly can’t get you fish, you should immediately head home.

This year more than ever I went with a very tiny hook beneath a small split shot with a few spikes or a crappie minnow. A plain hook is easily the most overlooked bait in the winter. That put far more dandy perch on the ice than most jigs or spoons I used.

bigstorm wrote:

Mine would be the 1/16oz slender spoon with the treble hook swapped out for a shrimpo. Sure caught a lot of crappies and big gills/pumkinseeds on that this year

big storm,

How long of a dropper do you use on that rig? or are you attaching the shrimpo right to the split-ring?

my red and white bear creek decoy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

big storm,

How long of a dropper do you use on that rig? or are you attaching the shrimpo right to the split-ring?
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I didn’t use a dropper, just the shrimpo right on the split ring. the plastic tail is almost constantly moving even if you arent jigging the spoon since the shrimpo jig head is loose on the split ring rather than tied to fishing line

I finally learned how to fish lippless cranks by going out nothing but slabs n rippin raps. Now they are the first thing I drop, especially for crappies because they thin out the dinks. If they don’t work it’s the metallic kastmasters or rattlin flyers. I could probably get rid of 90% of my tackle box and do just as good after this winter.

Josh Bothum wrote:

I spent 2 weeks up on LOTW in January and 2 weeks up there in February… I have over 40 lipless rattle baits and about 4 Plano boxes with assorted fluttering style spoons, slap style spoons, jigging raps, etc… Most productive “lure” was a VMC size 4 plain red hook with an 1/8oz split shot on a rattle reel…

In fairness, I did call in fish with a rippin rap (and caught fish with that) and caught fish on the Custom Jigs and Spins Slender Spoon (glow white, dimpled gold, bronze, and silver) in both 1/8 & 1/4oz sizes…

This! After 20 + years living on LOTW’s always a plain hook and something more aggressive near by. I’ve been big on the ripen raps lately but still use a Swedish pimple or castmaster with a minnow head