Over the past few years I have really got hooked on plastics for big gills and crappies. I have found times were I need to use meat, but for the most part plastics have been my go to.
I love how easy it is to change the profile or color of your bait just by sliding on a different piece of plastic. Or upsize the plastic to get through the smaller fish to the big fish.
Has anyone else made the switch?
A few years ago I made the switch from meat to plastic for walleye. I loved accepting the challenge. Not sure if it is the same as switching from firearm to bow for deer but I felt like it was.
I love plastic but always carry some spikes, and of course Tip Downs with Crappie minnows for Perch, Crappies, and the occasional Walleye!!!
Almost forgot the Smallie in my Avatar came on a Tip Down last year at the St. Croix get together!!!
For crappies I’m 100% Meatless. All plastics for me unless I want to relax and just watch a minnow swim around for crappie/walleye/bass. But I dont consider that my normal fishing, and for my normal fishing I’m 100% plastics. I’ve increased my catch by 5X by switching from waxies/spikes to plastics. There are times when I sit and fill a bag full of crappie and my buddy sitting a foot from me in the shanty is not even having a nibble on waxies or spikes. I think the fish here know after about the 3rd week of the season to stay away from waxies.
For bluegill, that one is touchy. I’ll fish plastics first every time, if I’m getting hit and they arent taking it or they are ignoring my plastics I go to the old stand by. RED #12 tungsten jig with ONE spike on it. That will get the gills every time.
I use both I always start with plastics and if that dont trip there trigger I use meat. Not often I have to use it but I alwsys have some with or near by.
Which begs the question, what is your favorite plastic? I know people like pinching off the head of a gulp minnow and using that and I saw Impulse mentioned above.
lil,cecil bare then with meat and if that wont get,em start cycling through the jig and plastics box and if all else fails tip a small jig with waxies or spikes. Not many times that meat out fishes plastics for me.
Ajs
Quote:
Which begs the question, what is your favorite plastic? I know people like pinching off the head of a gulp minnow and using that and I saw Impulse mentioned above.
Ratso
Ratso tails x2
Made the switch to basically all plastic about 4 years ago when I found a piece of it on the ice that local guys were evidently using, to this day best bite I’ve ever had on the ice I put 25 slabs in my bucket in less than an hour and I wanted to keep catching and releasing but the plastic wore out and I just found that one, next day I bought 8 packs of plastics of all different colors. That day sold me on plastics especially for crappies, every now and then if its midwinter on a real tough bite (usually for gills or perch) I might tip with a spike, but I always always start with plastic and end with plastic. I honestly out-fished my dad 6 or 7 to 1 on plastics for about a year then he switched and since then we have more than doubled the number of fish we have iced than we would have with just meat. PLASTICS all the way!! 
Do you guys ever make your own plastics?? Not hand pouring, but slicing up some old worms or whatever. In my line of work I have an abundance of scalpel blades, so I started cutting various shapes and tail profiles. It is real quick and real cheap!!
yes i do but i use a razor blade. Mostly for color combos i havent found yet.
Ajs
What kind of plastics are you guys using? I have always used meat. Havent been sure of what plastics to buy.
Quote:
What kind of plastics are you guys using? I have always used meat. Havent been sure of what plastics to buy.
I’ve tried every plastic you can think of by far the best has been little atom nuggies!
Depending on what species you are after you will have to get other input, I’m a panfisherman. I use the custom jigs and spins tails ( I think they are just replacement ratso plastics my personal favorite) for panfish. Along with standard hand poured scented plastic tails sold in bait shops in my area and little atom plastics. I like these because they are very versatile, last forever and you can easily pinch off small sections to make the plastic smaller to fit the size of the jig. As far as game fish on plastics I’m not the right guy to answer the question. Once you buy a some you can experiment with them and develop your own ideas and favorites, good luck!
I’m plastic BUT i will get me a tiny piece from a yellow to use.
As far as gamefish go, Pike love plastics through the ice. My indisputable favorite is a pearl white super fluke rigged weightless. I’ve used all kinds of hardbaits jigging for pike… lindy darters, chubby darters, jigging shads, buckshots, etc. but nothing has ever been near as productive as the super flukes. I stumbled upon that presentation while fishing lakers in WFB, LOTW. The pike just crush them on the slow fall as they spiral down.
I second the little atom plastics, but am gonna try the impulse this year as soon as we get some ice. I always have spikes with me too, if its a tough bite the meat can be the ticket.
You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
