Whats in your ice tackle box /what do you fish for

Tackle:
Mini Merts
Big and Lil Cecils
Rock~a~Roos
Rockers
Moon Glitters

Bait:
Super Do Tails
Spikes

I fish mainly the back waters on the Mississippi River for Gills and Crappies

Tackle:

Chubby Darters

Buck Shot Rattle Spoons

Vingla

Swedish Pimple

Variety of plain jigs

VArmet

Do-jiggers

Jiggin raps

Nills Masters

Fat boys

Genz worms

Coped

Pounders

Darters

Hornets (jigs)

Angel Eyes

RatFinke

Shrimpos

Demons

Ants

Custom “Bluegill Bill” Billy Baits

Plain hooks

Tear drops

(just to name a few)

And you know there’s a lot of us that have every size, color and more than just 2 of each… And to think every year we NEED to buy more (various reasons) . God, I love our sport!

Bait:

Minnow heads

fats

crappie

shiners

Waxies

Euro larvae

I think that’s about it.

“500”

Are you fishing mostly lakes for walleyes ?

Dave must have stolen my tackle box…but I can add a couple more.

Lures:
rembrandts
purist

Bait:
wax worms once in a great while

I mainly fish the Mississippi backwaters for crappie.
Dave, you must have an itch to walk on water? Thats still about 4 months away.

Mind sounds like 500 tackle box.And way over 500 jigs.Poles I dont even want to count them.I gave 25 away last year .To a dnr.group to help kids get into ice fishing here in Iowa.Bring on the ice.ICE JOHN TEAM ICEHEAD ps Bull Blue Gills and anything that will bite

I’ll have just one item in mine this year.
My pet penguin. And he has a prefference for 13 inch bass.

herb.I like that,you got a spair I could use on some ponds?ICE JOHN TEAM ICEHEAD

Lil Cecils
Rock a Roos
Swedish Pimple
RatFinke
Shrimpo
Tear Drops
Forage Minnows (Thanks Wats)
Rembrandt
Purist
Atomic Ants
Moon Glows
Jiggin Raps
Plain hooks and sinkers
Other stuff I have no clue what it is called

I am also fishing Mississippi back waters for pan fish and sometimes eyes.

I always like to put a smelt out on the beaver dam also!

Bret

I must be some type of freak of nature:

I have;

1 soft side ice fishing tackle bag
1 walleye tackle box-ice
1 panfish softwater box
1 box with daredevles, rapala’s, etc for softwater

Son has 2 boxes (specialized) and working on the same with my daughter

Do I need therapy?

Yes, I mainly fish lakes for both eyes and panfish.

Where do you get your ice fishing jigs? I cant find any of the Lil Cecils, rock-a-roos, mini merts, etc online.

I will be bringing them on line in about a month or so…

BfishN Tackle will have a good selection !!

http://www.bfishntackle.com

I checked my tackle box. I got a pack of beef jerky, 1 pocket comb, tin of skoal and some dead waxies.

Sorry ,that was my cooler.

I have a main softsided bag that stays at home. Its my (tackle store) at home. Everything I need for the day fits in my bib pocket. I’m ethier on mille lacs fishing walleyes/perch or strickly fishing panfish on area lakes. I know what I’m going to use and thats what I take. Of all the lead I have, I probably have two panfish jigs and two walleye jigs that I use day in and day out.

My panfish jigs are either a Fatboy or a Pounder. In my experience I have found if crappies or panfish wont smack one of these jigs tipped with meat, I’m moving to another school. If changing baits and colors puts one or two fish into the box, its not enough for me to stay. I like to stay on top of fish that are going to suck that Fatboy all day long. If I know I’m on top of a large school and the bite is slow, I will wait it out with minnows. But not for very long.

My two Walleye jigs. Salmo Chubby Darter and a spoon like a GlowDevil or Rattle spoon. This jigs are tied on my lines before I even get on the road. When I’m fishing Mille lacs walleyes in the winter at prime time, the window can be so short, you dont have much time to practice trial and error. Presenation of the bait is more of a factor. But if you have a longer window and maybe have found a nice school out deep during the mid-day, I wouldnt hesitate to make same bait changes.

I sure am hoping to find a specific color of Rock a Roo I had last year, Purple/White with sparkles was a killer for me. It took fish all year long

I also have a pile of ice jigs but I rarely use more than a handful of styles.

Forage minnows
Marmooskas
Rat finkes
Ratsos
Lil Cecils
Rock-a-roos
Lil Mics
Rockers

The Forage Minnows are my favorite and catch gills, perch, crappie, and eyes. Lil’ Cecils are my second pic.

All are usually tipped with waxies or Chena Bait.

I agree with Derek, but it looks like he’s got more than a couple jigs for his pocket.
I forgot to mention Marmooska jigs for panfish. I have found that on those tougher days when all else fails, the Marmooska is tough beat.

I did not see Frostees in anyones boxes I like them for Crappies and sometimes Perch.

Oh yes, the Frostee jig and now spoons!

Quote:

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I did not see Frostees in anyones boxes I like them for Crappies and sometimes Perch.

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Do you have any pix of this “Frostee”Jig ?

can some one put a pix of a rock a roo and little cesil/ICE JOHN TEAM ICEHEAD

Sure can !!

these are the Lil Cecils

Hey G=guys, I’ll pull out some Rock~a~Roos and post them up here in a bit

For perch early ice up to mid winter ice when there still milling in and around the weeds in 5′ to 12′ of water. Aggressive jigging and weed ripping with a 1/12 oz. gold Acme Kastmaster has been very effective for us here in NY. Ripping weeds stirs up clear water and alerts perch in the area that a feeding binge has or is occuring so shake it up a little and get the area clouded up good especially when hitting that fresh hole.
Tip with spikes and switching out the standard treble to a Gamagatsu red and you will catch smallmouth and nice bluegill with it too. Northland Forage minnows and JB Go Devils and Rattlin Varmits work well too. When I go deep 30′ to 35′ I like bro bugs in green and chartruse when there aggressive. I also like to add a red wedgie or micro noodle impaled at a 45 deg. angle off the treble or horizontal off a single hook if you like to fish your spoons or jigs with a single. Dont forget scents too they have there place and time. When the bite slows and you have to finesse em later in the season size 3 gold/glow wolfram from Your Bobbers Down, again tipped with spikes or a single spike. Another finesse bait for perch are the older marmooskas greens and tans size 14. Sometimes a fly above in brown/red or yellow can be the difference when fish are negative. And there you go…

My tackle box is pretty basic. I have my goto baits in there, if they are not working, I move to find some fish that are willing to bite.

For Walleye and Perch, Go Devil (formerly the Glow Devil) Jiggins spoons. That is pretty much all I use.

Then I have my tip-up set ups so I carry a few “Special” glow jigs and plain hooks.

For Gills and slabs it is either a Genz worm, Pounder, Fat Boy or a Marmuska Jig. Again, if those aren’t working, I move until I find some fish that are willing to bite.

Ice fishing isn’t rocket science. If you find active fish on a lake they will bite. If you sit over inactive fish..it could be a long day.

thanks I got some in my spair box,have move them to the main now.John

Walleyes – Rainbow Trout Forage minnow spoon and Pink Glow and Blue Glow Angel Eyes and Go Devils jigging spoons.

Bluegill and Crappies- CJ & S Finesse Plastic glow or milktreuse on a plain horizontal 1/64oz. jig head. JB’s glitter glows tipped with Little Atoms plastics, copeds, bobber fry, ants and shad darts.
Mobility is an important key as Scott mentioned finding active fish or even if there’s another lake close by pack it up and make the move. This has paid off well for me in the past when I thought my day was shot.

Tim, interesting you mention plastics..Oh, I will start a new thread.

Walleye: Buck Shot Rattle Spoons, Kastmasters, Swedish Pimples and Vinglas, Chubby Darters and Jigging Raps, #6 Fatboy or Genz Worm….They each have their time and place.

Perch: I favor the flash of the spoons listed above but when the bite is tough I’ll downsize to the #8 or #10 fatboy/genz worm or a #3 or #4 wolfram jig (#3 was a hot lure at Waubay last winter). Small swimming lures work well when they are aggressive.

Gills/Crappie: Genz Worms, Fat Boys, Ratsos, Rat Finkees, Nuclear Ants, and a assortment of Demons, and Tear drops.

here is a pic of the rock-a-roo from the BFT website