Jigging spoons for Eyes through the ice

I have spent a lot of time ice fishing using Jigging Rapalas, blade baits and others for Walleyes through the ice. I would like to expand and start using spoons more. I think the flahs with the hunk of meat will probably be more productive the majority of the time.

I know that jigging styles may vary but I wonder how most people go about starting. Do you jig them slowly first and speed up or vice versa. Do you start with a 6-8″ long jig and let them hang a few inches off the bottom or pound them on the bottom to start.

I feel comfortable with most of these methods, I am just curious which methods would be best to start with. I don’t want to always start out too aggressively or too passively. I just want to know which way to work Fast to Slow or Slow to Fast.

Thanks for the input.

I got a question. Doing some cleanup in the garage I come across some Kastmaster spoons and was wondering if I should replace the treble hook with a single hook?

Gundy

Most of the guys I know who do well with spoons through the ice try to work them so they vibrate or wiggle just enough to get the fishes attention. I think if you over-work them they have a greater chance of foul-hooking themselves. Especially with a treble hook.

I myself am no expert on that technique. On the river I typically stick with Jigging Raps.

Wimwuen,

Watch the weather conditions. Most times they will dictate how agressive you can be.

When in doubt I start with a moderate approache. Jig the spoon a couple times then let it sit for 10 to 15 seconds. Then repeat. This has always been a good starting point for me.

If you carry a flasher you will be able to determine what type of responce you are getting. SOme days you will need to add a shake, some you will need to pound the bottum.

No matter what you do. Be confident! Make a decision and work it until you know it’s time to change things up.

Blue is right I do not over work them all they need is a little movement to get the flash. Every now and again for a different look I will pull them up a couple of feet and then drop it down six inches at a time. I hardly let them play on the bottom I have found that perch will come(small ones) Which is not bad if you want to work through them to get the walleyes chasing them!

One Christmas Eve I was fishing walleyes, using a gold castmaster. I was lifting the castmaster rapidly (approx 2 feet)and letting it fall. I caught three walleyes in less than 10 minutes all up around 4-5 pounds.

Sometimes you have to bounce it on the bottom stirring up the sand and they will take it laying on the bottom.

Usually though if you tip it with a minnow or minnow part and jig it up a foot or so and let it fall and hold it still for a while letting the minnow wiggle is the way to go.

I am sure there are a dozen more ways to do it also.

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…some Kastmaster spoons and was wondering if I should replace the treble hook with a single hook?
Gundy

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^^ i found 3 or 4 of them in my old tackle box and did the same thing… i think its worth a shot!

joel

If you look back through last years Mille Lacs reports you will see I use Go Devils 100% of the time. The great news is they are available on the site this year Go Devils are a very unique spoon. The are a very heavy spoon and fish fast….meaning you can move from one hole to another and they get down to the strike zone fast.

The biggest problem I see with guide clients on the ice is they over fish the spoon. Think of your jigging spoon as a bait fish when the fish is approaching on the flasher. The water is very cold in the winter and fish do not like to work hard for a meal. When there are no fish on the flasher give a few jigs and then wait a few seconds and do a little more jigging. If nothing shows up move!

When a fish approaches a jigging spoon, the worst thing you can do is jig anymore. 90% of the time, you will scare the fish away. The jigging is for attraction. To get them to bite you either hold them still or start pulling away very slowly. On your fasher it will appear you are “working the fish up” This is not extactly what is happening down there, but on your flasher, it will look like this. As a rule with walleye/perch/gills and slabs, the higher you can get them up the more likely they are to bite. It goes back to the level of commitment. After a fish has committed to slowly chasing your presentation, the longer you get them to chase, the better your odds of getting a bite.

Besides tip-ups, jigging spoons are all I use on the ice for walleye. From first ice to last ice, that is all you will find on my rods. I have to thank the Go Devil for much of my success. I have tried just about every spoon over the years, but since 1999 when I started using what I used to refer to then as the Perch Jerker(original Go Devil) I have used nothing else.

Again, the great thing is this year they will be available here on IDA in some of the best colors available

I’ve seen Scott and other guys like Matt Grow in action with those Go Devils, and what Scott just said is exactly how it happens under the ice. I was lucky enough to get to fish along side Scott at last year’s GTG and I learned a great amount in the little time I fished.

If you want to learn how to fish those Go Devils, book a trip with Scott. You won’t be dissappointed!!

I’ve had best luck with a single hook spoon 3/8-5/8 oz tipped with the head of a fattie. As for how to jig it, Less aggressive during light hours, pounding the bottom after dark and slowly jigging up to 3 feet has worked for me.. I’ve watched em’ hit with a camera, some wont touch it if there’s too much action-others wont touch it there’s not enough action.

What I like to do through the ice on the Miss is to drop to the bottom and pick up 3 inches then hold for a 10 count then pick it up a foot or less and drop it back down to 3 inches above the bottom – hold for ten count – then repeat dropping to the bottom or lift -dropping – I also like to give it a slow rise aobut every third pause. Then back to three inches above and hold – it can be interesting to just twitch it in place too… then – when you least expect it WHAM – sauger on!!! (Or the occational eye) Tip with minnow head or my personal favorite – minnow tail (because who doesn’t like a little tail now and then
Enjoy,,, Chuckles

I took my rod bag out the other day for respooling and to add a couple new rods to the arsinel. I still had 5 rods with go devils tied on them. I’m not even kidding when I say I only jig with go devils for walleye. B fishn tackle has them on their site here but heres the link from their site. The 1/8 oz’ers are ideal!
go devils

There is no doubt pounding bottom works well, especially once the fish move onto the mud or for perch. Most of the areas are to snaggy to touch the bottom….Rocks and Weeds

Matt – BFishN has them is right, I noticed I was running low on 1/16 oz. Go Devils, not any longer. From what I have read hear it seems like alot of you guys catch walleyes pretty close to the bottom. On Oneida they can be found anywhere in the water column mid way down so you really gotta work the water column. I know all the go devils work but I have grown partial to gold the last couple of seasons and I can’t wait to put that color Go Devil spoon on my St. Croix. How do you guys attach it to your flouro I use a duo lock snap. What I like about that set-up especailly with a spoon you don’t get the line twists so there’s really no need for a swivel unless your fishing some kind of current.

Had to post to subscribe to this thread, too much good info.

A couple guys on here last year were pounding the bottom a little with the glo devils? (not go devils right?) then slowly raising them up, and they did pretty good IMHO.

I am not running low any longer either just order the 1/16 and 1/8 gold go-devils from BfishN

I could ramble on and on about how to jig,…….
The only way to really know, is to “see”. Watching what the fish do on the LX-5 is the only way I know that. EVERY DAY/second is different. Its important that you read your flasher and figure what makes or breaks your bite.
the most common scenario I see for perch or walleye is:
1) fish appears below spoon
2) fish responds to raising spoon
3) fish rises
4) keeping the jig rising,…
5) fish compensates for increased raising of spoon’
6) whammo!

That chase scenario is most common. While jigging, its a mistake to jig the fish in and hold in front of their face without attempting the “chase” scenario. Without a flasher, its impossible to know or “see”

Matt – “It’s not the kill it’s the thrill of the chase”, a little Deep Purple there Seems like you can say that for all ice fishing generally if you can get em to chase your gonna get thumped.

Fave spoons:

buckshots

go devils

jig a whoppers

There are times when an aggressive jig with a pause between works well.

Pop it up about 8 – 12 inches then let it sit for 5 seconds then pop it again. They usually hit it on the way down.

What type and test line are you using?

2lb Flourocarbon for Gills/Crappies/Perch

4lb Flourocarbon for Walleye. I do have a rod rigged up with 6lb but rarely need to use it.

Theres lots of good info on this thread. I am not stuck to one type of jigging spoon. I do a lot of shallow water fishing for walleye(often under 10′) and it pays to have less traditional spoons along. I have seen so many types of jigging spoons be effective in different situations that often it laves me dumb-founded. The subtle jigging sometimes works, and controlling the speed of the fall is often very important. Some guys(beave) likes his giant 5/8 oz swim jigs(jig-a-whopper) in glow in the dark and he will be ripping that thing pretty good and get some really impressive walleyes in size and numbers in 6′, and others that jig so lightly the spoon wont even rock and they have good results. I have my most consistent luck on mid size, lighter, fixed hook spoons that are like a willow leaf blade with a hook sodered to it(weasel I think is one?), they have a split ring you tie to. Tipped with the head of a fathead, or a live crappie minnow, these spoons are so light that when jigged they flutter down at a very slow speed and will swim slightly in a direction.. they just work, its hard to fish them what I call *too fast*, but they arent heavy enough to get the bait down fast in deep water.

Any kind of spoon you are using, I think color and body size are the most important fish triggers, the weight of a spoon will dictate how fast a person can/will fish it, and in the end can be the difference between success and failure depending on fish mood.

Try adding some mid size/lighter lures to your arscenal, I am sure you will be pleased with the results it can bring. When I have the fished keyed to an area, often I will keep a bobber/plain hook line down there also and the jig will draw them in, and they smack the dead line.

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On your fasher it will appear you are “working the fish up” This is not exactly what is happening down there, but on your flasher, it will look like this.

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I don’t fish with a camera. What is actually happening?

Sully

I use JR’s Varmints followed by Go-Devils for jigging spoons. Most of my fishing is for panfish, and I use a horizontal jig 95% of the time. The same horizontal jigs have produced plenty of walleyes too. I don’t know whether its good or bad, but I like to start with small lures and increase the size if need be. When the walleyes are finicky, try a little jig with a waxie.

The JB Lures Varmits are an excellent jigging spoon. They fish fast just like the Go Devils.

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I don’t fish with a camera. What is actually happening?

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On your flasher it would appear the fish is below the bait coming up for it, which is partly true. However, because of the way sonar works, what is actually happening is the majority of what you are seeing is the fish is moving from the very outside of the cone towards the center of the cone.

It takes sound waves longer to travel to the very outside of the cone than it does to travel straight down. Thus fish on the very outside of the cone will appear deeper than the actually are in relation to your bait. As the fish approaches your bait it will appear to rise some on the flasher.

Now with all that said, most species prefer to feed up and moving your bait up or pulling it away from them does get them to rise. So, on your flasher you are seeing the fish first enter the cone, and slowly rise as it approaches your bait. On a flasher this looks like the fish is below the bait and moving up after your bait.

If you adjust your gain so that you are using the minimal amount of gain to see your lure. You can use your flasher to not only tell where the fish is inside your cone, but what size of fish it is and sometimes what species. On the MarCum LX-5 I usually have my gain set just under 2 in the 40 ft mode on Mille Lacs. This allows me to see my bait, and will give me a nice weak signal as fish first enters the cone and a nice red signal when the fish is very close to the bait.

In order to have an idea what species a fish is, you need to see a lot of them. For instance, on Mille Lacs it does not take long to get used to what perch look like. Early season they are down there pretty much all the time. Walleye give off a much different signal, as the return is much larger on the flasher screen and usually there is almost a double return. You can never say with 100% accuracy what you are looking at but using a flasher gives you a very good idea after you get used to seeing what return signals look like from various fish.

Yes, I have probably spent way to many hours staring at a flasher

Thanks Scott! This is great info. This point in particular was really key that I didn’t think about before.

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It takes sound waves longer to travel to the very outside of the cone than it does to travel straight down. Thus fish on the very outside of the cone will appear deeper than the actually are in relation to your bait. As the fish approaches your bait it will appear to rise some on the flasher.

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Sully

I just wanted to bump this great thread the time in here.

4# test for those large walleyes you guys catch? I picked up a spool of 6# and was worried about it being to light. I take it you guys must be putting a lot of faith in your drags to do this or is heavier pound test just not necessary?