Waxies VS Spikes

What does everyone prefer for fishing panfish? What is the difference between the two?

Both have their place. Spikes are smaller maggots. They are tougher and stay on the hook better. Waxies are longer and I hate them. I like to use a couple spikes on a ratso when fishing here. Plastics are so good now you really can leave your live bait at home but I still have a 50 of spikes every outing.

how anyone can tolerate waxies is beyond me….they aren’t as durable and i’ve never been in a situatio where one beat the other.

I agree on two points, first, they both have their place and I have seen that again this year in my 4 trips onto the ice. Second, I would much rather fish spikes than waxies any day. My boys likes waxies better but I think because they are larger and he says they are easier for him to hook.

More times than not I am feeling like I need to downsize to get the fish to bite and this year the better bluegills have come on spikes.

I am trying to use more plastics both open water and ice fishing but I generally have bait with me “just in case”

Good luck

I prefer spikes or mousies. I get too frustrated by bait nabbers taking a waxie. Last weekend I iced 16 gills before changing the spike.

Spikes Like to take the hook and barely tear the tail end to feather it, then tip as light as possible. Usually carry both just in case.
Bigger waxies have their days but it seems the smaller the better.

spikes

Whenever I try hooking spikes I end up with a bunch of mush. You guys must have girlie fingers to be able hook spikes without smashing them.

Waxies for me. Sometimes I’ll bust them open so it’s just the skin callin’ em in

Herb, sometimes I wish I had my girly fingers back…made tyin’ knots a lot easier

I usually do better on waxies on a few lakes I fish but a few other lakes spikes are the answer. I think each lake has a preferance. I let the fish decide. I would rather use spike due to the durability but not leave home without both.

Waxies first for me.

I like to barely hook them under the head knowing full well that many will be lost to bait thieving gills. But I’m convinced I get more fish to bite in the first place by doing this.

On a side note, that little trick works great for both ice & open water fishing. During open water, it will put many giant slab crappies in the boat for me & my clients also.

I was always under the impression that one is good as the other. Till a couple weeks ago I had found fish and they wouldn’t commit on my waxxies. So i sent down some plastics and landed a few fish pretty fast…. then a russian guy came buy had one fish in his bucket and asked if he could drill a hole pretty close by… I was feeling pretty good just nailin 5 fish on plasticks and I’m a nice guy, I like to think so anyway so i said O.K.. Next thing I know 30 mins later he had 5 fish and so did I. then an hour later he had 15 fish and I still had 5….. WTF…. Can’t blame him tho he was usind a european stick with a kiddy reel and spikes…. I was out matched….. Needless to say I’ve been using spikes on that lake ever since with great success. So moral to the story is never not let somebody fish nearby cuz you could learn something….. and also never underestimate the difference in your presentation…. even if your marcum is telling you they are there…. doesn’t mean there is not a better way to put those fish on the ice….

Waxies!

Hook em just behind the head with a ripped out buttock to pollute the water as they are being flapped around in the under world

I like spikes. More durable. I usually have both white and red with me. I also usually have mousies as well. Some times they are the ticket. My favorite when I have them are goldenrod bugs though. I like to run a spike and add a goldenrod bug.

I personally have had better luck this year with spikes. Waxxies @ first ice were a bait waiting to be stolen. I switched to spikes doubling up on the same hook, 1 to the left 1 to the right and BAMMO the big gils were snapping- I never looked back or into my waxxie pod.

Spikes, cuz once I have them hooked there is still meat for the fish. When I use waxies by the time all that is left is a bag of skin, I might as well just roll them up and put the hook through them. Wait a minute that is what koonce was doing last year at the GTG.

Truth be told I don’t use waxies nearly as much as spikes because of the durability of the spikes. And I don’t have to rebait as often, and if I feel I need more size there is always room on the hook for more.

Spikes for the win. they last longer, smaller presentation for them finicky fish, and they come in blue, white, red, and green colors. Every time I go pan fishing I have both waxies and spikes and the spikes out fish the waxies all day everyday.

They both have their time and place. I prefer spikes for their durability but sometimes they just want a fat waxie.

when i do use live bait which isn’t very often…. i turn to spikes, or goldenrod grubs!
Ek

Welcome to IDO Ek, glad to have you aboard

been using waxies most of the season with great results. the big thing i have learned is to constantly change your height . start low then work up pausing ever now and then, it has been catching fish a lot.

If you fish the Mississippi down by Wabasha and Kellog you will be hard pressed to find anything but waxies.

So…what you guys call Spikes….is that what I call Larvae ??? I prefer BOTH…put a waxie on, hooked just below the head, then a couple red and yellow larvae I like to call it the Gil & Perch buffet

big G