Hi everyone I’m new to this ice fishing thing and bought some rapala slab raps in all sizes and jigs but don’t know how or what techniques to work these. If there is anyone who’s willing to help and give tips that’ll be great cause my sons are wanting to go this year but we are new to this. They want to go for walleye.
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Have to find aggressive fish. Make sure you have a few minnows along as well.
And my other tip is don’t step in a ice hole 
Agree with BC, I still have yet to catch anything on one of those, but admit I don’t pull them out enough. Stick with jigging spoons with a minnow head on it and set up a bobber line in the second hole for everyone if there is room. I run a mix of chartreuse, pink and red hooks on my bobber lines.
You will want to pick up some kind of graph or flasher if you are going to be working slab raps. You can find used ones for not a ton of money. They also make ice fishing more enjoyable. You are going to have to see your bait and how the fish is reaction to it. Then it is a game of cat and mouse. Keep working the bait away and let them chase. This is a great activity to get into as a family. Ice fishing in MN you are allowed 2 lines. You should have a dead stick with a minnow and hook down when using a slab rap. The slab rap may call the fish in and the minnow can seal the deal.
Ntau,
First and foremost, where do you intend to fish? What fish are you targeting? What supplies do you have so far?
If you’re hole hopping and fishing for aggressive walleyes, those baits are a great choice, but not for crappies. Let us know what your ideal fishing day is, then everyone on here can point you in a much clearer direction.
And glad you’re giving ice fishing a try!
Unless you have a specific lake and a spot on the lake that you have been told about .. I would suggest starting with a focus on panfish and no matter what species … use live bait …
If walleye is what you really want I would suggest going with a rental house from a reputable outfitter / resort that targets walleye. Jig one hole each… float (bobber) or deadstick a minnow or two also.
You Tube has a plethora of videos, just ask my wife!
I definitely recommend the one active rod you’re using and the 2nd one being a bobber, not a deadstick unless you’re good at multitasking.
With a deadstick you’ll have to watch both closely, with a bobber you don’t have to concentrate as much on the 2nd rod.
Age and patience of your children is another factor…
A hot pannie bite … even if small keeps them busy.
I wish someone would have given me advice at the beginning to buy only what I use for my style of fishing. I’ve been selling stuff after years of collecting and trying to put effort into reorganizing as efficiently as possible.
Lol I’ve have been looking and watching but no real method where I’ve watched people actually showing how it’s done I’ve just seen on how they show when they caught the fish and just saying there you go it’s catches fish… or they be saying you know fish it aggressively what does that mean? Don’t see don’t know
Walleye, Crappie, Perch that’s what my sons want to go for…… And right now we are just 👀 at these baits like ????? how do we work them and have been looking online and looking on YouTube but to no real person who is willing to actually fish and jig the bait for us people who’s don’t know anything about these baits and the proper way to use them. I’ve watched Tony Roach videos he’s just explaining and holding a rod with the jig in mid-air of how to work the bait. I wish they would just have like a fish tank or something where they can zoom out and show how they work these baits that way some new people like us will know how and what proper line to use
Priority #1 before all others, especially with kids involved, is to stay warm and dry. NOTHING will ruin your day faster than being wet and cold. Invest in some nice, warm boots, chopper mittens, and a warm hat if you don’t already have them. Having the best, fanciest, flashiest equipment in the world will make no difference if you are wet and cold.
I definitely recommend the one active rod you’re using and the 2nd one being a bobber, not a deadstick unless you’re good at multitasking.
With a deadstick you’ll have to watch both closely, with a bobber you don’t have to concentrate as much on the 2nd rod.
Find a good rod that will pin the fish them selves. And a good rod holder.
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>usmarine0352 wrote:</div>
I definitely recommend the one active rod you’re using and the 2nd one being a bobber, not a deadstick unless you’re good at multitasking.With a deadstick you’ll have to watch both closely, with a bobber you don’t have to concentrate as much on the 2nd rod.
Find a good rod that will pin the fish them selves. And a good rod holder.
What are rods that do that that you recommend?
Hiring a guide would be a good way to get started.
Tom Boley and Clayton Schick would be excellent resources on how to fish baits, where to go, rods to use, etc. Both of these guys put up you tube videos every few days and are a wealth of knowledge for both summer and winter fishing.
ejdelvo28 hit it on the head. With kids, keep them warm, and have fun. When they are bored, the trip is done. Start with panfish where you can catch numbers over quality.
“fishing aggressively” when I mentioned the baits that you pictured meant you would be drilling lots of holes, looking for active fish, and jigging your rod constantly. That could be quick short jigging, large rips that raise the bait a couple of feet, but it never sits still.
Personally those would be pretty far down the list of baits I’d use. A buckshot or Tingler spoon is going to catch fish more consistently imo, and yes definitely want to have a set line (bobber or tip up) nearby. I’ve had maybe 2 days in all my years ice fishing that style of bait outfished a jigging spoon or set line.
Holst has some videos in the past on how to work those baits. It’s basically a quick lift of about 8-12″ and then let the bait settle back down. You may just quiver it a bit like you would a spoon as the bait is held in a stationary position. Do the quick lifts on a frequent cadence…pop, pop, pop….settle for 5-10 sec…..pop, pop, pop.
Most fish will hit them as you are lifting….if you see an aggressive fish then start to pull the bait away from them as they are rising towards it. Most people work baits like this too aggressively and scare the fish away. If you are ripping them to hard you’ll never see the fish.
Others have mentioned fishing with the kids, having a deadstick, etc. Great advice from everyone. I personally don’t use alot of the minnow style baits. I have better luck with spoons but the baits you showed are good to have in the arsenal.
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Bearcat89 wrote:</div>
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>usmarine0352 wrote:</div>
I definitely recommend the one active rod you’re using and the 2nd one being a bobber, not a deadstick unless you’re good at multitasking.With a deadstick you’ll have to watch both closely, with a bobber you don’t have to concentrate as much on the 2nd rod.
Find a good rod that will pin the fish them selves. And a good rod holder.
What are rods that do that that you recommend?
Jt snare rod, Thorne bros dead stick. Frabil quick tip, beaver dam noodle.
If you have ever slip bobber fished, you’ve gotten pretty much 90% of it down. With a sonar, you can learn to actually jig for fish. The sonar tells you if there’s fish down there and how they are reacting to your lure.
Then other things you want will be a shelter and heater, then lights.
I don’t want to toot my own horn, but Tip Downs are a great addition. You can set them up at a distance (20,25) yards from where you are jigging and cover more area.
Kids love them because they are so easy to use and it keeps them busy. You can see them in the classified section.
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Number 4 and 5 Slab Raps are my go to for crappies in my neck of the woods when the fish are aggressive. Favorite color is Hot Glow Perch Locate them with the Vexilar and drop a Slab Rap down first. Usually they’ll come flying up to it as its dropping, if it doesn’t get hit right away just small twitches with the rod tip with the occasional rip of it. Some of my biggest crappies last year came on them, and when they hit it, they smoke it. Probably my favorite type of ice fishing bite.
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