What is your favorite Ice Fishing Crappie bait?

Today’s Tackle Tip Tuesday is all about those winter Slabs! What is your favorite crappie bait for pulling slabs through the ice?

Thru ice? A 1/16 Forage Minnow jigging spoon in glow red with a white micro-nuggie was my go-to for a long time. The smallest jigging raps played into this too. As soon as we got past the mid-winter hump I switched to 1/32 ballhead jigs with 1 1/2″ paddletails.

1/16th oz Slender Spoon with a couple Impulse Blood Worm. That or a 6mm Kenders jig paired with their chigger fry in Motor oil color.

Im not sure why but i love the ultra light rippin raps now. Couple years ago a few buddies and me were ice fishing perch/crappies. I was the only one that could get the crappies to go on a rippin rap while they were jigging spoons.

Tom Sawvell wrote:

Thru ice? A 1/16 Forage Minnow jigging spoon in glow red with a white micro-nuggie was my go-to for a long time. The smallest jigging raps played into this too. As soon as we got past the mid-winter hump I switched to 1/32 ballhead jigs with 1 1/2″ paddletails.

In never tried just a regular ball head and paddle tail… I’m going to have to play with that one possibly this season.

Youbetcha wrote:

Im not sure why but i love the ultra light rippin raps now. Couple years ago a few buddies and me were ice fishing perch/crappies. I was the only one that could get the crappies to go on a rippin rap while they were jigging spoons.

I’m with you! When they are on a Rippin rap bite I would have it no other way!

hands down a white glow demon jig with orange tip and euro larva.

Size 4 Slab Rap 1-1/2 ” long is a real sleeper. Just wish they made it in an emerald shiner finish. My favorite colors silver , gold and perch.

When I get looks but no action on rippin raps. I switch to the slab rap as it is a little more subtle than the rippin.

Demon or a bare hook when Dead Sticking. For jigging I Like small spoons, Minnow imitating Soft Plastic and small Jigging Raps.

Good ole fashioned Tungsten jig with a waxy or plastic. Start small and size up until you’re getting LUNKERS ONLY!

Lots of favorite choices

Northland Forage Spoon
Northland Buckshot spoon
Northland Mimic Minnow Fry
Northland Mimic Minnow paddle tail

Salmo Chubby Darter

CJS Flu Flu jig with plastic nuggie or wedgee
VMC Neon Moon Eye jig with plastic or bait

Acme Kastmaster
Swedish Pimple
Gapen Flicker spoon
Daredevle Spoon

Rapala Jigging Rap
Rapala Jigging Shad Rap
Northland Puppet Minnow

Lots of choices…

This is one side of one box that goes with me all year. I don’t own any of the small single hook jigs used for ice fishing but I do have lots of jigging lures. The other side of this box has the ZVibers and some larger Forage Minnows along with some 1/16 ounce baits from Scenic Tackle of years ago in glow blue and glow purple.

When crappies go deep in the summer or suspend out over open water these guys do a super good job of catching old silver sides, fished vertical as is or with a small plastic.

ive had a lot of success with the clam outdoors plastics. My go to setup is a small tungsten drop jig with a pink or glow white maki plastic. I have outfished live bait with this many many times

crappie55369 wrote:

ive had a lot of success with the clam outdoors plastics. My go to setup is a small tungsten drop jig with a pink or glow white maki plastic. I have outfished live bait with this many many times

I totally agree. I’ve had much more success with Clam Maki plastics than any other brand. That motor oil color…..

Tom it looks like you truly have them dialed in!

DWSDave31 wrote:

Tom it looks like you truly have them dialed in!

At one time JB Lures offered what was called the Jigging Gem-N-Eye. It was just like today’s Gem-N-Eyes only it had a treble hook. Those were the hottest bait I ever used when a white Nuggie was hung from one of the hooks, tail straight down. I fished the Mississippi backwaters heavily back then and caught tons of the big slab crappies on that bait alone, just by using heads of different colors….always with the white Nuggie.

What’s in the picture is much of what I use for fall and spring dock fishing. One of the jigs in the picture [lower right corner] sports a glow red plastic I make that’s very similar to the Nuggies I liked so well.

Tom Sawvell wrote:

At one time JB Lures offered what was called the Jigging Gem-N-Eye. It was just like today’s Gem-N-Eyes only it had a treble hook. Those were the hottest bait I ever used when a white Nuggie was hung from one of the hooks, tail straight down. I fished the Mississippi backwaters heavily back then and caught tons of the big slab <em class=”ido-tag-em”>crappies on that bait alone, just by using heads of different colors….always with the white Nuggie.

Tom, I know I have some old JB Gen-N-Eyes I bought years ago for ice fishing. I can’t remember if they were the single or treble hook version. They’re 120 miles north of where I am at home, otherwise I’d check.

Could you not though replace the “newer” single hook with a treble to recreate “the hottest bait I ever used when a white Nuggie was hung from one of the hooks”?

BTW, you’ve sold me on that Clam Frost braid line 4 lb…I’ll be stringing that this year on a couple reels.

crappie55369 wrote:

My go to setup is a small tungsten drop jig with a pink or glow white maki plastic. I have outfished live bait with this many many times

I’ve often wondered about this, and still do.

I’d still have to see it to believe it.

Clam Dropkick jig with Clam Maki. I like the large profile of the Maki. Pink/pink, pink/white, or black/purple.

I’ll often go with the heavier sizes to get down quickly to those fast-moving suspended fish.

Bass Thumb wrote:

Clam Dropkick jig with Clam Maki. I like the large profile of the Maki. Pink/pink, pink/white, or black/purple.

I’ll often go with the heavier sizes to get down quickly to those fast-moving suspended fish.

I need to use Black/Purple more as I can remember when I first started using plastics that being a great clear water color combo!

When I”m going to target crappies my favorite is my home made beads. No bait just a hook with different color beads. Its fun catching them when you have the right color and no one else is.

…

gary d wrote:

When I”m going to target crappies my favorite is my home made beads. No bait just a hook with different color beads. Its fun catching them when you have the right color and no one else is.

For years when I fished crappies with minnows I beaded all of my hooks. Just a simple bead slid up over the barb to the eye then super glued in place. Chartreuse or orange. Always on a size 6 Tru Turn bronze hook. Those beads did amazing things.

Walleyestudent Andy Cox wrote:

Tom, I know I have some old JB Gen-N-Eyes I bought years ago for ice fishing. I can’t remember if they were the single or treble hook version. They’re 120 miles north of where I am at home, otherwise I’d check.

Could you not though replace the “newer” single hook with a treble to recreate “the hottest bait I ever used when a white Nuggie was hung from one of the hooks”?

BTW, you’ve sold me on that Clam Frost braid line 4 lb…I’ll be stringing that this year on a couple reels.

The original Gem-N-Eyes had a single hook cast onto the lure body. The trebles swung on a split ring, so no change over there.

And plastics can indeed outfish live bait.

Do you cut the end hooks on the jigging raps or just use as is what size? Sounds like fun My favorite is a yellow glow fiskas jig they really like that color

I leave the end hooks but up-size the treble one size.

On the size 2 Jigging Rap, I cut off the front hook. Because I had crappies try swallowing the lure and many had that front end hook preventing the lure from being taken. Also I hate how it catches on the bottom of the ice, when I’m less attentive. Lost plenty of fish that way.

Tom Sawvell wrote:

The original Gem-N-Eyes had a single hook cast onto the lure body. The trebles swung on a split ring, so no change over there.

And plastics can indeed outfish live bait.

Wow…you changing your profile pic threw me off for a second.

But now that you mention it, the Gem-N-Eyes I have if I remember had the single hook cast in. Silly to keep speculating, I’ll know when I relocate them again.

My point though…in the last 18 years I’ve had them, I can’t remember ever using them.

Figured if they were something you can’t find anymore, I’d just send them to you.

Garry are you using plastic or glass beads? I have sometimes used beads on the other side of the hook-thoughts

I really have great luck with the dip and rip 5mm tungsten in the purple rain color. https://www.fishdaddyoutdoors.com/product-page/tungsten-jigs. Then pair that with brain bug plastic from https://www.judgesjawjackers.com/. Have put my biggest crappies topside from that set up.

My go to baits to start are ul rippin rap or slab rap the 2nd is the biggest silver kastmaster they will bite. Craziest jig for slabs was a #7 jigging rap, on the lake I used it they wouldn’t hit a #5 or smaller.