fave ice fishing lures

[levitch]

tonight I'm heading over to Sail to pickup some ice fishing lures and I'm looking for any advice from you guys on what to get.
I already have a little cleo that I am excited to try, as well as a blade bait...

but I don't have any experience/knowledge about those little jogs that I see a lot of youtube guys using

any tips would be welcome

[ribar]

Hi Levitch,

There is hundreds if not thousands of different lures that one can simply get lost in. Kind of a kid in a toy store feeling:)
Your question can be better answered if you tell us where and what you are going to fish for.
Little Cleo is a great lure for an open water salmon fishing, in general. It probably can catch a pike or a lake trout on a good day but it is relatively useless lure through the ice.
You would be much better off with jigging lures, blade jigs and spoons. They all can be tipped with a piece of a minnow but don't have to be if the fish is feeding actively.
Of course, this all is much easier if you have a fish finder that would allow you to see the fish and the water column.
The guys at the Sail are usually good source of information.
cheers

[Piscivore]

I would have to respectfully disagree with you about the little cleo, Ribar. I have had good success with it icefishing for jumbo perch, walleye, and Burbot. I tip them with a live minnow or chunks of minnow meat and set them up for my deadstick rod. There are two which I recommend, the green/white glow and the blue/silver with large bumps on it. I mostly stay to the 1/4oz or 1/3oz sizes.

My other recommendations to start with Levitch, are jigging rap/puppet minnow styles in different colours and sizes, some small and medium sized lipless crankbaits, some rattle jigging spoons, and some tiny jigs and spoons for when you want to be subtle for panfish.

From there on, there is an infinite assortment of lures that are best for luring fisherman into buying them. Every year they come out with a new "game changer" we all must buy. I know I have fallen victim to more than a few and I always bring way too much tackle out to the ice. But that's just part of the fun

[Nyarlathotep]

Hi levitch,

It would help to know what kind of fish that you're planning on going after; sometimes different kinds of fish like different kinds of lures.

That said, I currently ice fish for walleye, brook trout and splake, and the only lure that I've been using for them for the past 20+ years is an Acme Kastmaster with red flash tape (https://www.acmetackle.com/collections/ ... 6856320070) in the 1/4 oz and 3/8 oz sizes, always tipped with small bits of cut minnow, I find they work pretty good for those kinds of fish.



(I only caught 5 of the splake in the photo; my fishing partner caught the other 5 using 2 set lines)

[levitch]

These are all good tips. I went out today with no luck, but it was on Muskrat lake and there was a tournament happening so it was pretty nuts.

I’ll be checking out Shirleys Bay sometime this week I expect. I’ll pick up some of the lures mentioned

[smitty55]

These are all good tips. I went out today with no luck, but it was on Muskrat lake and there was a tournament happening so it was pretty nuts.

I’ll be checking out Shirleys Bay sometime this week I expect. I’ll pick up some of the lures mentioned

If you plan to hit Shirleys I highly suggest you bring some live minnows. Try and get out far enough to that transition zone where it drops from 8-10 feet down to 12-15 ft. So along this structure.


A few more hints assuming your main target is Walleye. If you can find a bit of current so much the better. Make sure your minnow is within six inches of bottom if not closer, and on a very sensitive setup as the bite can often be very light.Sometime the only indication is the line moving across the hole. Most important is make sure to focus your time from maybe an hour before dusk and stay till a good hour after dark. Right when the sun hits the horizon is usually when the magic hour starts.
As far as lures to use all we ever used out there were Champs or Pimps. Those old standbys are still as good as ever.

Good luck.

[levitch]

Thanks Smitty!

thats a great tip for the location...I'll let ya know how it goes.
How deep is the ice at Shirley's Bay? I ask because I have a hand auger and getting through 3 feet of ice is a chore hahaha

[smitty55]

Thanks Smitty!

thats a great tip for the location...I'll let ya know how it goes.
How deep is the ice at Shirley's Bay? I ask because I have a hand auger and getting through 3 feet of ice is a chore hahaha

Not sure about the ice but I don't think it's too thick. Best bet is to ask on the Shirleys thread.

Cheers