Ice jigs for open water 'gills

[Jigmaker0421]

Okay guys, just curious how effective are ice jigs in open water for gills

 

[LedHed]

We don't get hardwater out here but we do use ice jigs in the cold months. We fish spoons and jigs in 40' to 60' water. Work pretty good with 2lb test.

 

[AtticaFish]

They work! Almost too good at times - if they are very aggressive and schooled up during warm water months - you will have a lot of swallowed hooks if you are using the tiny jigs. I fish a deep, clear water, upground reservoir where they school up near the pump houses and they compete to get to the bait first some days. Up size to a ball head 1/32 with a kip tail dressing to slow the fall - helps with not as many gut hooked and weeds out a few of the smaller fish.

 

[Jigmaker0421]

Thanks guys, what do yall have the best luck tippin the jigs with

 

[jiggerjohn]

The best ice jig I've used for open water is Wade's Blades new "Wilo Min-o", which I enjoyed playing with late last season,before the snows came in. I got to wrapping just a tiny tuft of wool on the small hook and tipping with a maggot.

 

[Jigmaker0421]

So is a spike best in warm water? better than a crawler chunk or crappie nibble??

 

[quivira kid]

Never tried spikes in warm water, but I am sure they would work. I tipped some 1/32-oz dark buggy colored jigs with waxies last summer and SMOKED the gills. We also use #10 Diamond Jigs from Custom Jigs and Spins with a small plastic tail. Very effective! Another thing I have done is convert some of my fly patterns onto a 1/64-oz jig.

 

[LedHed]

I like cutting small crawlers in half and threading the open end over the hook. We use lots of crickets and sometimes the small mealworms.

 

[papaperch]

:fishing:Spikes ( maggots ) will work anywhere and at anytime. The only fault I can find with them is the catch of really small fish. They do catch large ones too but smaller fish are more apt to inhales the maggies. Thru the ice I have caught shiner minnow small enough for bait. I have caught perch even smaller than the minnows.

I have caught large fish also on them also some of which makes no sense to me at all. If you look at any 10 lb fish what would prompt him to eat something that is not going to do much to sustain him. Yet look at the HUGE trout caught on teeny flies.

Sometimes things make sense in nature sometimes its fishing where nothing makes sense sometimes :fishing:

 

[Jigmaker0421]

Yeah PP I guess we just need to give the fish what they want and hope for the best lol

 

[Fatman]

X2 with Zac on fly patterns on jigs, been using them for years with really good success.

 

[eyecrosser]

Tungsten or Diamond head jigs for the deep ones. Tip with a waxie or spikes. Spawners like them beat on the bottom. They absolutely crush'em!!!!! Good Luck, eyecrosser