Learning to ICe fish. Help with different baits

[Wally Gator]

 My friend and I have only been ice fishing a few seasons. He one more season then I. Most of the time we sit in a real small 2 man store bought shanty. fishing with real small minnows and a split shot up about 6 inches and a spring bobber resting pretty much on the bottom in about 15 to 20 feet of water. though I have caught a few fish and he claims he had real good days when he caught a dozen or more fish. I was wanting to know different was of baiting? is there ways to ice fish with artificial baits?

[C.C.]

Remember, this is JMO. First off, if your targeting pannies get rid of the minnows and get some wax worms or maggies. Secondly, get rid of the splitshot and use some kind of weighted ice jig. By watching my "MARCUM" while using splitshots and hooks I can tell you that a lot of fish will hit the shot instead of the intended bait. Now for the most important thing, you and your buddy go together and get a flasher. There may be times that you argue over it to see who gets it but if you want to have a blast fishing together here's what you do. When you set up your hut drill 3 holes, one for each and then one in the middle for the flasher. This way is a real hoot with two people, trying to determine whose jig is who's and seeing who can get the marked fish to bite. The hours will just fly by doing that.
       Jim

[adkRoy]

Here's what we use to target perch, tear drop jig tipped with 2 maggots and a split shot about a foot above. Jig the lure abot a foot off the bottom.   For tip-ups we use treble hooks with a split shot about a foot above the hook. Treble hooks baited with large icicles or medium shiners.

[Wally Gator]

What is a flasher, where can I get one and how much do they cost? I have just built a 4x8 shanty with three places for holes in the floor. There are pictures of it in the pictures section under building my ice shanty. What does the flasher do? I had thought about going out on the ice at night using a floating light in the middle hole. I had also thought about using the center hole for a fishfinder.

[CSP88]

What is a flasher, where can I get one and how much do they cost? I have just built a 4x8 shanty with three places for holes in the floor. There are pictures of it in the pictures section under building my ice shanty. What does the flasher do? I had thought about going out on the ice at night using a floating light in the middle hole. I had also thought about using the center hole for a fishfinder.

Check Vexilar's site, very good reading to help understand flashers and all attributes.

http://www.vexilar.com/help/tips.html

[gaudetskie]

Search the web for Marcum...(or Vexilar) Flasher and you will find a lot of info. Also look for "Lowrance Ice Machine" It is a fish finder set up for ice fishing. May be easier to read for a newbie than a flasher

As far as the fishing technique goes it is as varied as the people who use them. If I have found a nice crappie spot i will use a slip bobber with a weighted jig, and a "crappie minnow". The way I have my big portable set up I can fish 2 or 3 lines this way.

Pan fish I like waxies on a weighted jig. Using my Marcum flasher I can watch my jig and the way fish are responding to it.

This is just a simple intro. and my 2 cents. The biggest resource is IS.com

nick

[GOTICE?]

Wallygator, I see you are from Tennessee, do you guys get good ice there or do you have to travel?

[Wally Gator]

I am orginally from southeast Michigan. I have only lived in Tennessee for 16 years. I go home to Michigan quite a bit in all seasons just to go fishing. I go home 3 or 4 times dirring the winter just to go Ice fishing. Though we have sauger down here. we don't have Pike, Perch or Ice. At least no Ice thick enough to walk on. Some puddles in the yard might get frozen solid but forget the lakes freezing over. I moved her to go to wark at the Saturn plant for GM. I have 10 years to go to retire then I plan to move back to Michigan. I don't know yet weather I will move back to Southeast Michigan or northern lower Michigan. I have cousins in the Rosscommon area.   This is a picture of the 4x8 shanty that I am building right now. I still have to put the locks and the personal information incase my friend and I plan to leave it on the ice for a while. as of now I plan to leave it on a trailer at my inlaws farm down the road from one of the lakes that my friend and I fish on and who ever wants to use it when I am not the can. Weather it be my best friend or my brother-n-law and his son. I am going to try to get back at least every other weekend this winter while the shanty is up there.

[BUCKSKI]

Gatot, this is how I approach things
Carppies, perch and gills in deeper water 15-30 fow.
Heavy tear drop jigs, baited with spikes or mousies. I also use minnows if I can. Crappies love em.
jigging spoons work well, hali's pimples northlands.

Shallow water almost always spikes and mousies packed onto a small jig, or ice fly.
any small style of jig in different colors

Imporant light line is real important 1-2lb test

[Wally Gator]

Gatot, this is how I approach things
Carppies, perch and gills in deeper water 15-30 fow.
Heavy tear drop jigs, baited with spikes or mousies. I also use minnows if I can. Crappies love em.
jigging spoons work well, hali's pimples northlands.

Shallow water almost always spikes and mousies packed onto a small jig, or ice fly.
any small style of jig in different colors

Imporant light line is real important 1-2lb test

I have seen mousies, what are spikes?

[Wally Gator]

The lakes my friend and I fish are mostly shallow 4 to 6 feet but have some deep holes.

[Sven936]

I have seen mousies, what are spikes?

Got this from Knutson Live Bait:

Calliphora Vicina
What was once a bait that was used only in the Winter has found a big following in the spring and late fall.  This bait is mainly used for Panfish during the ice season but is also used on bedding Panfish and even on Steelhead.  This fly larva is very hardy but must be kept cold at 33° to 40° to keep them from turning into flies.

I am guessing a maggot....     Used some last year (colored) not much luck,   use a lot of waxies and minnows (or parts of minnows)    Sven

[icejunky]

there are many baits and techniques to go along with those....you are on the right track by asking this question on this site.....maggots and meal worms are great live baits for all manner of panfish, if you are having troubles getting them in your region you can go to plastics such as the Berkely Honeyworm wich works great on gills and perch, or you can got to Custom Jigs and Spoons, and buy up there ratso,shrimpo and so on. These are both great plastics for panfish.....good uck