Tips for jigging

[smarek82]

I’ve only ever used tip ups.

Looking for tips for jigging without sonar. I’ve tried with jig heads and plastics without luck. Looking to hook up perch or bass. What sort of depths and or rigs do you all fish?

[copendirt]

Try deamon jigs tipped with maggot or waxy 10 feet or less good for crappie gills bass and the occasional pike that's what I use at lake Arthur in North West pa good luck

[adkRoy]

Hali-jigs tipped with spikes.  I have the best luck with the rainbow colored hali jig. I jug it about a foot off the bottom.

[Hardwater75]

Tungsten jig with a wax worm will catch any species of fish in the entire lake

[Chris338378]

I've had lots of luck with #10 Marmooskas, Hali-jigs, Forage Minnows, Swedish Pimples, and lots of other jigs tipped with a waxie or spike.  I'd say the most important thing to do is to tip your jig with something to help entice the fish to bite.

[hard water jim]

I mostly use jigs tipped with wax worms. Sometimes jig fast, sometimes slow and sometimes not at all just let it hang close to the bottom. Sometime I will bounce the jig on the bottom a few times to stir a little dirt to attract attention. You just need to try different things to get there attention and some days they just don't bite.

[crappieman2380]

Swedish pimple tipped with a minnow head or maggots. As Jim said, hit the bottom a few times to stir up some silt, then raise it up a little and find a jigging cadence you think the fish might like. I like to dead stick a minnow in another hole about a foot off the bottom while doing this. If they don't go for the spoon ( I'm pretty aggressive with it) many times they'll run over and hit the minnow. If there's hungry perch around, you're bound to find a few. Can't say for bass as I don't really target them.

[Captn66]

Can't say I've ever caught a bass jigging through the ice, but I've caught just about everything else as described above ... suckers to rainbows & gills to big pike.  Sometimes I'll tip my jig or spoon with a whole fathead ... sometimes just a head. 

[butcher]

Good tips so far.  I'll add a couple more...

1.  Certain species of fish like crappies and walleye tend to suspend in the water column when they are feeding - especially after dark.  If you have electronics they should be easy to identify.  If not, start jigging about 2 feet under the ice and then drop your jig another foot or two every few minutes until you find the right depth.  Once you find the depth, mark it on your line and go back to that same depth.  When fish are suspended, and feeding, they will often hit a bait that is three feet above them but won't hit a bait that is six inches below them becuase they simply can't see it.

2.  Can't decide which bait to use? Why not use both?  In PA, you can jig more than one bait at a time while ice fishing.  This allows you to see which bait the fish want and also gives you a chance to catch multiple fish at once.  I will do this when I am fishing crappies and other panfish.  I typically will tie one jig and leave a 10-12" tag end and then tie a second jig to the end of the tag. I personally like to use a small, heavy jig on the bottom and a larger but lighter bait above it.  If you use a heavier jig on top, it tend to tangle the line because the heavier bait drops below the lighter one.  Just be careful when you are bringing a fish through the hole.  The hook that doesnt have a fish will sometimes get stuck at the bottom of the hole and can prevent you from landing the fish so just be gentle when you land them.