Best Way to Catch Gills During Mid-Ice

[icemantwo]

Well, the Mid-ice slowdown is already starting to happen for my area   Anybody got any tips to catch these finicky fish?  My best tips are to use ice flies, teaser tail plastics, and coat all your stuff in fish scent.

[Swift]

Middle of the day, out from the shallows or buried in the weeds(if any or alive). May stick some Crappies and Perch as well. Or, well after dark

[Jigging Nomad]

Downsize to the smallest diamond eye jig tipped with a spike on 1 lb. line.  It often converts lookers into biters. 

[Yopy]

small jig. I use a flasher and the times when they come up to my jig but do not initially hit, i slowly jig upwards watching to see if the fish follows. Then i will stop for a few seconds and if no hit, jig a few more times wait. then go up a lil more. I'll combo this with jiggin downwards. Usually it makes em mad and forces a bite

[icebucketjohn]

Fish suspended over deep water. Fish smallest line & lures you got.

[icejunky]

In a few of the lakes I fish, i start the season on the weed edge, and slowly move towards the centre of the weeds as the season progresses.

When it comes to deeper water I dont usually find them on suspended, more towards the bottom.

One thing I agree on, small jigs with a waxie

[Van_Cleaver]

Fish often, fish hard, fish till dark or after. I know some lakes where if you mark any fish or even catch one during the day, you can usually return at dusk and do very well. Usually I take a lantern to lakes like this; the way figured it was out  trying to locate crappie.

[Michaelo]

Any certain depths or structure you guys finding them one?

[rjm123]

on the lake i`ve fished most this year, i found most of my fish in 12 fow about 8 feet down in the early season. last weekend i found the fish in the same lake in 16 fow 10 feet down. they definately hit smaller jigs and a flasher is a must.

[Fatfish]

My son and I used the smallest gill pill you can buy with just one spike,and scent,and caught fish. But it was slow ,we still did good ,caught around 45 ,but only kept 18 ,just enough for a fish fry for my wife and I.   Jerry

[Martian]

When you guys go small, which seems to get a nod from most of you, do you go spikes also? waxies would seem to big to put on hook w/out t boning

[Swift]

Plastics only used here

[DustyRhyno]

Another option for bait on very small jigs is goldenrod gall worms. If you have goldenrod plants in your area look for the round galls on the stems. Collect the galls and cut them open, there are very small grubs inside. They work great for going small.