Ice Flies???? can anyone help

[slabseeker]

I have just recently started to ice fish for crappie. I do just fine from a boat but ice is another story. I hear a lot about ice flies. Can anyone elaborate? What exactly are people referring to. Such as a purple ice fly? Where can I buy them?

[Granite]

Do a search for tear drops and ice flies. Their are so many it boggles my mind. Granite

[CTom]

Its been years since I heard the term "ice fly". I think its just a generic name for the common tackle used by ice anglers.

I can suggest a couple of places to look on the internet: JBLures.com and do a search on Custom Jigs and Spins. Both have excellent lines of tackle for panfish and crappies right up to lake trout and pike.

I generally won't get too hepped up on down-sizing to ice tackle until after the first month of ice and then I'll up-size again about a month before ice out. The fish are in transition during these times and the better fish will be willing to hit the larger baits.

If you can, master plastics for ice fishing....better fish fall to it.

Use a light line of ice formula so things stay limp. Those real light jigs will not function the way they are supposed to on a heavy line full of tight coils....#2 tops for pannies and crappies in mono or #1 in a braid.

Invest in a couple super sensitive rods about 24-28 inches in length, possibly a spring rod or two. The loop-over springs do better outside on open ice while the line-thru springs perform best inside a shack or portable. Traditional floats stink for ice fishing, springs are the real deal.

Take a trip to your local bait shop/sporting goods store about mid-winter and look thru the jig selections. Make a note of what they are missing within certain styles and colors of jigs. These missing links are probably the workhorses for your area and the demand is why they are not on the shelf or in a bulk box. These same ones are the ones you want to snap up the next fall when the tackle goes on the shelves for ice season.

Be sure you have horizontal jigs and vertical jigs in your box when you hit the ice. Horizontally hanging jigs [those whose hook hangs paralell to the ice when tied on] work well on most fish but will become important when you encounter sluggish or neutral fish, like after a cold front passes. The vertical jigs come with single, rigid hooks and often come with trebles. Many look identical except for the style of hook. I prefer treble hooks and will load all the hooks with wxies or spikes. The vertical jigs are solid for when the fish are actively feeding and willing to hammer the bait.

Color is important. Be sure you have a few jigs of each kind in Glow Red....the glow the actually glows red. This coolor is a super color for panfish and crappies. Traditional glow is also a great one at times and should be carried too. Chartreuse, white, hot yellow, the two-tones and black help round out the color scheme, but do NOT forget gold-plate!

If you want more specific info, feel free to pm me or toss me an email...this topic can get real long. Always happy to help though. Be careful on the ice, first and foremost!

[rico]

Great stuff there CTom but let me add a tad to it. An "ice fly" is exactly what the name refers to. It is something that flyfisherman would use in open water. Most of the ones I have are hand tied and come from individuals and not chain stores. Honestly, I very rarely use them. The problem to me is that they are pretty much a top water jig, and that doesnt apply to ice fishing. Without some weight they take forever to get into the "zone". I guess what I am saying is that they dont get to where I want them fast enuogh.

slabseeker, I notice that you are from Indiana. Jiggin Raps, Sweedish Pimples, and Buckshot Spoons are killer crappie lures that are made for ice fishing. CTom mentioned JBLures. They have a product called the "Varmint" that I am just dying to try this eye season.

Hope this helps a little as well and as us icemen say.......FISH ON!!!!!!!!!!

[CTom]

Of course there is always a twist to what we use and naturally a fly can be incorporated into ice fishing easily. Here in Minnesota we take the treble hook off a jigging spoon....a cast master of 1/10th ounce will work for this. Tie a short length, maybe 6 inches, of 2 lb mono to the ring end of the lure where the hook was and then tie on a regular fly at the free end. Flies in the size 12 to 14 range work well. Keep the colors natural looking. This gets dropped down to fish seen on a flasher, being sure to hold the lure body above the target fish by slightly more than the leader length. Very little action is put on the jig resulting in a subtle, soft hop at the fly and a very slow drop to the resting position. Drives the fish nuts if they have tight lips towards the more traditional approaches.

JBLures has several jigging spoons available that will take crappie and walleyes. Try the Angel Eye spoon and the Jigging Gem-n-eye. The Spanker is a bit more aggressive but compact. This year's new Orca Diver has been showing decent result while dock hopping for crappies. Last Tuesday, October 19th, I was fishing some docks for crappies and doing quite qell using a 1/16 ounce Gold/Orange Orca Diver tipped with a couple hot pink Gulp FishFry baits and nailed a walleye that went 9-2. This same lure accounted for the seven crappies I took home that day and those fish ranged from 12.25" to 13.5". The waldo still swims.

[rico]

Great stuff!!!!!!!!!

[slabseeker]

Thank you slabmaster, this was very helpful. I have found out that "Ice fly's" generally refer to string or chenille wrapped jigs. Your column was very helpful as this is just my second year for searching Crappie through the ice.

[sparkie51]

The best prices I've found are Jammin Jigs.com. Good sevice and they throw a few extras in on each order.

[hays47]

Swedish pimple and Kastmaster are lures I use all year. Treble hooks are taken off and a dropper of 2 to 3 inches is tied on. In open water fishing out of boat I let hang over side and move every now and then.When fishing for crappie I will tip hook with minnow and flourescent bead. Fishing thru ice I sometime tip with one maggot on a size 16 fly beneath the spoon. When they are closemouthed work ever so sllllllooooow same on lift. You can't go too slow. Note fishes reaction on flasher unit. By the way spring bobber is a must as some of the hits are so light. You almost sense the bite rather than feel it.