What is your "go to" lure when Ice fishing the Croix???

[sausageman]

This is the first year that I ice fished on the St Croix. The first time out I happen to use a 1/8th oz blue and white buckshot rattle spoon with a minnow head and within 45 minutes iced a channel cat, a white bass and several nice crappies. One of the crappies was 14". Since that time, I haven't strayed to far from that spoon because it has worked for me. A plain minnow on a red hook with a spring bobber as also been very productive on the crappies.

So the question for some of you river veterans and rookies....what has been your "GO TO" lure or presentation this year (or in the past) when ice fishing the St Croix??? SM

[DonBo]

My best lure has been a small (1/32 ?) green / orange genz bug with crappie minnow.

[uwleagle]

This is my first year that I have fished the Croix as well. I've been going quite a bit since I started though. I have had most of my luck so far on a small blue and chrome colored jiggin rap. (Forget what number size but its the smallest one they make). I have caught the majority of my crappies on this along with a few sturgeon, catfish, sauger, walleye, one northern. I've also caught probably just as many crappies on a slip bobber with a glow colored gemineye and a crappie minnow.

Heading out all day tomorrow. Sounds like its going to be a cold one.

[sausageman]

uwleagle

Interesting....I tried a #3 jigging rap(2nd smallest) orange/gold with 3 spikes on the bottom treble after work today. I ended up with 12 large white bass and a 17" walleye.

The jigging rap worked great at getting down quickly while the school of white bass were on a feeding frenzy. I ended up losing that jigging rap on what I think was a white bass.

The lone walleye was caught on my old faithful buckshot spoon with a whole minnow hooked near the tail. SM

[uwleagle]

I haven't tried tipping them with spikes out there but I have on other bodies of water in the past and normally works pretty good. I have been tipping them with a minnow head though. Even the smallest one works pretty good at getting down to the bottom pretty quick compared to most other small jigs. I've caught a couple walleyes on buckshot spoons. I really like using them but haven't had as much luck on the Croix with them as I have on other waters. Starting to bug me that I haven't caught any walleyes in the morning or night the last few times I have been out (just get lucky and catch a few while crappie fishing). What lures has everyone had the best luck for walleyes on?????? A few weeks ago I was getting at least 2 or 3 each time I went out and was catchin them on a #5(i think) jiggin rap in blue or firetiger perch.

[blueroof]

I've been partial to #10 diamond jigs for crappies, gold has been my favorite.

For eyes, I've been using jigging shads/raps - perch color followed by white. Usually deadstick with a green demon jig.

Sausage, 12 whites sounds like a fun evening! Too bad you lost the rap..

LB

[hunt4food]

I like a perch colored Northland Tackle Forage Minnow with a the smallest red treble hook I can find.

[sausageman]

blueroof

Yes it was fun. This was the first time I really got into the big white bass. You can tell a big school of white bass moved in when your bottom reading suddenly changes from 32 feet to 20 feet. Several times I would let the jigging rap free fall down into the "red" blob and it would stop around 25', set the hook, fish on. When the white bass turn on...watch out.

[Turk]

I like medium sized Nils Master swim lures, Rapala's are also excellent for walleye and sauger (I'm bad about remembering sizes sorry). I have taken many fish on these lures. Normally jigged heavily works best, but at times less aggressive works better.

Keep catchin'

Turk

[52luge]

Sausageman

I think a number 2 or 3 jigging rap tipped with some of your Italian sausage would work!! How about a peice of natural casing...I'm serious. It would flutter like pork rind.

Luge

[croixeyes]

For me,whatever is working at the time is my favorite.Jigging raps and nils are my favorites for eyes.I start big and downsize if needed.Gemineyes have been a good producer for crappie and sauger,tipped with minnow.That and a plain aberdeen hook and minnow combo.Im constantly switching up colors so I dont have a favorite one that I always go to,tend to lean more towards if its cloudy or sunny weather to use bright colors or natural ones such as perch patterns etc.