I.C.E. Series TackleBox Necessities...

[hanson]

I'm always looking for a reason to buy new tackle so I'm going to take an opinion poll and see what I'm missing.

So the question is- What tackle do I absolutely need in my box for the Winni event??

Lets get a good list going here. I don't want to be stuck on the ice and not have THE hot lure for the weekend.

[Paul Waldowski]

1. 1/16 Blue Go-devils

2. Red glow Angel Eye Jr's

3. Custom Jigs and Spins Ratso's and Shrimpos

4. Jr's Glow Bug in both red and green.

That's all I'm bringing

[Matt Breuer]

Custom Jigs and Spins Demon Perch Eye's and CJ&S Stingers are absolute perch killers and a must in any perch fisherman's tackle box! These baits are heavier than most in the CJ&S line up and will get you down to those perch quick and effectively!

Custom Jigs and Spins Stinger

Custom Jigs and Spins Demon Perch Eye

I would also bring some Ice Buster Bobbers for your two rod.

[hanson]

You better not tell me I need a Luminescent Orange Dace Chubby Darter because I have NOT been able to find that sucker in a store anywhere!!! Hint, hint... let Salmo know that!!!

Cabelas EGF, Cabelas Owatonna, Gander Minnetonka do not have it.

[Jeremy airjer W]

Add Gander Mountain forest lake, maplewood, woodbury to that list!!!

It doesn't matter how much tackle I seem to bring I always end up catching fish on the old reliable plain northland jig in either orange or green!

[hanson]

airjer-

Sounds like you've made the rounds also.

It's like Eleanor from 'Gone in 60 seconds.'

It's the mysterious creature that nobody has ever seen. That is the '69 Mustang Shelby GT-500... the GT-500.

Just funnin' guys but would like to know where I can find one????

[Matt Breuer]

I love it, the quote from "Gone in..."

Add every store in Bemidji to your list as well. It's a brand spankin' new bait, you gotta get it from Salmo directly! If you want the LOD Chubby Darters, just go to the Salmo USA site and order some. That's how to get them!!

Bringing Chubby Darters isn't a bad idea! We had great luck on perch last week one morning on Darters rigged up with a Nils Master Hali Chain Dropper... Deadly! That was on the Gold Metallic Orange though.

[hanson]

Well Matt-

I've got Hali dropper Chains.

But I heard from J.P.(???) at the ice show that the Sadi, which requires a special call to Nils even though I found them in Devil's Lake, ND (?) has become quite the perch slayer. It is the Hali cousin that has jewel 'eyes' embedded into the lure itself.

But it sounds like a simpler idea is to rig my Gold/Orange Chubby Darter with some Dropper Chains.

Remember folks, Perch are curious fish. Attract them and then entice them into biting. Spoons w/ droppers can be effective.

[Matt Breuer]

Good point on the curiosity of perch, that's why swimming lures like the Cubby Darter are so effective. The vibration a swimming lure causes is a great way to call in perch from a very long distance, the dropper is how you get them to bite!

As for the Sade, it's a cool looking lure, much like the Sahina and Sotkamo. All of the above have jewelry!

[BigDaddy]

Another way to get the CD LODs are to drop by their office in Bloomington and buy some. That's what I did and I'll be using the CD for the first time at Winnie. I got LOD, Perch and Hot Perch.

[Jeremy airjer W]

Bigdaddy, Where in bloomington are they

[BigDaddy]

Do a Google search for Salmo USA. Their address is at the bottom of their web site.

Be prepared to pay full boat- $8.49 ea.

[Guest]

Holy crud!!!

They sure bent you over a barrel!! Retail is only $6.49 on those!! Guess they knew you wanted em badly!

[Matt Breuer]

MSRP is $8.49 on the Chubby Darters.

[Guest]

I do know what I'm talking about

$8.49 is Salmo USA's MSRP. MSRP through other places is $6.49

[Matt Breuer]

I know you know Tom!

I was just stating the difference between MSRP and store retail. It's unbelievable!

Well worth it if you can't find them in a store though in my opinion!!

[dartin' chubby]

As the proud new owner of a LOD chubby, (you guys talked me into buying one....$7...ouch) and someone who is going to winnie in a couple of weeks, I am curious as to a couple of things posted in this thread:

1. Do people always use a dropper with this critter, or can you just hang a chunk of meat (minnow head) off one of the hooks like I do with the northland rattle spoon? I assume the dropper goes on the front hooks?

2. Whats the big deal about the nils chains? Are they somehow better than a piece of mono and a hook?

Any help appreciated, and good luck with the I.C.E. series event! Wish I could be there.

[Guest]

You can fish them anyway you want. Let the fish tell you what they are hungry for by expierimenting.

The dropper method is fairly new with a darter, but I can see that being very deadly.

[Matt Breuer]

You can use droppers as replacements for both hooks. I like to only replace the front trble though, in case I get a larger predator coming in after the Darter itself.

The reason I like the Nils Chains is because they allow the treble to hang extremely free, and when jigged it follows the bait very naturally. Nothing wrong with some mono however, I would use a loop knot though to allow free dangling of the hook.

You can just hang a few euros, waxies, or a minnow head from the rear treble without hindering performance, but like Tom said, it's an experimentation factor, and a lot of times perch won't hit the bigger bait, they preffer the dropper with a minnow head.

It's a deadly combo, you've got the advantage of a larger flashier bait, which provides a ton of vibration below the ice. And, you've got the smaller hook below with your bait.

[dartin' chubby]

Thanks for the responses. I often use my largest rattling spoons, replace the large treble with a small one, and hang a chunk of minnom meat right off the treble (no dropper). When the fish are reasonably "on," this works very well (my father couldn't believe perch would hit such a big lure). On days when they are neutral, you get a lot of "looks" but no action. Typically, when that happens, i just switch to small jigs with whole minnows and get varying results. Seems to me that the droppers would work even better, so I'm anxious to see how the droppers do on such occasions.

One other thought: If I have a chubby with meat (or even not) on one treble, and a dropper line hanging off where the other treble was, would the DNR consider this "2 lines?" I don't want to get pinched while conducting important fishing experiments.

[hanson]

I don't believe so because the darter and droppers would still be considered a 'lure'.

[Crappieman]

That right. It is just one lure. I have been using the darter for this for 2 years.

Ken

[Northlander]

I guess I would toss these Lures in.

1) JR's Flasher Spoons in Glow Red/gold and Perch

2) JR's Crushers and Slammers

3) Angel Eye in Glow Red and Glow Blue

4) Blue Fox Tinglers

5) Northland Fire Eye Spoons

6) Phelps Glow Spoons in glow combos

7) On a deadstick or bobber rod I would go with a Glow Bug of JR,s or a Tick Jig by Phelps. Of course a glow white bare hook is great too.