Early Ice... What Do YOU Use?

[Casaloma]

I'm usually one of the guys sitting over a hole, pretty shallow on the weeds, jigging a crappie minnow part or waxie on a variety of panfish jigs. I always get excited about panfish 2 times a year "early spring" & "early Ice". Then a tip up near by for pike.

Often Times I will see guys using all their holes for shallow tip ups then sit in the car at the landing waiting for a flag. If I'm not on the panfish & these guys are running around chasing flags it can be frustrating...

Please share your fav. technique!

Later -CLoma

[Steve Foss]

Hey Cas, I'm not much on ice pannies, except occasionally for crappies.

My normal early ice setup is tip-ups for pike all day and then two holes in the trap II for 'eyes after about 3 p.m. Best of both worlds. Sometimes instead of two holes in the shack (jigging lure tipped with minnow head on one rod, minnow under bobber on the other), I'll put a tip-up with lighter mono on it about 30 or 40 feet from the shelter. That tip-up has jingle bells and reflective tape on it, and I rig it with a minnow on a bare bronze hook and a couple split shot, and nothing else. If I really know the spot and am confident I'm in the right 'eye place, I'll go with both rods in the shack. The tip-up farther out is a nice help in case the fish are spread out, I'm not as confident I'm in the perfect spot, or they don't want anything but the subtle stripped down approach. Some nights I get fish in on the Vex and they smack the jigging approach. Other times it's the bobber. And still other times it's nothing but the tip-up. Most times it's a combination of them.

Tip-ups for pike are easy as falling off a bar stool. Tip-ups for 'eyes are a tougher thing, with more subtlety and feel required when timing how long to leave the line before setting, and on how to set. Surface Tension is the champ at walleye tip-up stuff.

[CrappieJohn]

Early ice is jigging spoon time in my book. I am really hooked on the glow-in-color ones right now. Scenic, Jb Lures, Custom Jigs and Spins and JRs all have jigging spoons that turn those pannies' heads. Neon Red or purple for this guy.

[End of the Line]

Ice picks around my neck, and wait until I know its safe.

[Surface Tension]

I take my Brothers with, Fish Brothers Tip-Ups that is.

The MarCum LX5 for sure, more on that later.

My Midwest rods are loaded with 1/4 oz Do Devils and AE figging spoons. Get them here TackleCity.com - Click here

I like to setting up on breaks jigging one rod with the tip-ups set at a different depth on the breaks. Spreading out like this helps find where those eyes my be hanging and moving to. It also gives you an indication of the mood of the fish.

I've seen the one presentation and depth out fish another so if your one the ball you make adjustments. Its nice to have Jr or a buddy in the shack with me to pick up any fish that aren't committing to jigs and want a dead line, we have the two tip-ups out covering other water so it a system that works.