A common flyfishing trick when you want to impart action to the fly but not move it, is to spin the flyline between your fingers so the fly rolls/spins. Ice fishers of 'Gills say a spinning bait is a no-no when it comes to 'Gills. What say you ? steve b
Interesting. I've never tried spinning the flyline....
I could see trying that in moving waters, especially.
In still waters, I like to keep the fly moving...even if there are some long pauses, because it helps to keep slack out of the line..which helps ME detect strikes.
I agree that an ice-jig spinning on a vertical axis, in my experience, isn't usually as effective when ice-fishing.