VERTICALLY FISHING ICE JIGS IN OPEN WATER

[Slip Sinker]

PATTERN:

1. While scanning with a good sonar the basin, second and first breaks in... You notice unidentified schools of fish. You mark waypoints over the schools. Now to go back and identify  and start catching fish.

RIGGING:

1. ultra light jigging SETUP
   1. short sensitive fast action graphite rod... long enough to reach to your boats transducer.
   2. 1000 series spin reel
   3. Micro braid or Nanofil 6 -8lb range … I prefer 6…. Sensitivity is key!
   4. Small snap
   5. ice jigs and spoons
   6. bait tips gulp or live bait

PRESENTATION:

while using your depth sounder as a guide drop the jig underneath the transducer as in ice fishing and follow the presentation down on the sounder screen. Watch the fishes reaction as you jig snap or pause your presentation. Catch fish like it was a video game. Ice fishing in open water!

schools you see on screen

results

[David, aka, "McScruff"]

This is really nice, Ken.
This one I can relate to.
I like the small spoons - man I got a million of em.... Well, a lot, anyway.

Thanks!

[Slip Sinker]

i really enjoy this type of fishing.

[carl hendrix]

never used spoons of this type Ken.  not available in my local stores. 

[Slip Sinker]

carl.... i wonder why?

[Slip Sinker]

the one i show rigged is a sitka smelt stick... last year i bought an assortment of ice jigs recomended to me to do a llittle ice fishing. ice fishing out on the lake this was one of the first jigs i tied on and ive been using it since. lost one to a big pike open water jigging and have this one left. its been an incredible bait for me. expensive as hell 5.00 dollars a jig, but has caught me alot of fish.

[Slip Sinker]

looking through and organizing the pictures of one of my best seasons of fishing... i came across pics of one of my best outings with the siska smelt fire tiger with pink gulp maggot combo. fish after fish that day. testimony to a very good presentation for gillage.

from 6" gill to 4.5 lb class LMBass that day!

[Slip Sinker]

.... soooo i went back the next day for more abuse and had quite a day.... slip floats and the majority on siska smelt stik and gulp maggot

[Slip Sinker]

this successful deep jigging for bluegill still continued thruogh July even outproducing the dropshot and crawler. Nice Bonus LMBass also on this setup!

[Slip Sinker]

a nice video that exactly parallels the technique i was using to vertical jig schools of bluegill or crappie... next season i would like to add some video of my own showing exactly how i do it. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upfNnLoJN-s

[Slip Sinker]

...a nice video that exactly parallels the technique i was using to vertical jig schools of bluegill or crappie... next season i would like to add some video of my own showing exactly how i do it. 

[Jeff Soto]

I fish pretty much the same way, but out of my float tube.  Great way to fish deeper water as you drift along.  Hey SS, what reel is that little camouflage job?

[Slip Sinker]

hey Jeff...

HT Enterprises Accucast CACR-104A

Bought it at my favorite wholesaler… there were two colors available at the time for just under 13.00 a camo white and the camo green…. The white models had a cheap plastic spool and less ball bearings the green camo was more solidly built more bearings etc. I was set to buy two ice reels going in and these looked like a great deal so I ended up buying 4. Very smooth drag… drag was flawless landing a 5# LMB under the ice on some nice runs last ice season. I really like how they look and feel even with gloves. Closest available I could find on the internet is this from FISHUSA but not in Camo…

http://www.fishusa.com/product/HT-Enterprises-Accucast-Ultralight-Spinning-Reels

man fishing out of a tube sounds like a blast... ice rods would be awesome out of the tube.