Small spoons and tungsten jigs have become the staple for most ice anglers targeting bluegills and crappies. Jason Durham offers up a few tips on jigging for panfish under the ice.
3 Tips on Jigging for Panfish
Slowing down your Jigging Cadence
The first tip that will help you catch more panfish throughout the winter months is to slow down your presentation and jigging cadence.
Bluegills and crappies are use to feeding on small invertebrates and organisms that are moving very slowly throughout the water column.
If you are moving your presentation too fast or too aggressively, those bluegills and crappies are less likely to bite.
Instead of jigging your rod, you’ll want to lightly bounce rod. Lightly bouncing your rod is going to give your presentation plenty of action to trigger those panfish into biting.
Get Them to Chase
When jigging for panfish one of the best ways to trigger bluegills and crappies into biting is by getting them to chase your bait.
Slowly bring your bait up as the fish approaches. The key is to do it slowly, because if you are too aggressive the fish may become uninterested.
This is by far the best way to trigger finicky panfish into eating.
Pay Attention to the Small Details (Knot Placement)
The difference between an “okay day” on the ice and a “great day” on the ice is in the small details.
As an angler you want to pay attention to the small things like the color of your presentation, time of day, weather conditions, water clarity, type of habitat, etc.
When targeting panfish one of the most important things you need to pay attention to is your knot placement. The placement of your knot on your jig or spoon is going to directly affect the action of your presentation.
Making small adjustments to that is going to improve your hook-up percentage when jigging for panfish.
