Jake Wallace and Jeremy Smith head out onto the first ice to target early-season panfish on spoons.
Early Season Panfish on Spoons
First ice is one of the best times to catch panfish on spoons. Big bluegills and crappies are often aggressive during the first couple weeks of the ice fishing season and are looking for a big meal. Spoons do a great job imitating small baitfish that crappies and bluegills feed on.
One big benefit to fishing panfish on spoons is the speed at which you can fish them. Most spoons have a fast fall rate and perform the best when worked aggressively.
This allows the angler to hole hop around and cover a lot of water. This can be critical when panfish are roaming the weed beds or cruising across the deep basins.
Spoons can be deadly for early-season panfish. While there are a wide variety of different panfish spoon options available, the following are a few that have proven themselves year after year to be fantastic early-season panfish spoons.
Northland Forage Minnow
The Northland Fishing Tackle Forage minnow spoon has been a staple for ice anglers for years. Depending on the mood of the fish you can work it aggressively for maximum flash and flutter, or slow you things down and barely twitch the treble. Tip with a minnow head, euro larvae, or waxworms and you’ve got a killer panfish bait.
VMC Bull Spoon
The VMC Bull Spoon has an erratic, wounded baitfish action that calls in panfish from a distance. Available in a wide variety of colors including UV for maximum visibility and ultra glow options that last up to 15 minutes on a single charge.
With its quick sinking, minnow-shaped profile and life-like holographic eye anglers are able to fish quickly and trigger aggressive strikes.
Clam Pinhead Pro Jigging Spoon
The Clam Pinhead Pro dances in place when jigged and its classic minnow profile design gets down to the school fast. Made of environmentally friendly Zinc Alloy that provides a unique sound, flash, and vibration in the water. It also features a flapper blade for added attraction. The Clam Pinhead Pro Jigging Spoon is a great choice for bluegills and crappies through the ice.
