Ice Jigs

[budgebass]

Gidday All

Can anyone give me advice on the best way to use "Ice Jigs".
It seems too simple...............................
Do you just locate the schools at a certain depth and just drop your lure to that depth and jig away?
Do you need to jig in short or long bursts?

Do you need to beef up the hooks to snare the "big Uns"

Cheers
Budgebass

[el_carpo]

Ice jigs? Do you guys have ice-fishing in Australia? I didn't know it got cold enough for that. Does it? It's very popular here, though I'm not interested in doing it. I love fishing and all but sitting on a five gallon bucket in the freezing wind out in the middle of frozen lake in a snow storm with nothing but a sheet of ice between you and a watery frozen grave is not my idea of a good time.

Anyway, in answer to your question about the ice jigs; yes, they really are straight forward in their use. You just pop them in and let them slowly fall and jig. It's all vertical jigging. Just lift your rod tip up a few feet slowly with a few jigs and let it fall slowly with a few jigs. You can let the jig hover and quiver with a few very fast shakes of the rod tip as well. The action depends on the mood of the fish. If they are really active, then big jigs, if they are sluggish and don't want to expend energy, just move it a little and slooooowwwwllllyyyy. Most people tip the jigs with spikes or minnows. In case you are unfamiliar with the term spike, it is a maggot I think or the larva of a bee moth. :P Mmmmm yummy huh? Well, the perch and bluegill love them so...

Anyway, I hope this helps. Good luck!

[Smithy]

In answer to your original question, it really is that easy. Long pauses also work well. All the local yokel farmers up our way all use them, even on hand lines and 20lb line.

El Carpo,

we use them by hovering over a school of impoundment bass with an electric trolling motor and vertical jigging and also by drifting over schools marked on the sounder.

[el_carpo]

Heheh, yeah, that's what I figured. Thanks Smithy. I did a double take when I saw "ice jigs" on this site. I didn't think Australia was big for snow storms and frozen lakes! ;D You lucky devils! A Chicago winter is REAL fun! ::) We don't get the massive snowfalls that some places here in the U.S. get, but the winds and dampness drop the temps WAYYY down. Stay out too long and your skin dies and the rest follows quick. Lucky me! >:(... ;D Frostbite and Hypothermia! Not fun. :P

[jordo]

hey mate. Ice jigs can be very effective but they are best used when fish are schoolin up well. If fish are scattered its not worth it. I prefer to use a stiffer road so you can give it quicker jigs. The most important thing with ice jigs is that you have them at the right depth. Either count it down by hand or drop it under your sounder beam and stop it when it looks like its in the school. My favourite colour for ice jigs for bass is a brown one with a silver top (i think its called peanut butter). Dont use them very often now. A tail spinner is another good option and just as easy to use. Though i prefer soft plastics over them both for bass which can also be verticaly used.
Hope i have helped

[budgebass]

;D ;D ;D [smiley=2thumbsup.gif]

Hey Thanks everybody for the tips, they will come in very handy..
On a recent trip to Boondoomba Dam we used an ice jig that had been in my tacklebox for a while unused.
Within 1 minute we had a nice bass, but after another hour we still only had 1 bass. :'( :'(

Just a bit more perservance next thing......look forward to using em at Lake Somerset.

And El Carpo, we certainly do not see much snow and ice in Sunny Queensland.

Cheers Everybody
8) 8) 8) 8)