I don’t shop on the day after Thanksgiving, make phone calls on Monday morning, or fish for walleyes on opening day. Whenever and however possible, I avoid standing in line, being put on hold, and getting lost in a crowd. Except on that day in early October when the friendly folks at Mills Fleet Farm replace unsold crankbaits and plastic worms with rows of ice fishing lures. I’ll be there. Me and every other ice-starved fisherman in Brainerd, Minnesota.

Despite the crowds, though, the receipts from the sporting goods department don't mark that day as a retailing milestone. Some folks are there to see what’s new. Others are just making sure their favorite baits are still available. And some, I’m sure, are dedicated bait and bobber fishermen just passing the time while their wives stock up on Halloween candy. Me? I've seen most of the new stuff already, but there’s still something inspirational about seeing all those lures in one place.

It reminds me, though, that with so many choices available, the task of selecting one to tie on the end of your line becomes increasingly difficult. Different fish species prefer different types of jigging lures at different times on different waters. Fish also become conditioned to avoid popular lure styles and colors. Categorizing jigging lures and learning how to apply them to different situations based on how aggressive the lure category fishes is the key to consistent action throughout the frozen-water season.

Flash Lures

The first step is to stock your tackle box with a selection of lures from three general categories. Flash lures like the classic Bay de Noc Swedish Pimple jigging spoon and Reef Runner Cicada bladebait make up one category. These lures attract fish with flash and vibration as they’re jigged up and allowed to settle back. Tip them with bait—a minnow head at first-ice or a live minnow during midseason when the bite’s tough—to entice fish to bite when they move in close.

The problem remains, though, which specific flash lure to use when and where. In the end, your choice remains one of personal preference, but Ice Fishing Guide Editor In Chief Doug Stange says it pays to recognize spoons and blades as the illusionary devices they are. “These lures serve as a suggestion of something predators eat,” Stange says, “not an exact imitation. On the lift-fall the illusion is one of vibrations as a fish feels the bait with its lateral line. Feeling and sound often are the first alert that something interesting is nearby. Then, as the fish closes in, the lift-fall produces a darting image complete with frightful flashes.

“It’s at this point that the lure tipped with a minnow head or a small lively minnow looks like nothing a walleye eats. This is why the illusion works best in dingy water, after dark, or during a rip-jigging retrieve where a walleye has little opportunity to scrutinize the offering. Closing the distance to within feet, the fish is predisposed to believe the lure is something edible. It looks and feels like wounded prey. The aura of deception continues as the walleye approaches within inches, with the bait smelling wounded.”

Straight Spoons—Selecting the best flash lure for the conditions becomes easier once you understand how each lure type attracts fish, then triggers them to bite. Straight spoons, for example, offer modest flash and vibration, fish precisely up and down, rarely tangle, and are easy to waggle on the hold. While all straight spoons are most effective in deep or low-clarity water, lures like the Luhr Jensen Crippled Herring and Horizon Pirk Minnow possess a realistic finish that’s often more effective in shallow water where fish can scrutinize the offering.