Bladebaits & More

Ice fishing often is a matter of doing simple things efficiently, rather than trying to razzle dazzle ice-cold critters beneath your hole. And trying not to freeze your butt off in the process—two good rules to live by during the winter season.

Rules, however, are made to be broken. Preferably just the first one.

You jig your jig to attract fish, then pause it to give fish a chance to study the lure and trigger their curiosity sufficiently into striking. No argument there. A pause is a pause, variable only in duration. But the degree of oomph you put into a rod lift, and the resulting lure reaction, are open to interpretation. And that’s where heavy metal bladebaits break the mold. (Actually, they’re at least partially stamped out of metal sheets, rather than molded.)

Most ice jigging lures—in reality, small jigging spoons—shoot straight upward on the lift with little vibration, then flutter down with varying degrees of wobble, thump, and flash. Vibrations on the downslide range from subtle to moderate, and descent speed from slow to quick, depending on design. But bladebaits, well, they’re off the decibel scale, much like comparing a Bruce Springsteen stage performance to a lullaby. They throb like runaway engines on the rise, then plummet like tech stocks on the fall.

To most folks, aggressive, hard-thumping bladebaits are open-water lures, designed for vertical jigging in deep water. Too much of too much for subtle ice fishing conditions. Or are they? After all, they trigger river walleyes below dams during winter. Theoretically, they oughta work through the ice, too.

And they do. But metal tends to shine under certain conditions. The rest of the time, it might be rust or bust.

Heavy Metal Icing

The classic venue for bladebaiting on ice occurs on the Great Lakes, where hordes of big walleyes sometimes prowl through bays, between islands, and in and out of river mouths. When they do, they’re usually not bashful. These are big pigs used to plundering schools of silvery suspended baitfish, on the lookout for a mouthful rather than a morsel. In essence, subtlety is often wasted when predators are on the attack.

Great Lakes ice anglers often use a full-sized (3/4- to 1-ounce) bladebait as an ice lure, connecting it to the line with a tiny snap to prevent sharp metal edges from cutting the knot. To spice up the offering, they impale several tiny shiners onto the tines of the treble hooks. Don’t worry about stifling lure action by accessorizing with minnow pieces and parts; blades still throb and pound, attracting fish in from long distances. And remember, if you throb and call long and loud enough, the fish will come.

Thrum, pause. Thrum, pause. Thrum, pause, wham! It’s not a bite. It’s a savage smash. Then the attacker suddenly becomes the prey. Fish on.

How about blading other species? Well, pike come to mind, and truth be told, blades aren’t bad choices. Pike are great winter predators. Extend your pauses to create opportunities for study. And add a short, thin wire leader to deflect sharp teeth.

Lake trout respond to blades through the ice. Sometimes there’s nothing bashful about a lake trout, often the gaudier, the better. Drop a big blade down, throb it up and down at different depths, then move on to the next hole. If trout are around, they’ll find your lure in short order. One nice thing, a chunka metal sure shows up on your depthfinder, standing out like the proverbial sore thumb on the screen, telling you exactly what depth your lure is at—a critical characteristic for catching suspended fish.

Perch and other panfish also respond to bladebaits, although obviously to blades of smaller stature (1/8- or 1/4-ounce) than those plied for lakers (1-ounce plus). Smaller blades have reduced surface and weight, and resultingly less throbbing wobble and attraction—yet vibrate even when a hook is tipped with a maggot or two. But the same principles apply; they’re still a more aggressive triggering option than jigs or most jigging spoons.