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.

As far as tackle goes, use a rod-reel-line combo, the same to slightly heavier than your usual jigging sticks, depending on species and lure size. Remember, blades require a bit more force on the lift and tend on the average to trigger bigger fish.

An injected foam swim bait like the Salmo Chubby Darter isn’t technically a bladebait, but it does vibrate and swim when lifted, sort of a unique cross between a blade style and jigging minnow-type lure. It’s a winner for walleyes, perch, and pike, which logically begs the question, “What about jigging rattlebaits like Bill Lewis Rat–L–Traps, Cordell Spots or Ambush Lures, which are great for both casting-retrieving (most popular) and deep vertical jigging (less used) presentations?” We don’t really know; few folks ply them through the ice, and admittedly they’re quite loud. They obviously have ice fishing potential for larger gamefish, since they work in deep, cold open water in fall. Something to play with this winter.

Rattling Options

Significantly downscaled from the commotion of bladebaits, yet a bit louder than traditional lure types, are rattling lures, or lures with add-on rattles. Basically tiny BBs that bounce around in an internal or attachable chamber, rattles shake and quake when you move the lure. OK, so it’s more of a clickety-click than a vibe. But hey, it’s something different amidst the norm, something that might get their attention.

Rattling jigging spoons like Jig-A-Whopper’s Knocker Minnow, Northland’s Buck-Shot Rattler, Lindy-Little Joe’s Rattl’r Spoon, and Bass-N-Baits’ Rattle Snakie Spoon feature rattle chambers molded into the body of the spoon. Select models correctly sized for your target species, and start clickin’ and tickin’.

Some jigheads come with internally molded rattle chambers: Apex Rattle Jig, Wazp Rattlin’ Stinger. Others come prerigged with rattle chambers that attach over the shaft of the jig via a plastic sleeve; Northland’s Buck-Shot Rattle Jig is perhaps the most notable prerigged example. If you prefer to rig jigs to rattle yourself, Northland Buck-Shot Rattle Jig Rings come in single- and double-chamber versions that slip onto nearly any standard jighead, adding an enhanced sound component to your presentation.

Want to add rattles to a spoon, or even a plain hook? Northland Buck-Shot Rattle Hook Rings slip onto the shaft of a treble or single hook, or even onto the line ahead of the lure. Given their easy adaptability, they can be added to nearly any vertical jigging lure, expanding your attracting options.

For years, numerous ice jigging spoons have featured tiny red flicker blades attached to the split ring, adding a spot of color and a hint of sound. Nowadays, rattling options are louder and flashier. Even teeny spinner blades like Northland’s Thumper Spin can be slipped over a jig hook to add flash and vibration. Just be sure they’re properly positioned to avoid tangling your lure and line on the long drop into deep water.

And so it goes. Do you run silent, run deep beneath the ice pack? Or do you shout out your arrival by bouncing echoes off the ceiling? Ice fishermen have always tended toward the former, but in recent years have explored the latter in greater numbers and at increased decibel levels. If you’re not afraid to shake ‘em up, wake ‘em up, use sound to your advantage. At least they’ll know you’re there. And given the choice between an earache and a toothache, they just might select the latter.