Ice anglers tend to use smaller baits. Whether fish select for smaller baits during winter, we’ve used smaller baits so long that it’s become tradition. We’ve also never had a good selection of larger baits designed for ice fishing. Fish do develop preferences for certain sizes of baits and it’s up to anglers to determine what the fish favor. But if you use only small baits, you’ll never know if a bigger bait would have worked better for more and bigger fish.

Walleyes, pike, and lakers often favor bigger baits, but so do perch, crappies, and even bluegills. My experience with crappies is that for most of the season they seem a little intimidated by larger baits and often won’t move in to investigate the larger meal.

But even crappies change their attitude about bigger baits during late-ice. They strap on the feedbag sometime in March and continue to bite consistently through ice-out. When crappies move shallow, I’ve been successful with larger baits, like a Nils Mater Baby Jigging Shad, or 1/4-ounce flash lures like a Bay De Noc Swedish Pimple. These baits aren’t huge, but they’re large compared to classic crappie baits.

A standard ice-fishing practice is to drill a hole over the location where fish are holding, or attract them to a hole. When using smaller baits, which can be difficult for fish to find, it’s critical to position yourself over the exact spot where fish are congregated or spots they frequent to feed. Sometimes punching a hole a few yards away from a hole that isn’t producing makes all the difference.

Larger baits have more attracting power. Fish can see them from farther away—just like a 12-pound goose flying off in the distance is easier to spot than a 2-pound teal. Fish can see a larger bait at a considerable distance in clear water and are able to find bigger baits more easily in dark or stained water.

Big fish tend to select for bigger baits. But only in recent years have we had the option to use larger baits for predators. Nils Master was the first company to introduce a large-profile swimming lure, the Jigging Shad. Anglers who’ve tried them and have acquired confidence in these larger swimming lures are convinced that they work great, if not better than most other lures. Same goes for Salmo’s Chubby Darter, and I’m sure Storm’s new soft plastic Vertical Jigging Minnow is going to be hot this season. Not only are these baits extremely effective, but they represent the shape and profile of a minnow, shad, or young-of-the year forage so closely that most ice anglers don’t tip the bait with any meat, like a minnow head. They simply rely on the natural-looking profile of the lure and use specific jigging moves to fool fish into thinking the artificial bait is real.

Smaller walleyes and pike aren’t afraid to attack big baits either, though I’ve missed my share of small fish on larger baits. The baits are too big for them to get in their mouths. Missing small fish doesn’t bother me. Most walleyes 14 inches and longer completely engulf larger swimming lures.

Most bigger baits are heavier so it’s critical to use the right rod and reel combo and heavier line to balance the weight of the bait. For walleyes, pike, and trout, I use a Thorne Brothers 32- to 42-inch S-glass rod teamed with either a Pflueger Solara (#4735) or a Mitchell 300X spinning reel. The combo is more than capable of handling larger baits, and the reels can comfortably hold 8- to 12-pound-test mono. Heavier line supports the weight of the bait and prevents line breaks and slows the fall of most baits, which can be critical for triggering strikes.

Heavier lures matched with the proper rod and reel combo are easier to fish than lighter baits; it’s easy to stay in contact with the bait. Admittedly, the first time I held a Nils Master Jigging Shad in my hand, I thought that it might be too heavy. But after using it, I found that the weight of the bait kept my line taunt enough to stay in contact with the lure all the time, which also makes detecting light bites easier.

Modifying Big Baits

There are two primary problems with using big baits. One is that most tackle companies equip the lures with hooks that are too large. Fish, particularly small fish, don’t get the hooks in their mouths when they strike. Replacing larger hooks on larger flash lures can increase your hooking percentage. A 21⁄2- to 31⁄2-inch flash lure that comes with a #4 treble should be outfitted with a #6 or #8 treble.

In hand, the bait and smaller hooks look somewhat disproportionate, but they work. The key is to make sure enough hook gap is exposed to still get a good hookset. On most swimming lures, replacing trebles with a smaller hook doesn’t work because the belly of the bait narrows the hook gap and you can’t get a good hookset on the treble hook.

Using a larger lure to attract fish and a smaller offering to trigger strikes is a deadly combo. Commonly referred to as search lures, this dropper rig incorporates the attracting qualities of a flash lure or swimming lure with the triggering qualities of a smaller bait. For years, the system has worked for perch and other panfish, but giving predator fish the drop works too.

The problem always has been finding a dropper strong enough to support the weight of heavier fish and still be equipped with an appropriately sized hook. This season, Nils Master and Northland are offering lures rigged with a dropper, and droppers that can be added to your favorite lure.

Northland’s 2-inch single-hook (#4) droppers feature Berkley XT 14-pound-test line and a quick-snap for attaching the dropper to your favorite lures. Nils Master now offers three different lengths in Hali Snap Chains, which feature two quick-clips, one that attaches to your lure and one to hold a single or treble hook. They also offer a Snap Chain equipped with new Clourhooks that feature a glow eye bead in the center of the treble, designed to attract and trigger strikes on the dangling treble.