Ice Fishing: How to Jig for Panfish

Panfish are the primary target of many ice fishermen. Jigging is the preferred method and for good reason. Jigging for panfish can yield quick results and allows an ice fisherman to be able to adapt quickly to different situations. Follow these tips to improve your success when jigging for panfish.

First and most important is to locate the fish. Many panfish will often reside in the shallows during winter months. However, during the heart of the winter they may move to deeper holding areas, such as deeper flats or sandy areas. Fish finders will help locate schools of panfish. This may mean drilling a few holes but finding schools of fish is always the ideal scenario. If you don't have a depth finder you will have to locate the fish by jigging. This means drilling a lot of holes and fishing them to find where the fish are located.

Next you need to choose the proper lure or bait. Personally I prefer to combine a lure tipped with bait. It seems to entice even the most finicky fish during slow periods. Generally I like to start with a Swedish Pimple. This is a small spoon type lure that comes in a variety of colors and sizes. On the end of the lure is a treble hook that I will bait with grubs or spikes. Fishing the lure near the bottom normally yields the best results. Just drop the lure to the bottom and then reel up a couple of feet. Then raise and lower the rod tip to jig and wait for bites.

If you have located the fish and a Swedish Pimple isn't working you may have to downsize your lure. This is when I turn to a teardrop jig. This is a very small jig that should be tipped with bait. A lure this small should be given delicate action. By this I mean us a short slow motion to your rod and wait to feel for delicate bites.

On the other hand if you have located fish and they seem to be very aggressive I will switch to a larger lure to target larger fish. During this scenario I will turn to a jigging rapala. Jigging rapala's imitate small fish so this is the ideal bait when the fish are very active. If they take this lure aggressively there is no need to tip it with bait. Just jig the lure aggressively and the fish will normally attack this lure.

Panfish are a great treat to all ice fishermen. Not only do they provide a great meal, but they also can provide some great fishing action during the winter. Jigging for panfish can be a lot of fun and very productive when done properly. Hopefully these tips will give the advantage to catch more fish.