When it comes to ice fishing bait, there is such a wide array of choices it can seem to be overwhelming and hard to decide exactly what to select.  The point of this post is to ferret out what each type is used for and I will interject in some of my personal preferences and hands on history into the mix.  At the end, hopefully you have a good understanding of what exactly works and doesn’t and how to best approach your time on the hard water to best utilize your ice fishing gear.

Worm Like Ice Fishing Bait

I am going to lump a lot of bait into this very general, broad ranging category.  With this I am talking about wax worms, spikes, silver wigglers, mousies (spikes, silver wigglers and mousies are all forms of maggots for those interested) and the like.  The idea behind this bait is to emulate a wiggling organism that drives fish (specifically panfish ) crazy and ready to strap on the feed bag.  When ice fishing crappie I always have some of these baits available to use at a moment’s notice.  This is a very small presentation and can be used to downsize just about any presentation you are using trying to catch fish.  I have caught a wide variety of fish with my particular favorite of these “worm like” baits, the wax worm.  From crappie to sunfish to bullheads to perch to rock bass it has worked really well for me over the years.  I have even caught a 20” walleye using a wax worm on the end of a Frostee Jigging Spoon.  The spike is a similar type bait and comes in several colors depending on what they have fed it.  Red and blue are popular colors with spikes.  Another similar type of worm is the bloodworm.  I have found these baits to be especially effective right around dusk as I think it emulates organisms coming from the bottom about that time to feed on the zoo plankton.

The key differences between the worm types is generally the size as well as the sturdiness.  The wax worm is often the largest of the bunch and also the least durable.  The spikes are tough and people like them due to their excellent durability, but they often kind of lose their insides when they get punctured.  The most common method of attaching these baits to the hook is by T-boning them, or basically hooking them right in the middle.  This allows for a great wiggle when you are trying to finesse that fish to bite.

Minnows For Ice Fishing Bait

Nothing beats live minnows often when it comes to ice fishing.  They swim around and drive the fish nuts.  They work especially well under a dead stick or ice fishing bobber not to mention their almost exclusive use under an ice fishing trap.  Minnows come in many sizes, colors and shapes, but the most common used are the crappie minnow, the shiner, the sucker minnow and the fathead.  For sure there are several other varieties, but these tend to be the most common.  When it comes time to match the minnow to the fish you are targeting, in general match the size of the minnow to the size of the fish you are attempting to catch.  For ice fishing northern pike, a live sucker minnow or shiner below a tip up can be a deadly combination.  This setup would not work at all for crappie, however.  They require crappie minnows and often you want to try and find the smallest of the small crappie minnows to really get them biting.  The walleye is an interesting fish , because there are times when a large minnow like shiner works great, but I have had much success on the ice using a small crappie minnow to catch them in bulk.  Don’t be afraid to downsize minnow sizes when it comes to walleye.

When it comes to rigging minnows, there are several methods that work well.  Hooking the minnow just behind its dorsal or top fin works great to keep the minnow lively.  Cutting the head off is a great technique that can work wonders when the bite slows or the fish appear finicky.  Don’t be afraid to leave a little bit of the guts hanging out to keep the scent strong.  There are also times when a completely dead minnow is the ticket.  A dead sucker minnow or smelt under a tip up can work amazingly well for ice fishing pike.  Keeping a few in your freezer if you don’t use them all in a given outing is often a good idea.

When it comes to ice fishing, there are many ways to skin the proverbial cat.  Don’t be afraid to try different tactics while out wielding your ice fishing rod, the differentiation can be just the thing that makes you a great success and all your fellow anglers failures.  Use the above guide to navigate your way through ice fishing bait and find a combination that puts more fish on the ice for you this winter.