5 Great Ice Flies for More Panfish Under the Ice
Do you ever find a panfish bite under the ice where the fish are stubborn and just won’t eat anything? Or do you get sick of having to rebait a jig after every fish? What’s the solution, you might ask? It’s Ice Flies. Ice Flies have been used by anglers for decades to target finicky, timid, winter fish. They started as a cross-over of classic trout flies but have since been tweaked into niche fly patterns, specifically tied and modified for ice fishing. Extra movement, more flash, color, and extra weight are just some of the features that have been incorporated over the years to trigger bites through subtle hints of bugginess. Additionally, flies have the added benefit of not requiring extra bait, thus simplifying any trip’s gear list. In my opinion, there are five main categories of patterns to mimic winter panfish food: Scuds, Mayflies, Caddis, Midges/bloodworms, and lastly,…
Tungsten Cluster Worm
Rubber legs, dubbing body, a touch of flash, and tungsten… Does anything else need to be said?? In all seriousness, this fly was designed to resemble a clump of blood worms floating. Additionally, this fly can pass as a scud because of the blended ice dub and Hare’s ear dubbing. Combined, this pattern simply resembles something a fish wants to eat and it is small enough that it will entice weary bites when larger flies and jigs don’t do the trick! This pattern is quite similar to the classic San Juan, but subs in a cluster of rubber legs for extra movement, and adds some ice dub for added visibility. You can also purchase this pattern and others from our shop!
Icy Caddis
In the adult stage caddis can be seen all through the warmer months around house lights (they are the small moth-like bugs that swarm any light source). But during the larval stage, this bug is a fleshy, fat grub making it a common forage of fish, especially during winter. Caddis Larvae are primarily bottom dwellers that forage around seeking organic matter to ingest so they are found in all bottom types. The Icy caddis pattern was designed and tied to mimic caddis larvae, which is a plentiful forage of winter panfish. But it differs from a standard caddis pattern because of the added triggers. It utilizes extra small rubber legs, with a segmented, coarse hare’s ear-dubbing body to match the hatch and entice the bite. Additionally, a tungsten bead gets it down so there is more time in the strike zone, making it a great addition to your box for…
Hybrid Jig
What happens when you cross a heavy tungsten jig and an ice fly? Can the best parts of each be combined to complement the other’s fish-catching ability? These were the questions that led to the creation of this pattern. And before I knew it, this fly-jig hybrid was born. This pattern utilizes both the fast-sinking, heavy nature of tungsten and the subtle, trigger-rich nature of ice flies. The ultra-heavy tungsten allows it to sink fast and “bounce bottom” to stir up the mud, while the subtlety entices even the wariest of fish. My favorite color for this pattern is orange, but that’s not to say that other colors don’t catch fish. It’s just a personal preference. This jig is a simple pattern, but it is deadly under the ice for not only panfish but also trout. Hook: #10-#14 Nymph Bead: Insta Jig Tungsten Head Thread: 210 ultra or 6/o Uni Tail:…
‘Gill Shrimp
Veteran ice fishermen have long known that scuds (or freshwater shrimp) are a favorite food for big panfish and trout under the ice. The ‘Gill Shrimp ice fly is a close imitation of a scud, enticing finicky slab bluegills, crappies, and trout with life-like marabou that breathes convincingly imitating the many legs of a scud. These flies often turn negative fish that reject the baited jig into biters, a situation common with finicky cold-front panfish. Pair them with a larger tungsten fly or jig to help get it down fast. Hook: #10-14 nymph or curved scud Thread: 8/0 UNI Eyes: Black Bead-Chain Underbody: 5-7 wraps of .015 lead-free wire Tail: Natural gray chickbou or marabou and silver flashabou Rib: X-fine silver wire Body: Natural gray chickabou or marabou and gray UV Ice Dub in a dubbing loop, wrapped to eyes Legs: X-small centipede Note: The described pattern is for a gray…
Slab Spike
Spikes (mayfly nymphs) and scuds are a favorite food source for winter panfish. The Slab Spike, with its segmented body, rubber legs, and seductive Marabou tail, closely imitates a small mayfly nymph. Plus, the tied with a tungsten bead gets it down fast! While a standard brass bead offers a subtler approach! Slab bluegills and crappies can get pretty finicky under the ice, and ice flies are sometimes the only way to hook mid-winter panfish. These flies often turn negative fish that reject the baited jig into biters, a situation common with finicky cold-front panfish. On bigger sizes with tungsten, these work well as the big fly in a Michigan rig to get it down fast. The smaller sizes work well as the small fly above a tungsten jig/fly or drop shot. The sky is pretty much the limit as for the color patterns, but since this is designed as…