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,…
New Ice Fly Patterns for Winter Panfish and Trout
“Good” ice is just about widespread in Minnesota now, which just gets me excited to get out after some early-ice fish. With the new season, I have a few new patterns that are fast becoming staples in my box. These couple patterns give me more options and fill some of the gaps. So here they are! #1. The Tungsten Hybrid 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…
The Basics of Using Ice Flies for Panfish
Ever come across a tricky panfish bite under the ice? When fish get picky, ice flies are often the best solution for those nasty bites below the ice. This article gives a basic introduction to picking ice flies. When picking an ice fly, there are three things that I consider. First, I think about what the fish is primarily feeding on, and how big that food source is. Panfish are opportunistic feeders, especially in the winter. They will feed on many things during the cold season. However, many of those food sources can be generalized into three categories: Nymphs and Larvae, Freshwater Shrimp, and Worms. As long as I have a couple from each category, I can match almost every bite. Size is another key factor. Colder weather makes the fish have much smaller appetites. On those nasty days when your holes freeze over before you finish drilling them, a smaller fly is often the only…
Tying Ice Flies for Winter Panfish: The ‘Gill Shrimp and Triggers for Hardwater Slabs
Veteran ice fisherman have long known that scuds (or freshwater shrimp) are a favorite food for big panfish and trout under the ice. Over the past few seasons, I’ve been testing and tweaking a few patterns to match the hatch and create a good scud imitation. Crappies and bluegills under the ice have a much slower metabolism than their summer counterparts, so ice anglers need to utilize a few key triggers in their ice flies and lures to entice unaggressive, neutral fish into biting. These triggers hold true for not only ice flies, but all lures for hardwater panfish. The ‘Gill Shrimp The ‘Gill Shrimp (or “Bluegill Shrimp”) came about after refining a few patterns and adding materials and triggers to produce a convincing ice fly. I knew I wanted a bug that imitated the slightly curved position of a lethargic scud and had plenty of movement incorporated into the materials.…
Tying Ice Flies for Winter Panfish
Tight lining has taken the panfish ice fishing scene by storm in the past few years, and for good reason. This highly productive technique utilizes ultra-quick sinking tungsten jigs in combination with realistic, imitative ice flies on the same line. I’ve been tying, testing, and tweaking the design of a few ice flies over the past two seasons with great results on the ice. Here are two of my most productive patterns for hardwater panfish. Hook: #12-16 heavy wire nymph hook Bead:5/32″ brass bead Thread: Black 8/0 Tail: Natural gray chickabou with one to two strands of gold flashabou on either side Body: Brown micro tubing Legs: Brown x-small or micro barred rubber legs Thorax: Dubbing blend of your natural dubbing (hare’s ear, squirrel, etc.) and gray or olive UV Ice Dub Get some hand-tied Slab Spikes in our shop! Hook: #12-16 heavy wire nymph hook Bead/Eyes: 5/32″ brass bead…