Walleye Ice Bobber Rig with Spoon

[Vitreus]

Are any of you familiar with this concept? I generally just use a hook and sinker when rigging a bobber for walleye. I will jig a spoon in the neighboring hole, but to be honest I don't get many bites on the bobber rig. I've seen some videos where guys say they're using spoons under their bobber. It doesn't make sense to me that a motionless spoon would attract bites, so I'm assuming they are baiting the spoon. I guess I can see a lively minnow hooked through the tail on a small jigging spoon possibly causing some flash and being effective. Does anyone here have experience with this method? Have you had good results? And if so, what types of spoons/lures work best and how do you present the bait on the hook? Thanks.

[CaptainMusky]

I have had fish hit spoons or other jigging baits while stationary, but never used a bobber. Buckshots, chubby darters, etc. Jigged, mark fish, hold steady and they will hit is so I guess if you had a slip bobber on there and just jigged like normal and paused allowing it to remain stationary under the bobber it would work.

I almost always use a minnow head on these things when jigging.

I do remember many years ago a buddy of mine's lil brother was sitting in the house with me. I looked over at him and he had a swedish pimple on the rod. Then I noticed him putting a depth bomb on there. I said "Freddy, what are you doing?" Im going to set my bobber, which he proceeds to pull out the red and white plastic cork. I nearly fell off my chair I was laughing so hard, but it got better.

He reaches what should have been the bottom and the cork goes right down. Perplexed he lets out more line adjusts again and same thing. He has no idea what is going on, tries this several more times then starts pulling it in. He caught a 10# eelpout with the dang depth bomb and everything on there. Funnies thing I had ever seen.

[BrandonJ]

I'll use a buckshot under a bobber occasionally. This was most effective for me on mille lacs. I replaced the treble with a single hook. I usually use a whole minnow or load it up with waxies.

[pushbutton]

This past weekend often found myself attending my young son and elderly father, so used a spring bobber on my jigging stick and caught numerous fish when I would set it down and go off and do something. Was using small frosties and flyers tail hooked. They out produced an active jig a few feet away. A little different than what you were asking, but the same priciple. And while my motive was not to try to do this at the time, will be purposely doing it in the future, epecially when the fish are in a more nuetral mood..........

[TCon17]

I often do a spoon under an ice bobber when walleye fishing. They seem to like it staitionary after they are on the vex, one twitch, and I get a hit often. I find that I cant hold it prefectly still in my hand, so the bobber helps a lot there.

[uptracker]

A lot of Canadians run a 1/4-1/2 oz. Williams Wabler with two good ball bearing swivels (one at each end). Then they attach a leader of about 8" to a single treble and live minnow. They use it as a deadstick per se. It works, believe me.

Some of them also just use a 3' limp stick (a gad) for a stationary pole and bury it in the ice and snow and stand back to watch. They just tie their line to the end of the "pole" and hover the end of the stick over the ice. The theory goes that the wind will move the stick ever so slightly and result in the spoon having subtle movement.

[Stick in Mud]

I will replace the treble hook on a spoon with a single hoook and bobber it up. Works absoloutely fabulous in the summer, too. Sometimes I'll add a short mono leader between the spoon and the hook. I've jigged the same rig before and had decent results....it's a very different action than the spoon with a treble. Kind of fun to watch on the camera.

[Vitreus]

Solid feedback here. Definitely grounds for giving it a try!

[laportian]

My deadstick almost always has a jigging spoon on it. I will leave it in a rod holder or place it on a bucket and have my holes drilled real close. If I jig aggressively with one rod I will often reach over and jiggle that deadstick and get a sniffer to go over and take the spoon. Works well.

[Eric_Kruger]

I too replace the hook with single hook, jigging spoons work nice because you wont need sinkers.

Best way I have found is to hook the minnow as far back as possible on the tail, or hook it upside down,seems like one gets the ost vibration out of the minnow that way. pair this with a "flashy" spoon and your sure to get a bite!

[pathogen]

Hali makes a chain dropper that you can put on your favorite spoon in place of the treble. Under a bobber, you get the best of both worlds. You can put part of a minnow or a whole minnow on the dropper---whatever your preference is. It works remarkably well.

[Deitz Dittrich]

even though you are not jigging a spoon it can still have fish attracting qualities.. shape/flash/sound.. all will depend on the fishes mood.

[Vitreus]

Will be putting this method to the test tomorrow. Any suggestions on spoon types that are effective? Size? Crappie minnow or fathead?