Using Ice Jigs during open water season

[MikeG3Boat]

I was thinking the other day while fishing panfish at a local metro lake. Why do I only use ice jigs during ice season? I seem to have good luck catching plenty of fish. Do you guys use your ice jigs to catch panfish during open water season? If so what ones? What about using Eurolarva?

[thatoneguy]

Buckshot rattle spoons and jigging rapalas are great lures all year round. I use them for perch and walleye during open water.

[dan z]

I use diamond jigs under a slip bobber for crappies.

[Sonicrunch]

If you use an ice jig in the summer it will melt.

[sunniewally]

HAVE USED A VARIETY OF ICE JIGS IN SUMMER FOR A DECADE OR SO WITH WAXIES OR VARIETY OF GULP ALIVE BAIT. SOMETIMES A PIECE OF NIGHT CRAWLER

[GeluNumber1]

Ice fishing jigs work just as well in open water as they do in winter. When the bite gets tough, I'll tie on a tiny marmooksa and get back to catching fish. Now, as for eurolarvae, you'll have to order them online. I haven't used them in the summer, but I'd imagine they'd catch fish.

[JosMN]

I use jigging raps #5 or #7 in the summer. Can be deadly at times...and I mean deadly. They hit um and they hit um HARD.

[mainbutter]

Jiggling little jigs making them dance in winter to ellicit a teensy bite is fun.

Ripping a spoon or jig up and down and getting it crushed in warmer water is a pretty awesome feeling

Look at some videos of using vertical jigging spoons for samson fish, it is to ice fishing as nukes are to firecrackers.. but at its core, it is still open water jigging!

[Gus]

Last summer I talked to a couple of bait shops about eurolarve. All of them said that they are not at all heat tolerant, which is why you can't find them in summer.

[Lusid]

Euro's will die in the heat... kind of pointless to use since they need to in a refrigerated climate

[bturck]

during the summer i use a lot of Lindy Watsits for crappie and eyes. this year on Red i tried them on a Northland bubble gum jig and caught eyes and perch. i think jigs can definitely be a two-way presentation, summer vs winter, winter vs summer

[mwal]

I use ice jigs for pannies with waxies when the bite is tough all summer. I have also used my walleye spoons and raps in the summer to catch bass and walleye vertical jigging. I also have never seen Euro for sale in the summer

Mwal

[harvey lee]

I use many of my ice jigs for summer fishing. For gills and slabs, I use them mainly in the month of May and June.

[UKCM]

I use ice jigs all summer for panfish. I prefer a jig over a plain hook because it is much harder for the pannies to swallow the whole hook. I already have a bunch of ice jigs and found no reason to buy 'normal' jigs for pannies. Once in a while the fish are so finicky a plain hook will outfish a jig (ice or otherwise) but I have found that to very rare.

In mid to late summer when the panfish move out to 8 foot or deeper water, I vertical jig with my ice rod. In that case I am almost always using a Genz Bug with Gulp alive, 1 1/2 minnow or Fish Fry. I will regularly outfish bait as they bite the Gulp alive as well as bait and I am not re-baiting all the time. My ice rods are more sensitive plus the short length means I see more up bites.

[Beast26]

All the time. I also use my ice fishing rods and reels quite often when fishing deeper water and anchored up over schooled bluegills in late summer and fall. I always have one or two of my ice fishing rigs in the rod locker of the boat year round just in case they are needed.

[sightfisher]

Ice jigs all year for me! The jig box bounces between my winter bag and summer bag. Jigs and jars of Gulp!

[dfv87]

Swedish Pimples (single hook) and gulp minnow/fry are my summer go to staples... much of the same in winter... I usethe same jigs year round. I do have some that are just summer or winter but those are usually bigger jigs for live bait, bigger redtails in the fall.