zip lures

[frabillfisher]

I was wondering if any body has ever jigged zips through the ice and done any good for perch or eyes i use the malot in the summer and do good, never tried in winter but im thinkin bout it this year

[Deitz Dittrich]

I have, They have a ton of action. They work best when the fish are active. You cant put very much bait on them or it will screw up the action. Most times I will opt for a spoon like an Angle Eye, but there are times when that Zip lure does catch fish. Not a bad idea to have a few in the box.

[PikeTipper]

I've done well with them early ice but as the season progresses I have less success. Probably best for really active fish.

[Ed Carlson]

Blade baits are great ice lures on rivers. I use a lot of them on the Red and other rivers. I have caught most everything including catfish on them.

They excel in flows that other vertical lures would tend to drift too far out of the beam of your electronics. They remain nearly vertical in very fast water.

In the Zip line I like the glow/blue/metalflake, the Gold, perch, and the one called the WillowCat.

I like to rip them fairly aggressively a few times and then hold them up off the bottom a foot. Then from time to time beat the bottom, lift and hold.

I tip them with some scent option like a minnow head, or use them as is with a spray on scent like Jack’s Juice. Most bigger fish just whack them because of the action of the lure, so scent is a secondary consideration for me.

Pike love the larger models and be sure to use a light wire leader for them or......ZIP.......Gone.

The Heddon Rattling Sonar is a very good Blade Bait too. They have 3 connection points so you can modify the amount of action +\- you wish from the lure as you jig. The Firetiger, Gold, and the glow are great Heddon colors.

I recommend using a Berkley CrossLock snap on all Blade Baits, not a DuoLock type. Keep the snaps on there smaller side or they will tend to tangle up too much on aggressive jigging. For pike the Titanium leaders with the CrossLock snaps are hard to beat.

[Matchman]

Saw Exudedude take in a 34" muskie on Lake Calhoun on a little Zip Lure. So, I guess you could say they work...

Match

[Deitz Dittrich]

That was fun Matchman... was cool becuase the ice was so clear we could see it swimming down there. I also got to watch it hit on my Aqua Vu.. man was that a show I will never forget!