Winter is coming....Don't forget the plastics!

[Borch]

After one of the Fishing Minnesota Ice events a few years ago on Upper Red when I got schooled during the evening bite by one of the staffers using plastics I decided I'd give them a try. Boy I'm glad I did!

The past several winters I've used less and less live bait setups and more and more plastics(especially for panfish). I've just found the plastics to be more effective than livebait in many situations.

Some of my favorites are the custom jig and spins Ratso and Shrimpo jigs.

Both are finesse plastics with a long thin tail(simuliar to a mousie) that quivers with the slightest movement.

The ratso is a horizontal bait that I've really fell in love with. The crappies and sunfish(walleyes, bass, perch and pike too) just seem to love this style of bait. Make sure to keep the knot positioned so the bait hangs horizontally.

The Shrimpo is a vertical jig. The best results I've had is with the plastic rigged so the tail sticks out perpendicular to the lure itself.

Both baits work well jigged aggressively or with very subtle twitches.

For pictures and ordering info check out. Custom Jigs & Spins

Other rigging option include using the Ratso/Shrimpo bodies or other finnesse plastics avialable with Scenic Tackle's Crappie jigs. These are great jigs without a collor and great hooks that work great with finnese plastics. I've had a lot of luck with this setup as well. See these at Scenic Tackle Jigs

One more variation is using plastics with spoons the the very popular Go Devil Jr. At times that's all thsat's needed. No need for digging in the minnow bucket to slow you down. These are top notch spoons with great hooks. You can find them at Scenic Tackle Go Devils

Hope you have as much success as I've had with the plastics. At times they've outfished livebait 3 to 1. Sometimes getting schooled has it's advantages. Don't be without them in your arsenal.

[Swimmer]

I recently read in this forum about some guys who were "wacky" rigging (T-boning) the ratso/schrimpo plastic bodies and having success when nothing else worked. I was just wondering if any of you guys had tried this and under what circumstances.?

[Borch]

No I haven't tried that yet. But definitely will this winter. I have downsized the plastic to a 1/4" of body plus the tail and put it on a fatboy or maroozka jig. At times that definitely turns them on.

[Stratosman]

Tried it last season with the ratso's, kinda out of desperation because the fish were tearing them up and I couldn't re-hook them the standard way, I was about out of the hot color and decided to hook them wacky and it worked really well, seemed it would weed out the smaller specimens and trigger some of the larger. Check it out next time, take a look at the action it has when rigged like this. It definately has a permanent place in my arsenal for this season.

[CrappieJohn]

A trick to using a bit larger plastic on a jigging spoon with a split ring to tie to is to add a nail splice(an eye on a barbed nail-like shaft used for splicing fly lines and tippets together)to the split ring. Simply slip this barbed end into the plastic at the top and run one of the trebles thru the tail end of the plastic. This supports the plastic along the length of the lure but still gets that all important action end freed up and where it does the most good. Yes, it changes the drop of the lure some and adds weight to it, but the bonus is in the results. Many of the traditional vertical jigging spoons do much better using plastics instead of bait.

[Matt Johnson]

Great post Borch!

Plastics for ice fishing have really become a mainstay of mine, and Custom Jigs and Spins provide some outstanding options that have proven (to me) to be a very productive presentation.

The Ratso and Shrimpo are both phenomenal jigs in my opinion, and they have found a place on several of my panfish rods. All the different sizes and colors have their place and time, but the glow pink Shrimpo has really grabbed my attention the most. It's been one of the jigs that ALWAYS stays rigged on one of my panfish rods.

For the Ratso, I've really become fond of the size 8 pink/white. This has been a great horizontal presentation for me, and it's excellent in sight-fishing situations.

To be honest, a person's collection of Custom Jigs and Spins could look like a paint-by-numbers With all the colors and options to choose from, there are color and style schemes to match just about any situation. Not just for panfish either. Walleye, bass, perch, and pike will take these jigs as well. The size 6 options provide some great walleye jigs when fish are in a negative mood.

And don't just restrict yourself to the Ratso and Shrimpo either. The Demon, Two-Spot, Toadie, etc, all have their place and time as well. Not to mention their Slender Spoon that was very productive on smallies and walleye for me last winter. Gold with green was my best color for a Slender Spoon.

A lot of choices to choose from and with the finesse plastics you can even mix and match...

[CrappieJohn]

Dan Thiem just about wept when he lost his one and only ratfinke in gold and pink last winter. That was the most amazing color combo for him and another guy where we were fishing. The other guy didn't offer to cut his off for Dan, so he was forced to learn some new tricks.

Myeslf, I have to remember to take my CJS tackle out of my soft water satchel and I have to remember as well to put the extra replcement tails in too.

[icehousebob]

I've been using larger sized Ratsos and Shrimpos baited with waxies for Perch, especially in Dakota waters that have fresh water shrimp. I also learned from the Dakota guys about jigging for Northerns using 1/4 oz. lead heads and Power Grubs. I stumbled onto using a Power Grub hooked to the bottom treble of a large Cicada that I would rip and then quiver. The darn Northerns kept trying to yank the rod out of my hands.