Ice fishin newbie..

[DTro]

no you will want to use a bait on them.

For the panfish jigs I would recommend a waxie or eurolavae, and the spoons I would tip with a small minnow, or just a minnow head (pinch it off).

Another option is a small plastic on those jigs. Sometimes bait is not needed.

Also if you didn't know, we are allowed two lines in the winter, so what a lot of guys like to do is set up the second line with just a bobber (the ice buster bobber works great) and a plain hook with a minnow tail hooked.

[NCLaker]

Easiest thing to do is go to a local bait shop by the lake you plan to fish. Ask them what to buy for the fish you are targeting and where on the lake to start trying. They will set you up with good tackle to start out with.

Also, hit the ice show at the River Center in Dec. You can learn a lot about gear and what is available.

If you really wan to get a jump start. Setup a guided trip (Matt Johnson on this site does it). They typically provide all the gear you will need. Then you can find out if YFG likes it or not, and also get first hand demo of what type of gear to start out with and how to use it.

[Scott K]

I agree pretty much all those jigs will put fish on the ice. I had my best luck with the glow Rattling Varmints for eyes. For sunnies the ants seem to produce well for me. Crappies I used tear drops or the Glitter Glo's. Just pick up a couple packages of these lures and give them a try, but you cant go wrong with any of those choices