How many of you guys use plastic

[jigging-matt]

I started using plastics a couple of years ago. love them, couldn't believe how well they worked. Now I have been adding to the arsenal.

[FishinChad]

Originally Posted By: fadal

I have tried plastic with zero luck.I must be missing something what kinds work the best? Pictures would help greatly. I am not real familiar with names other then mister twister.

i agree, i have no idea howto use plastics on ice. someone care to explain in EXTREME lay-mens terms?

I use plastics, but usually tipped with a euro for panfish. The added scent helps and covers the hook. A flasher is a MUST HAVE if you want to be success full consistantly with plastics. If you dont have one and are having problems catching anything with plastics, that is why. I would start with tipping them with some sort of live bait, and as you gain confidence and are on aggressive fish, try without bait.

[McGurk]

My plastics story: A couple of years ago I tried some plastics (Shrimpos) and didn't have much luck with them at first, either. The thing is; they are only going to catch fish if there are fish to be caught. There is no magic to them that makes you a great fisherman. I almost gave up on them.

Then I fished alongside a guy a couple of times and he showed me the ropes to finesse plastics. In my opinion a flasher is a must when using plastics, and you need to work the fish and gauge their response by watching the flasher. I no longer do the 2' up/2' down jigging style, but do a lot of subtle vibration type jigging with slow up movement. By using plastics it means you are not going to bobber fish anymore, but work the lure and line and watch for an approaching bite on the flasher first, and the actual bite on the rod tip second. There is a chance you might feel the bite, but more than likely you want to watch for it.

I now use primarily plastics and fake bait (wigglers and maggots) instead of waxies. I do tend to carry a tin of spikes (eurolarva or maggots) incase there is nothing else working, though. Late last winter while crappie fishing I outfished, in both size and number, the entire rest of our 8-person party using a black Ratso with NO BAIT! For most of them it was their first time seeing plastics being used (They used live minnows and bobbers) and the guy I consider to be best fisherman in the group (and way better than me) was very impressed and actually was asking me questions about fishing techniques!

[dan z]

i do i do i do shrimpo's and some other ones also!

[Duffman]

Another good learning tool to use with plastics is the underwater camera. View how the plastic reacts to certain jigging motions, and how fish react as well.

You can load up on all sorts of plastics, but I'd suggest keeping it simple at first. Learn how to work a couple different baits and gain some confidence. If the bite is off, plastics can be as ineffective as anything, but if it's ON, that's when plastics shine.

I'll never say that plastics are as effective as live bait, but plastics will outperform it if ones knows how to perform.

I see where people start threads about if they only had one lure?

Give me a 2" powerminnow, trimmed and matched to a certain jighead, and I have the confidence that I will see some sort of action thru the ice.

[gritsnham]

I have become a huge ice fishing plastics fan! Sometimes they are the only thing that tight lipped crppies will bite on and are a great addition to any tackle box. They can be fished many different way and I like the berkley plastics the most for micro ice fishing plastics.

[MinnesotaMongo]

I started using plastics last year - sitting beside my son who was using euro and waxies. I am sold on them and will be experimenting with even more varieties of plastic this year. They are unbelievable.

[Nozzlejocky]

I always have plastics with me on the ice and , quite often, I don't even take live bait with me. Keep a variety of styles and colors and use them, they work!

[metrojoe]

I don't use plastics on a regular basis, but I did have a lot of luck tipping my ice jigs with the Little Atom Nuggies last winter.

[Drewski]

Plastics are my number one go to bait. It's amazing how you won't entice a bite with live bait and then you throw on a plastic and they slurp it up. I won't fish without them!

[Huntin&Fishin]

Man! THanks guys I just always thought they didn't work!! Well I was wrong! I'll have to give them a try.

[Drewski]

I just stocked up with ratso's and shrimpo's at TB this evening. Can't wait to get out!

[palisade1kid]

My belief after 9 years of using plastics that the most important part of your panfish arsenal is plastic. It all started with Custom Jigs and Spins Finesse plastic tails and a plain lead head 1/32 oz. ball head jig. Since those early days I have used a plethora of plastics with great success but the key to fishing plastics at times is matching the hatch as in trout fishing with your fly box. Get the right plastic, impart the right jigging action and stick to it. Plastics in tourney fishing are very important when you match the hatch, get in your rythym, and are not fumbling for your bait puck. I have expanded my plastics arsenal to include Little Atom and Maki Plastics. Having a variety of plastics in varying styles and colors will keep you prepared for anygiven fishing situation. I raley switch to live bait when fishing for panfish. Try to think like a fish you can get alot of natural movement from a piece of scented plastic and there is no incorrec way to rig it. Experiment, practice, and practice some more because plastics help you get up and down faster and eventually will lead you to higher catch rates. Colors and sizes oh my, manufacturers have answered the call and Maki Plastics will custom make any colors you desire. For the first timer experiment with glow, chartreuse and black. That's what I did so long ago the rest they say is history.

I agree Tim.Part of this presentation is the flasher.

Being able to read the fishes mood then give it what it wants.

If anyone read the new article in the In-Fisherman about the trend of downsizing plastics .They were talking about in great detail.

So were small hair and feathur jigs being featured.

It's appearant in this thread many guys are going away from meat.

Being able to control the sizing and color will put more fish on.

No matter the time of year for me meat is used maybe 1% of the time.

I've caught more fish,more often since making the switch.

I'll admit it takes some learning on how to work those fish.

[graingrower]

What size/style of hook or jig works well in conjunction with a Little Atom Nuggie? Is a horizontal presentation preferred? Do you want it to fish any heavier than a Ratso? I appreciate any comments. Thank You!

[gritsnham]

Graingrower the general idea is horizontal for more sluggish fish and vertical for aggressive fish but this is not always true. The ratso and shrimpo glow heads have worked good for me along with berkley plastics but playing around with the different combos is a good way to see how the plastics fish. You just have to spend some time with them and let the fish tell you what they want.

Hope this helps!

[Borch]

Plastics and horizontal go together like peas and carrots. But there are times when the fish want it vertical like grtisnham mentioned.

Throw a nuggie on an optic stealth, diamond jig, gill pill, etc and you'll do fine. make sure to check you knot postion after each fish as it will slip so that the jig does not hang horizontally.