While live baits such as minnows have been the choice of generations of hardwater anglers, supple plastic baits have increased in popularity over the last few years. I have found that they offer many benefits, including versatility, durability, and the ability to mimic the natural prey that walleyes seek out during the coldest months of the year.
Soft plastics offer several advantages over customary live bait. For starters, they are strong. Unlike live baits, supple plastics do not die, freeze or lose their effectiveness after a few drops. This means more time fishing and less time setting hooks. Soft plastics also come in a myriad of shapes, sizes and colors, allowing you to experiment and match the forage available at your specific fishing location.
Modern supple plastics are designed to provide realistic movement. Many plastics are composed of special materials that provide a natural, tempting action in frosty water – perfect for stimulating winter walleyes.
We can also operate supple plastics in a variety of rigs and configurations, including jig heads, drop-shot rigs and even in combination with spoons. This allows them to be adapted to different fishing situations and techniques.
Types of supple plastics
Choosing the right supple plastic is crucial when fishing for walleye through ice. Different sizes, shapes and colors will work better depending on the conditions.
Swimbaits perfectly imitate bait fish, walleye’s favorite food source. When fishing with a jig motion, the bait’s paddle tail creates a natural swimming action that lures fish to attack.
For ice fishing, choose smaller baits ranging from 2 to 4 inches in diameter. Subtle tail vibrations and natural body tilt can attract walleye even in leisurely, frosty water. My best colors are pearl and silver/black to imitate shiny or other baits.
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Fluke supple plastics are often used to imitate baitfish with their streamlined body and pointed tail. These plastics work well when mounted on a jig head or when used with a drop-shot rig.
Flukes piercing the ice move quickly, imitating a wounded or panicked baitfish – oftentimes walleyes find it irresistible. Stick with flukes that are 3 to 4 inches in diameter, especially in clear water where walleyes feed primarily on baitfish. The colors here are truly universal: white, silver, or any fish pattern.
Soft plastic rigging
We can place supple plastics in many ways.
Start by fishing for deep water or vigorous fish. The simplest and most effective way to ice fish is to pair them with a jig head. The weight of the jig head, especially the tungsten version, allows the supple plastic to sink quickly, and the jig movement mimics the natural movement of prey.
Choose jig heads in the 1/16 to 1/8 ounce range for a finesse presentation, and operate heavier heads for fishing deeper water. To attract walleye, operate leisurely, methodical jig movements, especially in frosty water.
Important rule: don’t overdo it with plastics! If you operate a hefty jig and a miniature piece of plastic, it will look unnatural. It also works the other way round. Don’t operate a jig that’s too delicate with a huge piece of plastic. Falling through the water column will look strange and discourage the fish rather than trigger attacks.
A drop-shot rig allows you to suspend the supple plastic just above the bottom, which is the main feeding zone for walleyes. This presentation can be deadly in situations where fish hold close to the bottom of the lake. Place a miniature swimbait, fluke or grub on a miniature leader above the drop-shot sinker and lightly jog it to attract fish.
While supple plastics are effective on their own, they can also be sprinkled with a miniature piece of live bait, such as the head or tail of a minnow, to add scent and flavor. This combination can be especially effective when fish are more finicky.
Maximize their effectiveness
To maximize the effectiveness of supple plastics, you need to polish your presentation.
Jigging is the most common technique used when ice fishing. When fishing with supple plastics, a subtle jig movement is often more effective than aggressive jerks. Slow, deliberate lifts followed by pauses allow the bait to fall naturally, mimicking injured or dying prey. Vary your jigging rhythm until you find what the walleyes prefer that day.
Electronics are, of course, an invaluable tool when ice fishing. Use flashers to locate walleye pods and determine how deep they are suspended. Once you know their depth, you can drop the supple plastic to the appropriate level and adjust your jigging technique accordingly.
Know the conditions
Understanding ice conditions is key to success.
Cold fronts, high pressure systems, angular pressure and changes in water clarity all affect walleye behavior. Typically, early morning and behind schedule afternoon and behind schedule at night (in high pressure waters) are the best times to target walleye when they are more vigorous. However, supple plastics can often produce bites even during midday breaks when fish are more dull.
The versatility, realistic performance and durability of many of the supple plastic options available in today’s ice market make them a worthy alternative to live baits. If you don’t operate them, you’re missing out on a powerful tool for attracting zander this winter.
Whether you’re casting baits close to the bottom or working with tungsten and plastic, these up-to-date options will facilitate you land more walleye this season.
Try newfangled ice plastics during strenuous water season. You might be surprised when an vigorous walleye hits it!
