Top 4 Crappie Ice Fishing Baits | Underwater View of Each

A simple selection of baits is all you need to catch crappies through the ice under wide-ranging conditions. Wired2fish’s Kobie Koenig shares his top 4 go-to bait favorite baits for ice fishing crappies, along with companion underwater video.

FEATURED TACKLE

Tungsten Jig – VMC Tungsten Wax Tail Jig, 1/16 ounce
Jigging Spoon – Clam Blade Spoon, 1/8-ounce
Rattling Bait – 13 Fishing Micro Magic Man
Jigging Rap – Rapala Jigging Rap, W2

Tungsten ice jig with finesse plastic. On the finesse side, 1/16- or 1/32-ounce horizontal tungsten ice jigs paired with subtle straight-tailed plastics generate bites through the gamut of fish moods from aggressive to highly tentative. Koenig favors plastics that deliver gentle movements even when at rest.
Spoons. Small spoons tipped with plastics or live bait get down to the fish quickly and help target larger and more aggressive crappies from the school. While a naked spoon works, additional attraction in the form of wax worms, euro larvae, or plastics increases your catch rate with spoons with fish usually nipping the baited treble hook.
Lipless crankbaits. Like their open water cousins, small lipless crankbaits deliver a bigger profile coupled with more aggressive action and sound. Sound and water displacement is a key attribute, often drawing fish from a distance to your hole.
Gliding jigs. Small #2 and #3 Jigging Raps dart and glide to the sides when jigged aggressively but can also be fished relatively motionless. The minnow profile consistently delivers bites in either case, especially with a live bait-tipped belly treble hook. The Jigging Rap also excels at getting down to the fish with lightning speed, a huge plus when crappie schools are on the move.