How and Why to Use Soft Plastic Bait For Ice Fishing Panfish

Over roughly the past 15 years soft plastics have exploded into the ice fishing world asserting its dominance as bait and becoming the standard for many ice anglers today. 

Why Use Soft Plastics?

Soft plastics have numerous advantages, even when compared to live bait. Wax worms as many of you know are often the standard live bait in ice fishing, but they aren't very versatile, your just adding a chunk of meat to a hook. don't get me wrong, wax worms can be incredibly effective when the fish are active and positive in their feeding moods, but when conditions change and the fish aren't as active you simply get lookers and not biters. 

This is what soft plastics shine at compared to a wax worm in terms of catching panfish. you are can match the hatch and imitate natural forage that panfish feed on regularly like blood worms, freshwater shrimp, invertebrates, nymph larvae, mayfly larvae, you name it. 

Downsizing 

Small plastic presentations come in a variety of sizes. This is important for tough bites when the fish aren't really active and can make the difference between catching them or not. 

When fish aren't active and you need to work for each bite, switch to a very small jig, like a 1/64th ounce tungsten and compliment it with an equally small soft plastic. This can coax skittish or less active fish to bite. 

Locations and Soft Plastic Selections

Some areas hold larger amount of a specific type of prey than others. For example, soft bottom mud flats are loaded with blood worms. These worms wriggle to the mud surface where fish like perch and bluegill slurp them up. In these areas soft plastic blood worm presentations can be devastating. Pound your jig on and off the mud bottom, this will stir up tiny amounts of silt and attract nearby fish to come gobble your bait. 

Fishing in weed cover is great for baits like mayfly larvae imitations and tiny minnow presentations, and both can serve you well. 

When fishing for suspended crappies its tough to beat a micro minnow style presentation worked over schools in deep water, and you will see fish dart up from the schools considerable distances to eat a properly worked plastic minnow. Simply wag your rod tip ever so slightly up and down to make the minnow body shimmer, once you see fish committing on your flasher raise your arm while shimmying the minnow in an attempt to escape and get crushed over and over. 

Complimenting other Lure Types

Some soft plastics work great when paired with lures like spoons. for perch in particular one of my favorite tactics is to take imitations minnow heads or fake fish eyeballs and put them on the spoons hook. the spoon will attract the fish to your presentation, and in many cases the imitation plastic seals that deal. 

This also works with crappies in suspended water with the same types of plastics or even full minnow imitations attached to lures like spoons. 

Re-usability

unlike live bait that typically only lasts one or two fish before you need to add fresh bait, soft plastics can last for quite a while and can catch a dozen fish before you need to change to a fresh plastic. Considering the very affordable cost of soft plastics, this is definitely a win.

One of my favorite presentation when the bite is hot are the GULP! wax worm imitations, they are stretch and incredibly strong, holding up incredibly well to panfish. I have caught 15 plus panfish on the same grub before losing it, and to be totally honest, GULP! wax worms have worked better for me than the actual thing since I started using them years ago. 

Conclusion

If you for some reason are one of those hold-out anglers who doesn't use soft plastics on a regular basis, or even more than live bait, you should probably jump on the bandwagon. The versatility of these baits are truly incredible. If you still don't believe me, invite me fishing and watch me slay. 

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