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Bring on the Bluegill! Your Must Do List.
Posted by Walt Matan, Chief Lure Designer, Custom Jigs & Spins and B-Fish-N Tackle on Feb 4th 2026
The ice is here, and I’m out chasing bluegill and other panfish. It could be in Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin, or Minnesota. Just give me some solid ice, a shallow weedy bay, channel, or backwater, and I’m on my way!
Are you catching fish?
I’ve been chasing panfish for more than forty years, and it has never gotten old, even though I have. I’ve learned a few things along the way. The first and foremost goal is to catch a bunch of fish. There is absolutely no reason to invest in all the gear, expend all the effort it takes to go ice fishing, and be satisfied with getting skunked or just catching a few.
Take photos!
Second, always take photos of your catch. Whether it’s just a selfie or two or a picture of a fish next to your boot, take a few photos for gosh sakes! You’ll be happier when you can relive some of those fishing memories later in life, or just show off to your friends or prove to your wife that you caught something for once!
Eat’em
Finally, keep a few fish, clean them, and fry them up. You don’t need to keep every fish you catch every time, but occasionally, keep some fish. The best-tasting fish comes from cold water, and water doesn’t get any colder than it is right now!
Find the right spot
Sometimes catching fish is easier said than done. Often, it’s just plain difficult. You must have a plan and then be ready to try to figure out where those fish are and get them to bite. If fishing just stinks no matter what you do, you can always pack up and head to another nearby lake. This has saved the day for me many, many times.
I’ve driven to lakes that I thought were frozen and then had to move to another lake or a channel or back-water that was frozen. I’ve driven for an hour in the dark, arrived at the lake and then seen folks preparing for the annual snowmobile drag races. I’ve found a good spot, caught some fish, and then had a guide and a dozen clients sitting right where they saw I was fishing and then told me to get lost. You never know what can happen.
Travel light
First ice rule of thumb means traveling light, unless the ice is thick enough to pull a small tent and a little more gear. Must have items are a 6” auger mounted to a battery powered drill, an ice scoop, a small box of panfish jigs and spoons, some waxworms and spikes, a spud bar, ice spikes on your boots and a few long and short ice rods.
Rig it right
I like longer ice rods for early shallow water action. At least a 40” long rod allows me to stand and fish and move around to different holes quickly. A little plastic reel or a lightweight spinning reel loaded with 3-pound test is all that is needed for catching panfish. Keep it simple.
Top early ice jigs include Custom Jigs & Spins size 12 and 10 Ratfinkees, Size 12 and 10 Demons, size 12 and 10 ‘Gill Pills, as well as small tungsten offerings like 3mm and 4mm Chekai jigs, size 14 Majmun jigs and size 14 JaJe jigs. You can add a Wedgee plastic tail to any of these baits or spikes or waxworms.
The right action
A slow fall followed by a stop and go jiggly motion while slowly raising your rod is a great way to get some fish to bite. Bluegill tend to stay closer to the bottom, while crappie can be higher up in the water column, even all the way to just under the top of the ice. The biggest bluegill will hang around a foot to 18 inches off bottom, though. In clear water, the fish can see your jig from a long way away, so fishing higher up off bottom will bring them over to take a look.
Set up multiple rigs
I like to have at least three rods at arm’s reach, rigged up and ready to go. If one style or color doesn’t produce, I’ll make a quick change to something different. Whether I’m using a flasher, Livescope, or just staring down the hole (in clear water), you must always be predicting what those fish will do.
Here is my standard fried fish recipe:
Take filets and coat them with a mix of Italian breadcrumbs and a few dashes of Old Bay Seasoning. Smash the bread crumb mix into the filets with a spoon so they stick thoroughly. Fry them up in some frying oil you can pick up at Menards, use an air fryer or bake if you prefer.
Make a tartar sauce with 2/3 olive oil mayo and 1/3 dill relish, add some crushed capers, and mix thoroughly.
Here is the camera tripod I suggest:
Made by JOBY, it’s easy to adjust, sturdy, great for photos or videos and has a remote fob to make shots easily. I’ve tried cheaper models, but they don’t hold up to ice fishing abuse.
