US Dollars
Slamming Shallow Water Crappie and Pike Through the Ice!
Posted by Walt Matan, Chief Lure Designer, Custom Jigs & Spins and B-Fish-N Tackle on Jan 6th 2026
The last couple of years have offered some great ice fishing for me, especially in shallow water less than ten feet deep. It is here that bluegill, perch, crappie, and pike roam freely and are readily caught, especially at first ice, that is, right now!
Flutter spoons for the win!
It is here that old school flutter spoons still produce. Standbys like Custom Jigs & Spins Demons, 2-Spots, and Rockers, Demon Jigging Spoons, Lil’ Cecils, and Slender Spoons are killer producers in these shallow weedy areas.
Small tungsten jigs are most effective in clear water where you can present a tiny offering with enough weight to get to the strike zone quickly.
Most of the time, though, I’m fishing in areas that have about a foot of visibility, so I’m usually fishing with a little lead or brass spoon that has a slower fall and a nice flutter. It’s way easier for a fish to suck it in a lightweight jig or spoon with little or no hesitation.
Shallow waters
When fishing first ice shallow water situations, I had always focused (in the past) on smaller presentations because I believed that these fish were skittish, which they often are. Last year as I was fishing at one of my favorite early-season backwaters, which had become a high-traffic community spot, I watched anglers pulling in some nice pike on tip-ups.
This is nothing new in Wisconsin, as most anglers there will set out a tip-up or two and then jig for bluegills. I never really cared much for tip-up fishing, but in this case, most of these fish were nice-sized, and I knew they would put up a great fight on a little rod. I decided to focus my efforts on pike by actively jigging for them with a Slender Spoon.
Using a Livescope
At this point, it is worth noting that I enjoy watching my Livescope while ice fishing. Many anglers will use Livescope for searching only and then switch to a flasher while fishing. They believe Livescope deters fish from their hole because of the higher frequency.
Although this is true a lot of the time, I just love to watch how fish react to my lure in real time and can learn so much more from a fish’s mood by watching a Livescope than staring at the orange bars on a flasher.
One of the things you notice while panfishing is that you can be slamming fish and then the bite shuts off. Fish are moving around your hole three or four at a time, and fishing is good.
When the fish are gone, enterprising anglers will search for fish with their Livescope and change holes quickly. But now that I’ve gotten older and slower, I’ll wait for it and prepare for the next run.
Catching multiple panfish
Catching multiple panfish creates a frenzy. more fish come in to investigate, and then predators move in and spook those fish down into the weeds. After a little time passes, those bluegill and crappie move right back up and out and onto my tungsten Chekai jig again.
I started experimenting with larger lures; instead of using a size1/16th ounce Slender Spoon. I use a 1/8th ounce and even a ¼ ounce. Instead of a size 10 Demon, I put on a size 4. I know what you’re saying, “those are some awful big profiles to be using in shallow water early ice!”
I’ll have several rods rigged with different sizes of lures. My set-up is that I’m fishing out of two holes with the Livescope in the middle, watching all the action. Another thing, I’ll fish those larger lures up higher in the water column, usually in the top third of the water. And I’ve been getting some extra-large crappie, largemouth bass, and pike by fishing up high!
I even switched to a larger rod that I usually use for walleye with heavier line, and remarkably, have not spooked the crappie. They seem to get focused on the fluttering action of the Slender Spoon and Demon and don’t get spooked by the line test.
Sometimes it takes five minutes or more to tempt a fish to strike. I’m not just talking about teasing a ten-inch bluegill…I’m talking about jiggling a ¼ ounce Slender Spoon while watching a 36” pike with its nose mere inches away.
I’ve had them flash in from a distance and grab the spoon and RUN! I’ve had them ease up from another angle, and I think it’s a crappie, then spin around and see that it’s another quality pike.
Using two rods
When using two rods, I’ll have a larger Slender Spoon with a minnow head (preferably a Rosy Red and a Demon size 4 with a whole Rosy hooked through the dorsal on the other. I’ll change things up with a smaller Demon or Demon Jigging Spoon on different rods, but I’ll always keep that Slender Spoon on. Firetiger, orange glows, and chartreuse combos seem to work best for colors.
Just writing this article has got me so fired up about early that I’ve got to organize my ice tackle box, fiddle with my ice rods, and reorganize my already organized gear one more time!