[BottomBouncer]

Do wax worms work good for bluegill under the ice? I have some small ice jigs and things like that, what would be good to tip them with? What lb. line 2 or 4?

 

[lureboy98]

I've heard of people catching bluegill on wax worms through the ice, and I have before. I wouldn't use 2lb line or even 4 lb because there is always the potential to catch something bigger. Just my opinion and experience though.

 

[BottomBouncer]

I'm gonna go check thickness now.....should be up to 6 by now. About the only thing in this pond is 'gils, bullhead and that couple dozen crappie I put in there last summer. 4 should be enough......I doubt I'd ever use 2

 

[stumpsitter]

I've had good luck with wax worms when I used them on little teardrops. I've caught alot of bluegills and crappies that way.

 

[Maumeemoon]

I have good success in ponds with wax worms. I use 4 lb. cause I occasionally catch some nice sized largemouth throught the ice where I fish. I tend to use really small ice flies and and rig them with waxworms. If you can find ice flies with small silver flipper blades on it all the better. It seems that if I go a while without a bite the ones with the flippers draw the fish in for me when I start jigging. Not always but more times than the plain ol ice jigs or flies when I jig. Another thing that works good for the gills is to make a crappie rig out of light line and suspend an ice fly off of each hook lear and put a small silver swedish pimple on the bottom. this helps you cover more area and find out what depth the fish are at. Use two rods and set one crappie rig so that the pimple is about 6" higher than the highest ice fly on the other rig. This will let you work @ 4 ft at once(or more depending on spacing on your crappie rig) between the poles and helps to narrow down the depth faster. I tried some live minnows this past weekend and nothing. I swithced to waxies and I caught some nice bluegills- 2 were 10" the rest were aroun 8 1/2".
Good Luck and let me know it you try this and it works. Every one that I know that has tried it likes it cause it allows for easier fish location if you don't use a finder. Sorry this is so long.

 

[BottomBouncer]

Thanks for the tips.

 

[Erie]

here's a couple of tips from a fellow Philips retiree John H ...

FISH LOCATION

http://www.freescripts4u.com/forum/webmaster/messages/28.html