[Cal]

Just wondering if anyone else has tryed lures that are typicly used for open water through the ice to find that they realy produce well. Some of my top producers over the years are hooks that are quite popular in the summer but I rarely see anyone try through the ice.

The first is the Meps Cyclops, nothing realy suprising there, plenty of spoons will catch fish through the ice but absolutely nothing I've come across has the intense flutter of a jigged cyclops. The intense flutter not only means lots of vibration but also translates into a slower fall than mose spoons and fish seem to have an easyer tim hitting it on the drop. Oddly enough I dont realy have much use for these hooks in the summer.

Bladebaits like the cicada, a very intense vibration on the lift. Most spoons need a free fall to achieve their action which means the line is slack and its hard to feel bites. Because a blade bait makes all of its conciderable vibration on the lift it can be lowered more slowly on a tight line making it easy for fish to hit it and easy for the fisherman to feel the bite. The downside is that I havnt come up with a good way to bait it which can be a factor on some days.

The Ratling Rapala, this has been one of my best producing lures for many years. Like the Cicada theres no good way to bait it but usualy it doesnt seem to matter. Also like the blade baits it makes its vibration on the lift and has the same advantages but besides its vibration and noise it also works like a swim bait. It actualy swims in a wider radius than most plug style swim baits, like the jigging rap, but not quite as wide as a large airplane jig. With the Rattling Rap I get alot of bites as it swings back under the hole after swimming off to the side.

Wondering if anyone else has some more or less "oddball" favorites through the ice.