Back in the day, the go-to ice jigging bait for walleyes was a silver Swedish Pimple. The other option was a Kastmaster. Today, the shelves at the local bait shop are decorated with hundreds of icy, fish-enticing, vertical jigging options geared toward helping you catch the big one.

For many ice anglers, the choice of what to drop down the hole can be quite overwhelming. Actually, it’s quite simple if you understand just a few key points in regard to the jigging lure itself and how to match the lure to the walleyes’ aggressiveness.

Let’s keep this simple and break down the multitude of ice jigging lures into three basic groups. These groups are based on the action/characteristics of the lures themselves, and the general activity level of the fish.

Drum roll please…The three basic jigging lure groups are: swimming/gliding lures, up-down lures, and basic jig heads (like your favorite lead head jig you use all summer long). Let’s examine each category and the basic application.

Swimming or gliding lures

Swimming or gliding lures make up the most aggressive lures of the three groups. After the initial upward pull (usually 1 to 2 feet), these lures swim or glide up, then out to the side as they begin an unpredictable, darting quarter-to-full-circle pattern downward as it settles back to its original starting point. Let it sit still for 10 to 15 seconds, then “twitch” it about 5 seconds, let it sit still again for another 10 to 15 seconds, and repeat! That’s a lot of action fishing through a hole in the ice!

Common examples of these lures are the Jigging Rapala, Northland Puppet Minnow, Salmo Hornet, and Moonshine Shiver Minnow. I use these lures 90 percent of the time to catch aggressively feeding fish of all species—like a hot crappie bite, “golden hour” walleyes, or pike in general.

The other 10 percent of the time, I use swimming/gliding lures to trigger fish that are not aggressive at all. In other words, this group of lures can be quite versatile.

Keep the colors basic. Bright, “fire tiger” type colors in stained water, golds/oranges/glow in tannic-stained water (i.e., Lake of The Woods/Rainy), and classic silver/black, gold/black, white, perch, silver/blue in clear-water situations. Fish the baits “naked” or tipped with a small minnow head for scent (a big minnow head can ruin the action). Experiment with different upward pull lengths and pause time in between your customized jigging sequence.

I hang ‘em on a lighter monofilament line like Berkley Trilene 8- to 10-pound test tied directly to the lure, or with a small Cross lock snap to make switching lures faster. Once I settle on a particular lure, I generally remove the snap and tie direct.

Up-down lures

When pulled upward at a fast rate, they basically travel straight up, then flutter or dart just about straight down. These lures are typical “flashy,” chrome-colored lures; there are silver and gold on almost all of them. Classic examples of these lures are the Swedish Pimple or the Kastmaster. The JB Varmit and JB Weasel are other super examples.

Just about any jigging spoon falls into this group. This group of lures is, in my opinion, the most versatile for catching active or inactive fish. I probably catch 75 percent of my walleyes throughout the winter using up-down lures. I also tend to use smaller sizes (1.5-inch, 1/8-ounce type of stuff) to help catch numbers of walleyes and bonus big perch.

I use the same line as I do with the swimming/gliding baits, but a small Cross Lock snap is always used in this case. I also recommend tipping the bait each time with a fresh minnow head. Minnow tails work, too, but the heads are better most of the time.

I start with a more aggressive jigging approach using 1- to 3-foot upward pulls, let it settle and sit for 5 to 10 seconds, twitch for 3 seconds, let it sit for 5 to 10 seconds, then another upward pull. That’s where I start, and I tweak from there, depending on the bites. Gold or silver with a little blue, glow, green, orange or white will do the trick in the color department.

Basic jig head

I use jig heads through the ice the least amongst the three groups. However, they are very important in catching non-aggressive fish. Slowly tap the bottom with a 1/16- to 1/4-ounce jig (1/8-ounce seems to be most consistent) tipped with a whole minnow (lip hooked or threaded onto the hook). The entire lead head jig approach is less invasive. Slow short lifts, resting on the bottom, hovering and twitching a few inches off the bottom.

I use 6-pound-test Berkley monofilament with these jigs. I like the stretch in the line which offers less resistance to help a non-aggressive walleye “inhale” the bait easier. This, combined with a lighter-action rod and a slow rod tip will help put more fish on the ice. A jig set up in this fashion can easily be used as a deadstick. Pull the fish to you with an up-down lure and watch them smack the deadstick.

Pretty basic, but deadly. By adding jigging lures to your “bag o walleye tricks” this ice fishing season (use them in summer, too) I’m confident that you will wonder why you didn’t do it sooner!

Get better results from the time you spend fishing through the ice. Use information from the pros found in winter issues of MidWest Outdoors, available by subscribing on our website.