Color selection is always a hot topic when it comes to any sort of fishing. In ice fishing, there are basics that seem to work for many species, but one type that is very different, and extremely productive, is a selection of “glowing” lures.

My first choice for panfish are Custom Jigs & Spins glowing colors of Glow Brite/lime, Glow Brite/pink, Glow Brite/blue and plain Glow Brite. While there are several models in which “glow” colors are available, a good selection would consist of Ratfinkee, Wolfinkee, Demon, Ratso, Tutso, Rocker and Pro Slender Spoons. The sizes that I use with most jigs, other than the Slender Spoon, are 10 and 8, which have weights of 1/100- and 1/50-ounce, respectively.

Glowing jigs are used throughout the ice season but come to the peak when the fishing is tougher. A good time for “glowing” is when there is a heavier snow or slush cover, or milky ice, which blocks the sunlight penetration. On this same line of thought, using these jigs in heavy brush piles, weeds, deeper water, and stained water (not found a great deal when ice fishing) have also had success.

These jigs hold their “charge” for a good length of time. Although it is not necessary, I like giving them a charge about every other time they are pulled from the water, or whenever the bites stop coming. Many times, a bite will be produced immediately after the jig is recharged.

Recharging can be done in different ways via natural sun or artificial light. The first way is to hold it in the sunlight. If fishing in a shelter, this requires putting it up to the window, or on the ice outside of the door. A very small, and convenient device, which will quickly take care of this, is called a Nuclear Flash. This battery-operated LED light is another one of Custom Jigs & Spins products. The light has a lifetime warranty on the bulb. Its battery normally works for 120 hours before having to be replaced; using it for only short periods to “flash” a jig, it could last for a few seasons. There are three bulb colors available: white, blue and ultraviolet. Custom Jigs is the only company with the high-charging ultraviolet bulb. Another device is an a Glo-Ring that attaches to the side of a Vexilar flasher unit, into which the lure is “dipped” for a second, pulled out and ready to fish.

Other than keeping the jigs charged, there isn’t anything special on techniques to learn, which means that whatever is successful can only be enhanced by the glowing properties of the lure. The jigs can still be tipped with whatever baits are normally used, such as a wax worm, spike, Crappie or Panfish Nibble, Gulp bait, or other prepared or live bait.

It is uncertain as to why glowing jigs are so successful. In the lower-visibility situations mentioned earlier, it is true that the jig can be seen better in these instances. However, I’ve had great success with them during times when the ice and water were extremely clear, and the fish were holding outside of cover, or over other types of structure. At these times, I think it still goes back to the fact that the jig can be seen better, and as with any time of the year, a fish is going to investigate the first thing it can see. If nothing else, the “glowing beacon” peaks the fish’s curiosity to investigate, and once there, it is up to the angler to use the correct technique to tempt it into striking.

The next time you head to the ice, try this type of jig, and you will most certainly be hooked with some “glowing success.”

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