Many years ago, Lindy came out with a tiny jigging spoon meant for catching panfish. Although I tinkered with this approach to some degree, it wasn’t until a few years back that I really started to appreciate the merits of this panfish option.

Numerous companies have developed some type of jigging spoon. I have used several different products and basically had success with all of them. Even though I catch panfish on tiny jigging spoons all winter, I do believe that they work their best in the earlier part of the season.

I have found two different approaches for fishing a jigging spoon. One is to aggressively pound the jig like you were working a walleye spoon. After a series of jigs, I let the spoon stand still. Most of the strikes come right after the pause in the jigging cycle.

These bites are not earth-shattering hits. They are very subtle. Choosing a rod that is stiff enough to accommodate the aggressive jigging, yet sensitive enough to detect light bites, is essential.

The other method I use is more of a jiggle approach. I gently shake the jig much like I would with a standard panfish jig with an occasional pause built in. The bite usually comes on the pause, but also while I am shaking the spoon.

Usually, I don’t use live bait with this presentation. It just isn’t necessary. With that said, if the bite is a little slow, I don’t hesitate to put a couple of larvae on the hooks to entice more action.

One nice aspect of the jigging spoon is their size and weight. These lures are easy to feel when jigging and are great for novice anglers who aren’t quite used to working tiny lures on a spring bobber. Because of their bulk, they show up very well on my Vexilar. Again, they’re a great option for novice anglers who aren’t quite sure what the electronics component is all about.

No doubt, I catch more crappies than bluegills on these miniature spoons. Their larger mouths are more conducive to sucking in a slightly larger bait.

However, that doesn’t mean that larger ‘gills won’t readily hit these lures. The smaller fish are not as interested. It is one way of eliminating some pesky bites from very small fish.

When it comes to color, I have caught fish on a wide variety of choices. Glow red is always a favorite, as is chartreuse. I don’t find color to be as much of a factor as when I am working a straight jig.

People in the fishing world keep coming up with new innovations for anglers to try. Although I am a “pretty standard type” of winter angler, I have been impressed with panfish jigging spoons and include them in my fishing arsenal on a regular basis.

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