Ice fishermen are always thinking about how to make life easier on the ice, or how to make a major or tiny modification to a lure, rod and reel, or ice shack that gets them a few more fish. Let’s look at some tweaks, ideas, hacks and mods (modifications) that a few of my buddies and I have come up with over the years.

Lure mods

Finesse Plastic from Custom Jigs & Spins is one of those products developed through the tinkering process. We started out by slicing off thin strips of a plastic worm as an alternative to live bait. Once the right size and thickness was determined, we tested various hardnesses of plastic to come up with a supple action. The result is a Finesse Plastic tail that moves even when you aren’t jigging your rod. When a fish strikes, it feels soft, so they hold on just long enough and won’t let go.

Finesse Plastic was designed around one of our favorite lure designs–the Ratfinkee: a small, precision lead head jig with a hard plastic body that has caught a ton of fish for many anglers over the years. The Ratso is the twerked-up version of the Ratfinkee adding new enticement with the Finesse Plastic tail. The Shrimpo was developed to provide a vertical presentation of a Ratso. The Shrimpo imitates the freshwater shrimp or daphnia that panfish feed upon.

One trick when tying on a Ratfinkee or Ratso is to use a clinch knot. Pull the knot tight to the jig eye and pull it tight and behind the head (towards the hook) to keep the Ratso riding horizontally. With the Shrimpo, use a loop knot so it falls loosely.

New in the last few years are a tungsten Ratfinkee called the Wolfinkee and a tungsten Ratso called the Tutso. These new tungsten jigs look the same as the lead versions, but they get down to the fish a whole lot quicker because tungsten weighs in at 1.7 times that of lead in the same size. Plus, they dart and dive quicker on your jigging motions.

You can slip Finesse Plastic on any of your favorite lures. On a jigging spoon like a Custom Jigs & Spins Slender Spoon, you can put two different colors of Finesse Plastic on the treble hook as well as a minnow head. The Finesse Plastic adds bonus action and attraction.

Another trick is to slightly bend open the hooks on the tiny jigs you use to give it an offset and increase the hook gap. This will give you much more hooking power and you will miss fewer fish on the hookset.

A minnow can be hooked in a variety of ways. When I’m deadsticking a second rod, I always hook the minnow back behind the dorsal fin, which allows the minnow to struggle. When I’m vertically jigging a Demon Jigging Spoon or a Slender Spoon, I’ll just use a minnow head. When I’m sneaky, I remove the Finesse Plastic on a Ratso or Tungsten Tutso and thread the minnow on by sliding the hook into the mouth, out the gill and then back around through the body near the dorsal. The result is a perfectly balanced minnow that really tempts tentative larger fish. Match jig size to the minnow size for best results.

Rod and reel hacks

One time at a seminar, I was asked; “What kind of grease do you use in winter that won’t freeze and lock up your reels?” My answer: “No grease; I just grab another combo and toss the frozen one in a bucket.” What a lousy answer! But that’s what I really did! Fortunately, the folks at HT Enterprises and other companies have solved this problem with grease called Blu Lube. Blu Lube won’t freeze, so you can use your favorite micro reels without freezing up. I even put it on my plastic reels and tip-up reels; it keeps everything working smoothly and squeak-free!

“Gypsy fishing” is what my buddy’s call fishing from hole-to-hole. You drill a bunch of holes, then move around. Usually, you can catch a fish right away in a new hole, then move when the action slows. When it’s a nice day out, Gypsy fishing is highly productive. I like to use a longer rod; 42 inches is ideal. This allows me to move from hole to hole without bending or sitting on a bucket. When fishing shallow water, I’ll use the long rod and lower my rod tip right to the hole. Then, when a fish hits, I have a lot of distance for a good hookset and a straight lift out of the hole.

Electronics tweaks

I’ve tried every form of electronics available, and all I can say is that once I’m settled in and not Gypsy fishing, I’ll drill three holes, set my electronics in the center hole, jig with a pole in my right hand, and set another pole in a holder on my left side. Using Livescope on down mode is probably the most effective method. I can watch the action in real time and see how fish react to my jigs on either side, and make mods accordingly.

Other mods

Over the years, I have made modifications to my tents, sleds, and even my ATV so that I can set up faster and spend more time fishing.

Check out your gear. I’m sure that there are a whole lot of mods, hacks, tweaks and twerks that will make your time on the water more productive! In fact, one last tip: a good tripod for your phone. You can set the timer and take quality photos, make videos, and have a conversation without fumbling around. Make some memories!

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